THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, September 30, 1994 TAG: 9409300566
SECTION: BUSINESS PAGE: D2 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY CHRISTOPHER DINSMORE, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Short : 41 lines
Having resolved labor problems that have plagued their port in recent years, officials from the French port of Le Havre met Thursday with representatives of the Hampton Roads maritime industry.
They were here to bring a message that Le Havre is back.
``We want to reassure the freight forwarders that they can pass through our port'' without the delays experienced in the past due to labor problems, said Andre Graillot, Le Havre's executive director.
The problem stemmed from an antiquated labor law that had to be rewritten by the French government. After it was, the port negotiated a new agreement with dock workers to make them more productive. That agreement was reached in July.
At a dinner meeting with several dozen representatives of the local maritime industry, including freight forwarders, shipping lines, agencies and Virginia port officials, Le Havre officials described the port's services and development plans into the 21st century.
The visit is similar to the trade missions Virginia Port Authority officials undertake regularly to promote the port of Hampton Roads in overseas markets.
The westernmost port in France, Le Havre is often the first port of call for ships trading in northern Europe and is within 1,000 miles of Europe's richest industrial area.
Le Havre is France's second largest port in terms of total cargo, and the second largest port for handling containers.
Le Havre is nearly twice as big as the port of Hampton Roads in terms of general cargo handled. General cargo includes containers and break-bulk goods such as steel and cocoa beans. Le Havre handled 13.5 million tons of such cargo last year, compared to the 7.7 million tons of Hampton Roads. by CNB