TCSO Entering Its Final Delivery Phase

The Verdon Terminal near Bordeaux, France is preparing to renew services under the new name TCSO, Terminal à Conteneurs du Sud Ouest (South west France Container Terminal), which is scheduled to relaunch this autumn.

The industrial and logistics platform known as the Grand Port Maritime de Bordeaux, is spread along the 110 km of the Gironde estuary.

The port of Bordeaux’s ambition is to make the Verdon terminal an efficient high performance deep water port, served by a regular rail shuttle that will link it to the rest of south west France.

The project has received financial support from the EU and the French government and the local authorities that have added to the financial package with a Government-Region contract.

The port of Bordeaux has chosen Europorte, the rail freight subsidiary of Groupe Eurotunnel, as its preferred candidate to operate the Verdon terminal.

The terminal is aimed at enabling maritime operators to benefit from the increasing opportunities in the estuary. The arrivals and departures will be made using the rail links to and from the hinterland (the whole South West), via the Bruges (near Bordeaux) freight zone.

“This ambitious project, which was initiated by the Grand port Maritime de Bordeaux will be launched with the support of both European and national bodies, but also with the support of regional and local authorities. It is one of the greatest satisfactions that a public company like ours can achieve. The logic of modal shift which we support is highly visible and reinforces our belief that we are, above all, helping the economic development of our region,” said Christophe Masson, President of the Grand Port Maritime de Bordeaux.

Europorte has selected the Société de Manutention Portuaire d’Aquitaine to manage handling on the site. The company has already invested almost €10 million to acquire two stacking cranes and shuttle carriers which will be delivered in mid-September.

According to Groupe Eurotunnel, the geographic location and the reduction in transit time, which comes from the installation of a complete logistics chain from unloading ships to loading trains will enable the management of 700,000 containers from 2016 and will lead to a shift from road to the mass transit maritime, fluvial and rail modes in the port of Bordeaux hinterland.