Increased capacity, improved frequency, and enhanced service… Starting in mid-February, a second vessel will join the Multipurpose service, operated by the Marfret Niolon, with departures now every three weeks. Historically committed to serving the overseas territories, Marfret is doubling its calls in French Guiana.
A positive signal for Caribbean service for Guyanese and Caribbean shippers, the addition of a second vessel to support the Marfret Niolon on the Multipurpose Service. “Four years after its launch, this service is running at full speed. Marfret is reconnecting with its origins, conventional transport, a historic expertise of the group,” says Guillaume Vidil, CEO of Marfret.
Starting in mid-February, a conventional vessel with a deadweight of 8,400 tons and a capacity of 10,000 m3, equipped with two 80-ton cranes, will join the fleet under a long-term charter. This vessel will be able to carry big bags, steel structures, wind turbine blades, boats (sailboats, vessels), and hazardous goods. Its floating cargo handling technique, allowing the lifting of items directly from the water, will complement the loading operations in ro/ro and lo/lo handled by the Marfret Niolon. The MPP is Roro, Floflo, and Lolo: a technical trio as complementary as the famous Disney trio! A winning combination to meet the most diverse needs of our customers.
New direct calls
The addition of a vessel improves the service frequency from 6 to 3 weeks while strengthening the services with two distinct loops at two Haropa Port sites, with Le Havre remaining for the Marfret Niolon. Rouen will be the call port for the second vessel, which will dock at the TCMD terminal, where handling operations will be entrusted to Somap, a Marfret subsidiary.
Other ports such as La Rochelle and Saint-Malo may be added to the rotations depending on shipments. A strengthened call will also occur on the other side of the Atlantic with a new stop in Paramaribo, the capital of Suriname. This country, bordering French Guiana, offers great potential for shipping oilfield equipment, especially with the perspective of exploiting the Sapakara and Kradbagu fields as part of the GranMorgu project developed by TotalEnergies.
Thus, the vessel’s Lolo route will be as follows: Antwerp, Rouen, Paramaribo, Dégrad des Cannes, Pointe-à-Pitre, with a connection to Fort-de-France and Gustavia on the Ferrymar service. The direct service to the Grand Port Maritime de Guyane once again demonstrates Marfret’s commitment to the overseas departments and territories.
With this service enhancement, Marfret once again highlights its key role in the connectivity of the overseas territories while strengthening its commitment to greener navigation. The Marfret Niolon indeed deploys four turbo sails to reduce fuel consumption.