The Port of Nouméa, a source of wealth for New Caledonia

The port of Nouméa is the tenth largest French port for goods in terms of tonnage and second largest overseas port after St Denis, La Réunion in 2018. It is the fifth port in the area in terms of volume (behind Sydney, Tauranga, Suva and Auckland), as well as the 4th in Twenty Foot Equivalent Number (TEU) (behind Sydney, Tauranga and Auckland).

International traffic represents almost 11 million tonnes transported in 2019, an increase of 50% since 2010.

The maritime district of the Port of Nouméa covers more than 1000 hectares and brings together various port facilities distributed between the large and the small harbor. It allows the reception and operation of all categories of vessels with a draft of 10.5m.

The flagship project of Port Numbo is currently underway, it has already received 400 million francs from the State as part of development contracts for studies and bay cleaning. This site will be dedicated to hosting the port infrastructure that is lacking today in New Caledonia: docking area, end-of-life ship dismantling sector, lifting system, dry dock, workshops, etc. "It will be one of the showcases of the maritime world in New Caledonia", concluded Christopher Gygès, member of the government in charge of the blue economy.