Located in the industrial and port district of Fos (10,000 ha [25,000 acres]), 160ha next to the intercontinental container terminal, set aside for your distribution and packaging centres.

The Fos container terminal :
In 2000: 50 hectares / 1200 metres of docks.
In 2004: 80 hectares / 1850 metres of docks.
9 Panamax and Overpanamax gantry cranes (13 in 2004).

An initial allotment of 15 ha of fully developed ground is ready to welcome buildings, and 10 ha have already been reserved.

A second allotment of 15 ha is currently in preparation, and the plots are being delivered progressively from January to October 2000.

Maritime network :

At the intersection of the East/West and North/South maritime routes, Marseille-Fos is ideally placed for intercontinental exchanges with Southern Europe and the Mediterranean. It is the only port site in Southern Europe that allows access to Europe without crossing mountainous barriers. Marseille-Fos is France's - and the Mediterranean's - busiest port located in Southern Europe.
The platform is linked to all the world's largest ports by the largest ship operators:

• Asia: 7 services per week.
• North America: 8 services per week.
• Australia - New Zealand: 3 services per week.
• South Africa: 2 services per week.
• Northern Africa, Middle & Near East, Black Sea : 2-3 services per week.

Road and motorway network:

The platform is thoroughly linked by road, motorway and railway to all Europe's large towns within 24-48 hours, services by a good-sized network that puts it at less than 24 hours from the major capitals of Europe and permits just-in-time servicing.

Rail network:

Daily block trains service the major destinations in France (12 h) and in Europe (24-48h).

Inland waterway network:

An inland waterway network links it to the middle of France, via Avignon, Valence, Lyon, Macon, Chalon, Dijon.

Air network:

The Marseille-Provence airport is France's second largest for cargo, and with great links to the cities of Europe and Africa. With the Marseille-Provence airport 30 km away, all urgent dispatches and combined "sea / air" transportation are easy to achieve. For this reason, the Port Autonome de Marseille (Marseille autonomous port) decided to launch Fos-Distriport, the Euro-Mediterranean logistics centre now offering logistics professionals the possibility of setting up their distribution warehouse in the heart of Southern Europe.

Flexible schemes: rental (building lease) / sale (developed or undeveloped ground) by the Port Autonome de Marseille, the owner and developer of the land.

At the moment, the Port Autonome de Marseille is managing the complex: general surveillance from a security post (cameras + rounds), planting and maintaining the green areas, cleaning the roads, public lighting on the roads, network maintenance.

The Port's heritage department (the "Service Patrimoine") will help you with your applications to the local bodies to find the financial backing that is most suited for your investment, and will inform you about local taxation.

An aid to the investor: a specification folder and architectural recommendations are available to the investor to assist him/it in developing his/its project; many building and developing companies that specialise in distribution warehouses are active in the region; on site, the distributor can call upon logistics companies and inventory
management companies; financial advisors are available to investors to arrange financing or to assist with tax issues.

The Distriport concept and its attraction :

• The port logistical warehouse is a sales preparation site near the point of departure or arrival of the goods. It is an ideal site for distributing landward or seaward. The import shed and the export shed offer fast quality service, avoiding unnecessary transporting.

•The Fos container terminal is the departure point and terminus for trains carrying containers from all over Europe. Located right next door, the Fos-Distriport logistics area is in a position to take advantage of this terminal's excellent rail servicingl.

•The Fos-Distriport logistics area is France's best maritime logistics platform with the role of an intercontinental hub, for distributing sea-borne imports and exports.

The advantages :

• The bonded customs system.
• The reduction in costs of carrying from the terminal to the warehouse.
• High-quality infrastructure.
• High-level maritime professionals (freight forwarders, shipping agents, ship operators).

The possibility of using the services of a logistics provider who has a presence within the area and which will organise the entire distribution on your behalf.

Any services that are not yet available on site, can be found nearby:

• At the container terminal site: restaurants,
• In the town of Port Saint Louis: gendarmerie / municipal police, banks, all the municipality's public services, hotels, restaurants, temporary work company, bus.
• It is planned to build a facilities complex: telecommunications, information network, lighting, etc,

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