Le Havre bridges the gap between river and sea

A major project to improve the movement of containers between the port of Le Havre and France’s inland waterways has entered a new phase, with dredging now under way on a new access channel at Port 2000.

Known as La Chatière, the project will create a direct navigable connection between the deep-water container terminal and the historic port, opening up access to the Seine basin for a much wider range of river vessels.

The latest phase began on 10 November, when DEME’s backhoe dredger Peter the Great started excavating the route of the future channel. The dredged material is being transported by the split-hopper barges Vlaanderen VII and Vlaanderen VIII to a designated offshore disposal site near Octeville.

The dredging follows the completion of a major milestone in building a protective breakwater, which has now been connected to the southern breakwater of Le Havre’s historic harbour.

“This access channel is an essential facility for the port of Le Havre, long awaited by the Seine port community, which will allow all types of inland vessels to reach the Port 2000 container terminals,” said Hervé Morin, president of the Normandy region.

Removing a barrier to river transport

Port 2000 is Le Havre’s principal deep-water container terminal, but its position at the entrance to the port has presented a challenge for inland waterway transport.

Access from the Seine river network is restricted by the need for river vessels to navigate an exposed maritime route between the harbour and container terminals. Only a limited proportion of the inland fleet is suitably equipped to make this crossing. Other vessels have to use the port, which means containers have to be transferred between terminals, adding another stage to their journey.

Engineers aim to address this constraint at La Chatière by creating a sheltered channel that will allow river vessels to reach Port 2000 directly, making an easier connection between maritime shipping and inland distribution routes along the Seine, including at Rouen and Paris.

By making more of the river fleet available to serve the container terminal, the new access is intended to improve the competitiveness of inland shipping and reduce the number of containers that need to be moved by road.

“By creating direct and secure access to Port 2000 for inland waterway convoys, we are strengthening the link between maritime and river transport, between the open sea and the Seine, the backbone of our region,” said Daniel Havis, chairman of Haropa Port’s supervisory board.

A new channel protected from the swell

The scheme centres on a channel about 1.8km long and 100m wide, protected by a new breakwater measuring around 1,800 metres.

The breakwater is critical because it will shelter the river access route from waves.

Construction of its submerged foundation began in February 2026, with the base formed using sand and gravel placed from a diffuser pontoon.

By June, almost 800,000m³ of material had been placed along the breakwater alignment. The operation was carried out without disrupting commercial port traffic, with bathymetric surveys used to monitor the accuracy of placement.

The structure was then built upwards using rock armour and large concrete Accropode units, specially shaped concrete blocks used to dissipate wave energy and protect the breakwater against the forces of the sea.

The first Accropode was installed at the end of April. By May, 6,800 of the planned 19,900 units had been manufactured, while 450,000 tonnes of rock had been delivered to the site.

Joining old and new

One of the more technically demanding stages was the connection between the new breakwater and the existing southern breakwater of the historic harbour.

The two structures use different forms of concrete armour. The older breakwater is protected by tetrapods, four-legged concrete units, while the new structure uses Accropodes.

To create a continuous protective barrier, the project required a specially designed civil engineering junction.

Existing tetrapods were removed or repositioned so that they could interlock with the new Accropode units, and Haropa said this had been completed last month – so that dredging can begin.

Dredging the route

Dredging is being done by Peter the Great, a floating dipper pontoon operated by DEME. Measuring 60m long and 17m wide, the platform is held in position by spud legs and excavates material using a grab bucket with a capacity of up to 25m³.

The excavated material is transferred to barges for transport to the offshore disposal site near Octeville. The Vlaanderen VII and Vlaanderen VIII are split-hopper vessels, each with a capacity of about 1,000m³.

The dredging marks a transition from the construction of the protective structure to the creation of the navigable route it is designed to shelter. Both elements are essential: the channel will provide the physical connection, while the breakwater is intended to make that connection usable by a broader range of river vessels.

The scale of the works has required ongoing monitoring of the seabed and surrounding marine environment.

Bathymetric surveys are being used to check seabed levels and confirm that materials are placed accurately. Water turbidity is also monitored throughout the construction process.

Haropa Port is working with environmental specialists I-Sea and Hozro on this programme to monitor naturally occurring changes in water conditions from any effects associated with the works, allowing operations to be adapted where necessary.

The La Chatière project will cost almost €200 million and is being funded by the Normandy Region (€86.05m), Haropa Port (€82.45m), the European Union (€24.9m) and the French state (€3.6m).