Former Prime Minister Edouard Philippe boarded the Botticelli on Saturday 25 November, bringing to a close a three-day cruise organised by the port communities of the Axe-Seine from Paris to Le Havre, with the aim of bringing together the various stakeholders.

“Taking the time to forge relationships, not just make contacts.” This sentiment, expressed by Olivier Jamey, president of the Paris port community and the driving force behind the ‘Influenseine’ initiative, came to fruition from 23 to 25 November. Numerous stakeholders from the Axe-Seine ecosystem
gathered for three days aboard the Botticelli, one of Croisieurope’s vessels, to exchange views and discuss the many issues currently shaping the river corridor.

Setting sail from Paris, Transport Minister Clément Beaune, Prefect Pascal Sanjuan – Interministerial Delegate for the Development of the Seine Valley (DIDVS) – and the Prefect of the Île-de-France Region, Prefect of Paris Marc Guillaume, discussed the challenges posed by the Olympic Games opening ceremony, which is due to take place on 26 July between the Austerlitz and Trocadéro bridges and will result in the suspension of river traffic for several days.

The numerous mega-projects also featured prominently in the discussions held throughout the cruise. Verso Energy (green hydrogen), Salamandre and KerEAUzen (production by Engie of E-LNG for CMACGM and E-Kerosene for Air France), new port terminals in Le Havre and Bruyères-sur-Oise (by MSC for the former and its subsidiary Medlog for the latter): all projects that illustrate the favourable alignment of circumstances currently benefiting the Seine Axis.

A tribute to the collective 

At each stop – in Gennevilliers, Rouen or Caudebec-en-Caux – local elected representatives, each in their own way, paid tribute to the spirit of community. A mindset summed up in a single
sentence by Stéphane Raison, Chairman of the Executive Board of Haropa Port: ‘Solidarity must be our guiding principle’.

Patrice Leclerc in Gennevilliers, Nicolas Mayer-Rossignol in Rouen, Virginie Carolo-Lutrot (chair of Caux Seine Agglo) in Caudebec-en-Caux, and Jean-Michel Génestier, mayor of Le Raincy and executive councillor for the Greater Paris Metropolis in charge of logistics, all echoed this sentiment; as have Pierre Rabadan, Anne Hidalgo’s deputy in charge of the Seine and guest of honour at the first lunch of this cruise, Jean-Baptiste Gastinne, Vice-President of the Normandy Region; Agnès Canayer, Senator (LR) for Seine-Maritime; and Edouard Philippe in Le Havre.

“By working for the Axe Seine, we are working for something that goes beyond regional interests; we are working for France,” emphasised the former Prime Minister. The president of the Axe Seine Consortium, in turn, praised unity and public-private partnerships, which are essential to the success of the low-carbon reindustrialisation project that now forms the very essence of the Axe Seine.

Source: Journal du Grand Paris, 4 December 2023.