Sediment management is one of the most persistent environmental challenges in port operations worldwide. HAROPA PORT’s SEDISEINE project offers a genuinely original response: rather than depositing fine dredged sediments into ballast pits, the port has developed a structured R&D pathway to transform them into certified eco-products: a first in France for fluvial estuarine sediments at this scale.
The project’s originality lies in its dual valorisation model. Two compatible applications have been scientifically validated: the integration of treated sediments into road sub-base layers, and their use in agricultural soil restructuring. Both are now transitioning from laboratory validation to full-scale pilot sites, with the explicit goal of securing regulatory “end-of-waste” status.
HAROPA PORT’s Directoire has made a deliberate strategic decision to break with the conventional practice of ballast pit disposal: accepting the financial and regulatory uncertainty of a long-term R&D commitment in favour of a circular economy model. This governance shift, sustained across three structured phases in partnership with circular economy specialist Neo-Eco, reflects genuine port leadership: committing to open-ended environmental monitoring, quality assurance planning, and proactive engagement with state regulatory bodies well beyond standard compliance requirements.
SEDISEINE’s contribution to the UN SDGs is concrete and multi-dimensional. The agricultural soil restructuring application directly supports SDG 2 (Zero Hunger) by improving soil fertility and productivity. The rigorous five-year environmental monitoring programme, tracking leachate behaviour and groundwater integrity, addresses SDG 6 (Clean Water). The creation of new local valorisation industries and skilled employment pathways advances SDG 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth). By substituting virgin quarried materials with sediment-based eco-products, the project embeds SDG 12 (Responsible Consumption and Production) into regional infrastructure planning. Reducing the carbon footprint of dredging disposal and raw material extraction contributes to SDG 13 (Climate Action). Finally, protecting soil quality and reducing pressure on natural quarry ecosystems aligns with SDG 15 (Life on Land).
Stakeholder co-construction is central to the model. Métropole Rouen Normandie is partnering on the road infrastructure pilot planned for 2027; local farming communities and agricultural chambers are co-designing the soil restoration trial at Yville-sur-Seine under five-year state supervision. Neo-Eco, as commercial R&D partner, brings specialised industrial expertise in sediment processing and product formulation, ensuring the project’s findings translate into economically viable and market-ready solutions: demonstrating that port-territory cooperation, combining public institutions and private sector actors, can generate measurable environmental and economic value simultaneously.