Necotrans was a French firm founded by Richard Talbot in 1985 and specialised in

logistics Logistics is the part of supply chain management that deals with the efficient forward and reverse flow of goods, services, and related information from the point of origin to the Consumption (economics), point of consumption according to the ...

and international transport: freight forwarding, oil and mining logistics, port terminals activities, equipment distribution. Grégory Quérel was the last Chairman of the group. Following financial troubles, the company underwent a bankruptcy procedure in 2017 ending up with the sale of individual parts to various investors. The brand rights were partially also transferred and were still in use in some of the entities as of 2018.

History

Necotrans was founded by Richard Talbot in 1985 to focus on freight forwarding activity. In 1989,

port management Port management involves the management of ports. History During the 19th century and first half of the 20th century, "port-related costs were relatively insignificant in comparison to the high cost of ocean transport and inland transport. As a re ...

activities and ground logistics in

Africa Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent after Asia. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 20% of Earth's land area and 6% of its total surfac ...

were launched. Necotrans acquired the automotive and equipment distribution activity in West Africa in 1992 to diversify its activities. In 1999, the firm grew in freight forwarding business with the acquisition and the creation of AMT, a logistics firm specialised in the oil industry and services. In 2005, Necotrans took on Vopak LMF France, an industrial logistics project, before adopting in 2012 the brand name Necotrans, encompassing all of the Group’s activities.

Activities

The group’s major markets were located in Africa. Its headquarters were located in Avenue Georges V,

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

. It has an intensive expertise in the field of port operations in Africa, and the group has developed a network covering mainly the west coast of the African continent. The Company provides integrated services, from a point of origin to the delivery of the goods on site. In 2014, Necotrans has won the bid for the autonomous Port of Dakar’s bulk terminal. A concession of agreement has been signed between Necotrans and the Port of Dakar for the bulk terminal on the breakwater 8. The state of Senegal has granted a 25-year concession to the Company. The development of a terminal for bulk, for a cost of 74 million euros, was intended to modernise the Port of Dakar. This terminal is dedicated to non-food heavy bulk freight, mostly for minerals. In addition to this investment, an amount of 20 million euros is intended to the construction of a new quay to facilitate unloading. As the result of the tender launched in May 2014 by the authorities of Cameroon, the Necotrans group and the

Kribi Kribi is a beach resort and sea port in Cameroon. Location The coastal town of Kribi lies on the Gulf of Guinea, in Océan, Océan Department, South Province (Cameroon), South Province, at the mouth of the Kienké River. This location, lies a ...

Port Multi Operators (KPMO) consortium, consisting of nine local operators, have been awarded the partnership contract for the operation and maintenance of the multipurpose terminal at the deep-water port at Kribi in

Cameroon Cameroon, officially the Republic of Cameroon, is a country in Central Africa. It shares boundaries with Nigeria to the west and north, Chad to the northeast, the Central African Republic to the east, and Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, and the R ...

. In 2015, Necotrans acquired Mining Company Katanga (MCK), a company specialised in

civil engineering Civil engineering is a regulation and licensure in engineering, professional engineering discipline that deals with the design, construction, and maintenance of the physical and naturally built environment, including public works such as roads ...

and

solutions for mining in the

Democratic Republic of the Congo The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), also known as the DR Congo, Congo-Kinshasa, or simply the Congo (the last ambiguously also referring to the neighbouring Republic of the Congo), is a country in Central Africa. By land area, it is t ...

. This company is located in the southern province of Katanga, a region bordering

Zambia Zambia, officially the Republic of Zambia, is a landlocked country at the crossroads of Central Africa, Central, Southern Africa, Southern and East Africa. It is typically referred to being in South-Central Africa or Southern Africa. It is bor ...

called the

Copperbelt The Copperbelt () is a natural region in Central Africa which sits on the border region between northern Zambia and the south eastern Democratic Republic of Congo. It is known for copper mining and is the second largest global reserve of copper, ...

and known for

copper mining Copper extraction is the multi-stage process of obtaining copper from list of copper ores, its ores. The conversion of copper ores consists of a series of physical, chemical, and electrochemical processes. Methods have evolved and vary with coun ...

. The group also created Africa Truck Solutions (ATS) in 2015.

Key Figures

Last available figures for Necotrans Group before bankruptcy: * Turnover: 1,063 million euros * Staff Worldwide: 5,000 employees * Staff in Africa: 4,500 employees * Locations Worldwide: over 40 countries * Locations in Africa: 25 countries

References

External links

*{{Official website Logistics companies of France Companies based in Paris Technology companies established in 1985 French companies established in 1985