Record breaking ro-ro shipment in Nantes-Saint-Nazaire

3,092 Renault and Dacia vehicles arrived in the Port of Nantes-Saint-Nazaire, in France. This is the largest unloading of vehicles ever carried out at the Montoir de Bretagne Ro-Ro terminal. The previous record was 2,200 vehicles.

The vehicles were transported from factories in Bursa, Turkey and Pitesti, Romania, aboard the ro-ro ship Neptune Horizon, on Saturday, February 11. There, they were unloaded by stevedore teams from a local freight forwarding company, Somaloir. The vehicles are destined for dealerships in the Paris region, and the ‘Grand Ouest’, a geographical area of France that encompasses Brittany and Pays de la Loire.

Built in 2010, the vehicle carrier Neptune Horizon sails under the flag of Malta. Measuring 168.06 metres in length and 28 metres in width, the vessel has a gross tonnage of 36,711 tonnes. It is operated by the Greek shipping company, Neptune Lines Shipping & Managing Enterprises.

According to the Nantes-Saint-Nazaire Port, this record breaking shipment shows the improvement in the Ro-Ro market since October 2022, despite an automotive market that is still disrupted by shortages of electronic parts  and by the difficulties faced by inland logistics such as transport costs, and lack of truck drivers.