Interview of the week - Sogebras - France

Johann started his career as a stevedore, ship and liner agent in 1977 in the port of Rouen for the company Scac, which was bought by Bolloré in 1986.

He joined the port of Nantes / St. Nazaire / Montoir in 1985 as Shipping Manager and, after 28 years in the Scac / Bolloré Group, joined Sogebras in 2005 as Agency and Development Manager.

Since January 2020, he is Development and Projects Manager for Sogebras.

Tell us more about Sogebras. Who owns the company?

Sogebras is a company located in Nantes / St. Nazaire port, created in 1993 by 2 shareholders. The main shareholder (60%) is Maritime Kuhn, a French family Group with head office in Brest (Brittany) and the second (40%) is Sogena, another French family Group with Head office in Caen (Normandy). 

In 2019, Maritime Kuhn took over the Bolloré Port Agencies in France which made them the top Port Operator in France. 

Where are your offices located?

We are located in 18 French ports with 20 agencies. 

The ports are Dunkirk, Rouen, Le Havre, Honfleur, Caen, Cherbourg, Granville, Saint Malo, Saint Brieuc, Brest, Concarneau, Lorient, Nantes / St. Nazaire / Montoir, Les Sables d’Olonne, La Rochelle, Rochefort and Sète in Marseille / Fos. 

We also work through our friends and close partners Sosersid, also a THLG member.

What are the activities Sogebras and Maritime Kuhn?

We are Port Operators doing all port activities: Stevedoring, Ship and Liner Agency, Forwarding, Customs brokerage, Storage, Chartering, etc… 

We can offer a full logistics package in all French Ports with our own agencies or very close partners.

Can you give us some figures?

The Group has 800 employees, with a turnover of 150 million euros. 

We handle 17 million tons per year and 2,500 vessels calls per year. 

We own 450 handling machines, 60 cranes and 400,000 sqm of warehouses.

How is the Breakbulk and Heavy Lift Market in French Ports?

This type of cargo is mainly concentrated in Dunkirk, Rouen, Cherbourg, Brest, Nantes / St Nazaire, La Rochelle, Sète and Fos. 

The main heavy lifts, besides traditional industrial ones, are windmills, yachts, sailing boats, engines. 

As general cargo we handle mainly iron products, timber, wood pulp and of course containers.

Which will be the main markets for the future?

The main market will be offshore windmills with a lot of offshore windfarms projects along the French Coast in the coming years. 

Our Group is handling windmills for many years and this will tremendously increase our activities in the very near future, starting already in 2021 in La Rochelle and Saint Nazaire.

How did you join THLG and why?

I came to know THLG in 2002. I was still working at this time for Bolloré Ports in France in charge of our international network called IPON (International Port Operators Network). 

Luis Branco was our Portuguese partner and as President of THLG at the time, he introduced me as an allied member. When I joined Sogebras, I could finally apply to THLG and our company was accepted in 2007 as the first French member of THLG.

Together with my Deputy Manager, Christophe Letanter, we found in THLG a real family of very professional companies and persons. A lot of members became friends and people that we could trust and really rely on for our heavy lift projects.

Confidence in partners is the key wold and THLG network is offering it. Thanks to THLG  we improved our knowledge, expertise and network. We also hope we have offered to members the service they expected in French Ports.

It was a still bigger joy, when I entered THLG Executive Committee in 2011, first as Secretary and now as Admission Officer, taking care of new applicants.

Who should be approached in Sogebras for inquiries?

For any French Port, please contact Johann Feltgen: j.feltgen@sogebras.fr 

For Saint Nazaire / Montoir, please contact Christophe Letanter: c.letanter@sogebras.fr or Fabien Savary: f.savary@sogebras.fr