development, event : BZ Group inaugurates the extension of its Maison Bleue port terminal

Established at the Petit-Couronne quay since 2016 (Normandy), BZ Group officially inaugurated, on Thursday 18 June 2026, the extension of its Maison Bleue port terminal. These investments, led by a key player in French-origin grain exports, were carried out in parallel with major quay modernization works undertaken by HAROPA PORT.

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From left to right: Xavier Faurre, mayor of Petit-Couronne; Abdelkrim Marchani, vice president of the Rouen Normandy Metropolis; Benoit Rochet, president and CEO of HAROPA PORT; Jean-Benoît Albertini, prefect of the Normandy region and prefect of Seine-Maritime; and Florent Beuzelin, president and CEO of BZ Group.©HAROPA PORT / Maël Brune

Scaling up export capacity and dedicated supply chains 

Following a groundbreaking ceremony in 2024, Groupe BZ has commissioned a new 55,000-tonne grain silo, bringing its total storage capacity to 130,000 tonnes.

Equipped with two handling towers, the new facility enables the simultaneous management of inbound road, inland waterway and rail flows. It will support annual seaborne export volumes exceeding 2.5 million tonnes of French cereals to international markets—representing a 25% increase.

This €30 million investment follows the installation, in 2024, of a new gantry crane with a throughput capacity of 1,200 tonnes per hour.

The Group’s objective is clear: to scale up throughput volumes while maintaining full control of the entire supply chain, from farm to vessel. 

A modernized terminal to support the growth of the grain value chain

To support the development of companies operating at Petit-Couronne quay - including BZ Group - and, in particular, to strengthen the grain sector, HAROPA PORT has carried out major modernization works to enhance the quay’s nautical capabilities.

These works were completed in three phases:

  • installation of two berthing and mooring dolphins downstream of the quay, construction of a 16-metre jetty designed to accommodate mobile harbour cranes, and extension of the dredged berth pocket by 50 metres,
  • extension of the existing quay, along with the installation of 31 berthing fenders and 23 mooring bollards along its entire length,
  • further deepening of the berth pocket alongside the existing quay through dredging operations

New rails for handling gantry equipment have also been installed to complete these upgrades.

A strategic investment for a leading agro-industrial hub 

Part of the overall development of the Petit-Couronne eco-industrial port zone (eco-ZIP), included in the 2020–2025 strategic plan, these works represent a total investment of €24 million, including €5.76 million co-funded by the French State under the CPIER programme.

As France’s leading port-based agro-industrial hub and a major European player, HAROPA PORT thereby reaffirms its role in supporting the grain sector and enabling its growth.