Ports and the Selective Geography of Reindustrialisation: Decarbonisation and Industrial Concentration in French Port-Industrial Complex

Nathan Gouin () and Marie-Laure Baron ()
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Nathan Gouin: IDEES - Identité et Différenciation de l’Espace, de l’Environnement et des Sociétés - UNICAEN - Université de Caen Normandie - NU - Normandie Université - ULH - Université Le Havre Normandie - NU - Normandie Université - UNIROUEN - Université de Rouen Normandie - NU - Normandie Université - CNRS - Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique - IRIHS - Institut de Recherche Interdisciplinaire Homme et Société - UNIROUEN - Université de Rouen Normandie - NU - Normandie Université
Marie-Laure Baron: NIMEC - Normandie Innovation Marché Entreprise Consommation - UNICAEN - Université de Caen Normandie - NU - Normandie Université - ULH - Université Le Havre Normandie - NU - Normandie Université - UNIROUEN - Université de Rouen Normandie - NU - Normandie Université - IRIHS - Institut de Recherche Interdisciplinaire Homme et Société - UNIROUEN - Université de Rouen Normandie - NU - Normandie Université

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Abstract: This article analyses how decarbonisation imperatives are reshaping the contemporary geography of reindustrialisation in France by concentrating investment in major port-industrial complexes. Drawing on an original database of territorially anchored industrial investment announcements between 2008 and 2025, supplemented by an analysis of multi-level public strategies and interviews with industrial, port and logistics stakeholders, it shows that recent reindustrialisation does not take the form of a diffuse return of industry, but rather of a selective recomposition of carbon-intensive production systems. The article highlights a marked acceleration of investment in port-industrial zones since 2022, particularly in Dunkirk, along the Seine axis, and in Marseille-Fos, centred on transition-related sectors. This concentration is explained both by the weight of fossil legacies and by the superposition of decarbonisation policies deployed at the European, national and territorial levels. Ports thus emerge as strategic spaces in decarbonisation-driven reindustrialisation. In conclusion, the article opens onto the logistical implications of these transformations, marked by a diversification of flows, new infrastructural constraints, and a reconfiguration of port functions.

Date: 2026-05-27
Note: View the original document on HAL open archive server: https://shs.hal.science/halshs-05738252v1
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Published in Colloque International DEVPORT 2026 – 5th edition “Ports and Maritime Transport in Transitions: Territories and Challenges”, May 2026, Le Havre, France. pp.04001, ⟨10.1051/e3sconf/202672204001⟩

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:hal:journl:halshs-05738252

DOI: 10.1051/e3sconf/202672204001

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