END THE PIRATE MENACE!

In the night of October 7th to 8th, our container ship Marfret Douce France was attacked by pirates in the Guayaquil River in Ecuador. The pirates were able to board the vessel from small craft and access the bridge, where they threatened the safety of both vessel and crew. They had enough time to break into a number of containers and steal their contents. Luckily, no crew members were hurt.

The shipping industry serves the common good and is a key factor in the world economy, transporting 90% of all goods. Every business, whichever its sector of activity, and every individual relies on it for their everyday wellbeing. However, shipping companies are more and more alone in paying the increasingly heavy toll of piracy.

The world can no longer continue to close its eyes to this scourge. Each day, dozens of pirates impede the normal course of international trade, flouting both the rules of the sea and human rights. read more

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OIL IN FRENCH GUYANA

An extraordinary find was announced last September by oil companies Total, Shell, Tullow Oil and Northpet following an exploration campaign in a 32,000 km2 area. read more

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THE VOLCAN THEATRE

An extraordinary find was announced last September by oil companies Total, Shell, Tullow Oil and Northpet following an exploration campaign in a 32,000 km2 area. The team says it has discovered oil some 150 km north of Cayenne at a depth of 2000 m. read more

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KILLER ALGA ON THE WANE

Caulerpa taxifolia, the marine plant that had the scientific community alarmed by its invasion of our Mediterranean coastline, is beginning to disappear. read more

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SOUTH AMERICA SERVICE GETS SERIOUSLY COOL!

To respond to demand from shippers, particularly fruit exporters in Northern Brazil, Marfret's South America service has been given a further big chill with the addition of another 48 reefer plugs. read more

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INLAND WATERWAYS ACCOUNT FOR ONE THIRD OF ANTWERP TRAFFIC

Antwerp, Europe's number two port behind Rotterdam with 178 million tonnes' throughput in 2010, had become the favourite port of... the French. Its assets include clockwork-like reliability, its hinterland and its road, rail and inland waterway links. Marfret has been using its river freight know-how in the port for many years.

After taking over second spot in the European rankings for container traffic last year with 8.4 million TEU's, Antwerp has reinforced its position on the Northern Range by draining traffic away from neighbouring competitors as far away as Le Havre and Marseilles, crippled by last year's industrial unrest over the French ports reform.

Many France-based shippers decided to switch, sending their shipments by rail and barge to the port on the Scheldt River. The 2.3 million TEU's shipped by river represents one third of the Port of Antwerp's traffic and Marfret Benelux is a long-time river user. On terra firma, a weekly rail service operated by Interferry Boats (IFB) links Antwerp to Marseilles. read more

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ALL ABOARD WITH CONSULTAS!

Last July, after a call to tender, Marfret's Marseille-Fret division chose the 'Consultas' software, designed by the Norwegian company Jotron, to manage technical maintenance, purchasing and supplies and ships' documentation. The gradual introduction of the software on board vessels is due to commence on 8th November and last one year. The company's head office has been using the software since 10th October.

The ever-more stringent international maritime regulations have obliged vessels and their owners to adopt strict measures and monitoring to ensure compliance with ISM (International Safety Management) standards, at both technical and administrative levels. These requirements have prompted Marseille-Fret to adopt new maintenance software that can adapt to the increase in fleet size and the company's development. read more

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MARFRET LONG-TERM PARTNER OF THE "FIESTA"

As for the past seven years, Marfret is providing containers for the Fiesta des Suds. The steel boxes reinforce the industrial port-like style of the event, the 20th edition of which is taking place from 14th to 20th October at the Dock des Suds.

The adventure started in 2005 and continues today as it has done for seven years. Marfret remains a loyal partner of the Fiesta des Suds which, from 14th to 20th October, is celebrating its twentieth anniversary.

The partnership came about when Marseilles' emblematic music festival experienced huge problems after a fire swept through the Dock des Suds, the event's venue.

The blaze totally destroyed the former dockside warehouses a mere six weeks prior to the festival's opening night. As the city council could not provide a backup venue, and bearing in mind the Fiesta's strong roots in this corner of the commercial port where it originated, the event had to take place on the same site; hence the idea of setting up a stage under the flyover. read more

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