Rouen Armada 2023: Haropa Port opens up its ports

Rouen Armada 2023: Haropa Port opens up its ports © Benjamin Bricout

For the duration of the Armada event in Rouen, Haropa Port will be setting up a quayside pop-up port centre in Rouen.

This will offer talks, exhibitions, workshops and organised events over the ten days of the event in order to explain the port, its operations and its contribution to the development of the local region. It will also provide a forum for discussions with visitors passing through, local residents, economic operators and generally all stakeholders.

Rouen Armada 2023 - an unmissable event in the very heart of Normandy

From 8 to 18 June 2023, six million visitors will live a unique experience.

As the world's biggest gathering of tall ships, the Armada is an invitation to live a dream with ships steeped in history representing around 30 nationalities during a 10-day celebration combining concerts, parades, firework displays, a wide variety of entertainment and events to immerse visitors in seafaring life.

This edition of the Armada also sets out to be an exceptional opportunity to raise public awareness of how important it is to protect oceans and rivers.

Because it is taking place in Normandy, it is also an opportunity to continue your stay and discover all the things this beautiful region has to offer.

Exhibitions, nautical knots and comics

Haropa Port's teams are on hand to meet the public at its pop-up port centre with its 225 sq. m. of floor area bordered by maritime containers. To welcome the public, an initial exhibition of before-and-after photographs traces the changes in the Seine Axis ports over the years from the sailing ships of old to the port as it is today, and as it will be tomorrow.

Inside the pop-up centre, an exhibition "This is the story of a port..." intended for young visitors. This presentation of the Seine Axis ports and their operations is illustrated by drawings inspired by Manga comic books.

A virtual port tour

A video made using 360 degrees technology provides viewers with a tour of Haropa Port | Rouen's terminals, looking down from altitude thanks to virtual reality headsets.

The Armada programme also includes organised events and a series of ten talks. Nautical knot workshops will also open every day. The youngest visitors will be invited to make toy figures in rope in a workshop run by Haropa Port staff. Older visitors will be able to try their hand at tying figure eight, bowline and clove hitch knots.

Discovery workshops will also be provided for children aged 6 to 12 after registration. The young artists will be able to make tiny decorated clay or paper boats. Natural materials such as raffia, beans, paper balls, paper sails, coffee beans, spices, and more, will be provided to the young creators.

Thematic talks on port operations

Haropa Port will be running a series of talks from Friday 9 to Friday 16 June for all those wanting to know more about a maritime or port initiative, project or activity.

Friday 9 June
11 a.m. - Hydrogen: a new fuel for river transport
6 p.m. - Sailing ships: are they the future?

Monday 12 June
11 a.m. - Discovering careers in port and logistics activities.
6 p.m. - Industrial safety: a priority for every day.

Tuesday 13 June
11 a.m. - Rouen, European Capital of Culture: The Seine's role in Rouen's bid.
6 p.m. - Cereals and agroindustry: a sector of crucial importance.

Wednesday 14 June
11 a.m. - Joseph Conrad: sailor of the seven seas and writer.

Thursday 15 June
11 a.m. - Industrial safety: a priority for every day.

Friday 16 June
11 a.m. - Talking about dredging: why, how, and more...

Testing new electricity supply terminals

Three new terminals supplying electrical power and water are now operational on the left bank, on Jean-de-Béthencourt quay, for use by Armada vessels. These terminals allow sailing ships berthed at quayside to avoid using their generators to provide the necessary power for their onboard systems. The new terminals offer three power levels from 16A to 63A and will enable the system to be tested on ships at the Armada. This stage will be followed by the launch of production for 78 additional terminals to be installed along the Seine Axis from Paris to Le Havre in conjunction with the French Waterways Authority (Voies Navigables de France - VNF). The new terminals supplement two others in service since December 2018, on the right bank near Gustave Flaubert Bridge. These first two terminals in Rouen have made it possible to avoid discharging 337 tonnes of CO2 into the atmosphere, saving the equivalent of 106 tonnes of fuel.

Haropa Port's teams on hand to serve

Haropa Port's teams in Rouen are once again on hand for the Armada. The Harbourmaster's Office and Rouen local port management, along with the marketing, communication and general services departments, are ready and willing to make the event a success. The port's officers will be working continuous watches over the ten days of the Armada to ensure safety for all on the water. They will be supervising and managing all ship movements from their interdepartmental quayside command post. Two teams of two officers will be relaying one another from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. throughout the duration of the event. The gathering of sailing ships has been prepared well in advance - for the last eighteen months - in conjunction with port personnel (pilots, boatmen, tugs, shipping agents) and emergency and safety services: the Prefecture, National Police, Gendarmerie, SDIS 76, SAMU, Civil Protection, etc.). Personnel from the local Rouen port management office will ensure that all sailing and other craft are supplied with water. The Grand Parade on Sunday 18 June will be the final highpoint of the event to be managed by the Harbourmaster's Office in cooperation with all the professionals involved in organising this grand maritime celebration in Rouen.