Port Autonome du Centre et de l’Ouest, a port committed to sustainable transportation

Port Autonome du Centre et de l'Ouest is one of the biggest ports in Wallonia. Divided into three zones (Hainaut Occidental, Mons Borinage, and Centre), the port has for some years been working closely with the local authorities in its region, on projects to promote low-carbon transportation (Goal 3 of the 2030 Agenda). To gain a better understanding of these ambitions, we talked to the port’s Director, Ms Christelle Kozak. Port Autonome du Centre et de l'Ouest is joining our association AIVP - You have just joined AIVP. For the benefit of the other members of our international network, can you tell us briefly about your organisation? Christelle Kozak - Director of Port Autonome du Centre et de l'Ouest - Port Autonome du Centre et de l’Ouest (PACO) is the most recent of Wallonia’s four inland ports. It has grown considerably since its creation in 2000. To illustrate with a few figures, it has 176 km of navigable waterways, over 72 Ha of port zones, around forty concessions, one modal sorting zone (with a second due to enter service in 2022), and over 6.5 million tonnes of goods passed through the port in 2021, despite the crisis. This was made possible thanks to a number of projects undertaken in close collaboration with the SPW-MI (Wallonia’s State mobility and infrastructure department), companies set up jointly by municipalities (IDEA, IDETA, IEG), the municipalities themselves, and of course industrial stakeholders who are strongly committed, both in terms of using the waterway, but also in areas such as the circular economy, renewables, multi-fuel stations, and the environment. In addition to its existing site, the port also has guaranteed possibilities for acquiring new land, as well as a geostrategic position in the international network through its connection with France. The Seine Escaut canal project, and the involvement of SPW in efforts to modernise locks and widen canals to promote their use by larger vessels, certainly opens up excellent prospects for international…