The Port of Rouen unveiled plans to dredge the Seine River shipping channel over the next four years to allow the inland port to accommodate bigger vessels.
Francois Henriot, a port spokesman said that regional authorities approved the dredging plan after negotiations which started in 2007.
The first part of this project will involve dredging about 25 kilometers of the river, from the English Channel to an Exxon Mobil Corporation refinery.
The project budget is $242 million, Henriot said.
The dredging project of Seine River shipping channel may allow Rouen to attract almost 10 million tons of cargo per year.
France’s port of Rouen is Europe’s largest grain-export hub, and Rouen is also a major river port on the Seine leading down to Paris and its region and further afield.
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Dredging Today Staff, December 14, 2011; Image: portofrouen