On Friday 17 June 2011, a 40-tonne hydro-pneumatic tank was unloaded in Le Havre — the Western Europe major seaport — on behalf of the Charlatte company. The cargo, which arrived by waterway from the river port of Gron (Upper Burgundy), will be carried to Australia. The new traffic highlights the vitality of the Gron-Le Havre river platforms for handling heavy lifts, and consolidates their position on the international markets.
From the port platform of Upper Burgundy (Gron–Yonne), thetankwastransportedontheriverSeineusingtheregular LogiYonne river service. As soon as it arrived at the ro-ro terminal in Le Havre on 17 June, ship unloading and loading was co-ordinated by TRAMAR, a company specializing in the transport of heavy lifts for industry. Once the operation was completed, the tank was transported to Fremantle in Australia on board a ro-ro ship belonging to Hoegh fleet services. It was a successful operation both for the river and maritime platforms (Gron and Le Havre) and for the partners involved in the manoeuvre. Today, recognized expertise of that kind allows exporters in Burgundy to control their export transportation costs, improve reliability, and increase their foreign market shares.
A similar operation was carried out with eleven 50-tonne tanks bound for Australia on 30 August 2010. This new operation shows above all the rise in heavy lift traffic through Le Havre, the maritime gateway to the Paris market. These goods, which require special transport skills in terms of logistics and handling, can be loaded in Le Havre using two different techniques. The first enables the transfer of the heavy lifts onto the ship via the ro-ro terminal, using trailers dedicated to this kind of manoeuvre called‘MAFI trailers’. The second option, reserved for loading cargo onto container-ships, is to place the cargo on flat containers (containers without fixed side walls). Both alternatives offer customers flexibility and reliability in the management of all types of goods.
Charlatte is a leading supplier of hydro-pneumatic tanks, and is now striving to win Australian market share. It has been a supplier of these tanks for 40 years. It manufactures pressure tanks with and without pockets (bladders) for drinking water, raw water, waste water, irrigation. It designs special tanks with or without bladders for all special orders, and exports to more than 80 countries on five continents.