Seine-Nord Europe Canal

Central link ofthe European

Seine-ScheldtWaterway

General presentation

Mr Nicolas BOUR,

Project Manager

Mission Seine-Nord Europe - VNF

Summary

1. Issues of Seine-Scheldt inland waterway

2. Project description

3. Development schedule

Summary

1. Issues of Seine-Scheldt inland waterway

2. Project description

3. Development schedule

A European network 38 000 km- of which 20 000km at high

capacity (>1 000 tonnes)- serving the principal European

conurbations 465 MT of freight transported 128 billion tonne-km in 2005 7.2% modal share (UE15)

Netherlands: 47.3 % Germany: 13.2 % Belgium: 14.7 % Austria: 4.5% France: 2.9 % (13% on Seine corridor,

30% on Rhine corridor)

Growth of inland water transport in Europe1975: 87 billion T-km 1995: 112 billion T-km1985: 90 billion T-km 2005: 128 billion T-km

Total waterborne traffic in billion tonne-km

1970-2005

The French network:

– a small proportion of high-capacity waterways

– lack of interconnection between thehigh-capacity river navigations

High-capacity waterway

Limited-capacity waterway

Canal Seine-Nord Europe Central link of the European Seine-Scheldt Waterway

• Eliminate a major bottleneckon the European high-capacitywaterway network

• Improve competitiveness of industry

• through the reliability and the reduced logistics costs of inland water transport

• by offering common access in Europe to 6 seaports of the northern range(60% of Europe’s exports/imports)

• Contribute to regional development in France and Europe, reinforcing the capacity of exchange in the corridor Le Havre-Paris-Amsterdam/Dunkirk

an investment at European level

Interconnection with 20 000 km of European high-capacity waterways to the Black Sea

Restructuring logistics and development of intermodality over the North-Western Europe

Optimisation of seaport services over the Northern range: increase in port value by improved access to hinterland

Reduction of transport congestion (25% of the objectives of Marco-Polo)

Contribution to growth of European Union

Summary

1. Issues of Seine-Scheldt inland waterway

2. Project description

3. Implementation schedule

Project submitted topublic enquiry

(January 07 to March 07)A canal 106 km long (class Vb) from Compiègne to Aubencheul-au-Bac comprising:

8 pounds connected by 7 locks (single chamber) with water-saving basins

2 water storage reservoirs

3 aqueducts

4 multimodal platforms and7 loading/unloading quays

5 boat harbours + moorings for passenger vessels

– 360 ha of industrial port and logistics zones

– Enhancing the agricultural and industrial potential of the regions

– Locating logistics distribution centres

– Contributing to volume concentration

– Developing intermodality - water-rail-road

Port and logisticszones along the canal

Optimised water managementCarefully controlled water supply- maximum watertightness of the canal and recycling of lockages

- constitution of reserves (storage reservoirs)

Project contributes to attenuating floods of the Oise- reduction in floods between Compiègne and Noyon

- capacity to transfer floods of the Somme to the Oise basin

Value added by water transfer

- transfer of 1 - 2 m3/s from the Oise to guarantee water supply to the Lille conurbation (outside low-flow periods on the Oise)

1.2 forecasted traffic in the north-south corridor

base scenario (PPP)

without the project

logistic scenario (PPP)

2020 2050

Base scenario 13,3 20,0

Logistic scenario 13,8 – 14,9 25,8 – 27,7

Waterborne traffic in million tonnes

Forecast traffic in Europe and France

• Significant growth of waterborne traffic by 2020• Europe between +6 and +7 billion tonne-km

• France between +4.3 and +4.7 billion tonne-km

• Good prospects for continued long-term growth (2050)• Europe +8.4 to +16.2 billion tonne-km

• France +5.8 to +11.9 billion tonne-km

• Two thirds of the additional waterborne traffic at the European level by modal shift from road

• 500 000 fewer HGV movements in 2020 and 1.2 to 2 million fewer by 2050

a socio-economically profitable project

Cost 3.17 billion € (PPP)

Socio-economic benefit : €8 billion (evaluated over 50-year period – 4 % actualisation rate)

Socio-economic internal rate of return (IRR) of 6.2 and 8%(in France, an investment is considered profitable if the IRR is greater than 4%)

Earthworks

Locks and other hydraulic structures

Bridges and other engineering structures

Port platforms

Environmental measures

Growth based on the key advantages of IWT, factor of competitiveness for industry

• Transport costs reducedby concentration of volume

• Reliability of delivery times

• Safety

• Capacity to serve clients in the heart of large conurbations

• Image (environment-friendly transport)

Nature of goods transported on SNEProjection in 2020 (tonne-km) - central scenario

Containers, heavy loads, vehicles, 17%

Chemical products, fertilisers, 11%

Cereals, 30%

Energy products, 11%

Metallurgical products, 11%

Construction materials, 20%

Summary

1. Issues of Seine-Scheldt inland waterway

2. Project description

3. Development schedule

Public enquiry Jan - March 2007

Detailed studies and PPP contractual procedures Competitive dialogue 2008-2009

Soil surveys – archeological surveys 2007-2008

Land acquisition 2008-2009

Start of works PPP 2010

Opening of the canal PPP 2014

Development schedule