The Port Authority for the Port of Sete is the President of the Languedoc-Roussillon Regional Council, with the Prefect of the Herault Department assigned responsibility for policing the port. Under the Regional Council’s authority through the Director of Transport and Communications, the Port of Sete’s harbormaster is responsible for the operations and safety of the port.

In 2007, the Port of Sete handled a total of 3.3 million tons of cargo on 967 vessels, including 2.8 million tons of imports and 503 thousand tons of exports. This cargo included 1.5 million tons of liquid bulk, 1.4 million tons of dry bulk, and almost 341 thousand tons of general cargo. In addition, over 284 thousand passengers visited the port.

The Port of Sete’s Container Terminal, located on the Colbert Basin East Dock, includes two berths with alongside depth of 11 meters. The terminal covers four hectares and contains refrigeration points for chilled cargoes. Renovated since 2005, the terminal covers 53 thousand square meters.

The Bulk Terminal at the Port of Sete is located on Dock 2 and is designed for continuous handling of bulk goods. Offering access to Panamax vessels, goods are stored in private sheds with capacity for 65 thousand tons. A special terminal offers capacity for 300 thousand tons for storage of ores and coal. The terminal offers rail links inside the terminal that can accommodate full trains and access to inland waterways. The dock is 342 meters long with alongside depth of 11 meters

The Port of Sete’s Forest Products Terminal receives tropical timber, wood pulp, and paper from throughout the world. The Colbert Basin terminal specializes in wood pulp and paper, offering 16 thousand square meters of sheds along the dock for storage. The dock is 240 meters long with alongside depth of 11.7 meters. The terminal site is France’s Mediterranean international trade center for tropical timber, supported by several firms specializing in forest products, sawmills, and research. The wood storage yard covers 40 thousand square meters.

The Cereals Terminal at the Port of Sete offers access by rail, road, and inland waterway and capacity for storing 22 thousand tons at the “Silos of the Mediterranean.” The berth is 170 meters long with alongside depth of 10.4 meters. The Port of Sete also includes a cattle transit area that handles cattle exports from the European Union to ports across the Mediterranean. The transit area can handle 1000 cattle and has rail and road access.

The Port of Sete’s Bulk Liquids Facilities include three components. Wine Sete is an important international trade center with specialized facilities that link ships to storage tanks in the port. The facility for petroleum products offers capacity to store 950 thousand cubic meters. The sea-line dock can accommodate vessels of over 250 meters and 12.5 meters draft. The third component is for a variety of industrial and agricultural products that are served by specialist firms with their own facilities.

The Port of Sete’s Passenger Terminal serves cruise liners and regular ferry traffic to Morocco and Algeria. The Osetti Harbor Station offers year-round service to Tangiers and Oran, Bejaia, and Skikda in Algeria. Cruise lines call at the Quai d’Honneur and at the Moroc Harbor Station. Dozens of cruises stop in the Port of Sete each year. The Club des Croisieres works with shipping companies and tour operators to offer complete services for passengers. The Orsetti Harbor Station has one quay with a roll-on/roll-off ramp with alongside depth of 8.2 meters, and it has a reception hall of 800 square meters. The Maroc Harbor Station and “Quai d’Honneur” has two berths and one roll-on/roll-off berth with alongside depth of 7.6 meters and a reception hall of 350 square meters.

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