Skip to main content
ISWAN SeafarerHelp +44 800 012 1004 · free, 24/7, multilingualmore ▾
Skip to content
Seafarer Index
Sign in

Le Havre

UN/LOCODE FRLEH · France · Europe · 76

Crew change hub

Crew guide

Shore leave

Le Havre is France's second-busiest container port + gateway to Paris. Standard Schengen. Stella Maris Le Havre + Mission to Seafarers operate active centres near the port.

Walking distance + transit

The Terminal de France + Terminal Port 2000 are 20-25 minutes from central Le Havre by taxi or the tram/bus network. Paris is 2 hours by train. Rouen is 60 minutes.

Essentials

  • ATMs: Crédit Agricole, BNP Paribas, Société Générale throughout central Le Havre
  • Money changers: central Le Havre + Paris
  • Hospital: CHU Le Havre
  • Prayer rooms: Le Havre Grande Mosquée
  • Halal food: modest cluster in the port districts
  • Supermarket: Carrefour, E.Leclerc, Intermarché — Sundays limited
  • SIM card: Orange, SFR, Free at Fnac or central shops

Seafarer tips

Do: visit the modernist post-war architecture of central Le Havre — a UNESCO World Heritage site because it was rebuilt whole after WWII by Auguste Perret. Don't: expect all shops open Sunday — French Sunday-closing law applies. Watch for: the port + wider area is heavily industrial; welfare centre transport is the practical way to see the city.

Last verified: 2026-07-01. Confirm with ship's agent before going ashore — local policy changes.

Le Havre (UN/LOCODE FRLEH) is a designated seaport with an adjacent airport in France (76) in the northern European / African Atlantic region. The port operates on Europe/Paris, uses the Euro (EUR), runs shore power at 230V/50Hz (Type C/E). Nearest major airport for crew changes is Le Havre-Octeville Airport (LEH), 4 km from the port.

Reference

Coordinates
49.5, 0.1
Time zone
Europe/ParisUTC +01:00observes DST
Local currency
EUR— Euro
Languages
fr
Nearest airport
LEHLe Havre-Octeville Airport~4 km
Electricity
230 V50 Hzplugs C, E(country default — verify at berth)
Climate
CfbOceanic / temperate

Country-coastal Köppen zone (most ports cluster on the coast). For port-coordinate resolution use Kottek 2006 0.5° grid.

Function codes
12345---

seaport · rail terminal · road terminal · airport · postal exchange

Port authority
Home | HAROPA PORT

Operational details

Compiled from public port-authority and P&I-club directories. Always verify current contacts via your agent before arrival.

Pilotage / VTS

Le Havre Port Control / CROSS Jobourg

P&I correspondents

  • · Holman Fenwick Willan Paris
  • · BLG Avocats Le Havre
  • · CMS Francis Lefebvre Marine

Port agents

  • · GAC France Le Havre
  • · Inchcape France
  • · CMA CGM Agency Le Havre

ISPS security level (normal): 1

France's largest container port; Port 2000 outer basin; SECA zone; mandatory pilotage in Seine estuary.

Helplines for seafarers in France

Welfare, abandonment, wages, medical, mental health, harassment — 24/7 lines where available. See full helplines directory.

Other ports in France

All ports in France →

Survival information

Practical information for crew arriving here. Verified where possible — see sources. Spot a mistake or missing detail? Tell us.

Emergency contacts

  • France Emergency (SAMU): 15 · 24/7
  • France Emergency (Police): 17 · 24/7
  • France Emergency (general / 112 EU): 112 · 24/7

Hospitals / clinics

  • Groupe Hospitalier du Havre
    29 Avenue Pierre Mendès France, Le Havre
    +33 2 32 73 32 32

Shore leave

France (Schengen) — same rules as NL/DE/BE. Visa-required nationalities need a Schengen transit C-visa. Le Havre and Marseille are major crew-change hubs; agent arranges port pass on arrival. Reference: france-visas.gouv.fr.

Plan it: /tools/shore-leave-port-card

Transport

Nearest major airport: Le Havre-Octeville Airport (LEH (~4 km)). Vessel agent normally arranges taxi or seafarer-centre shuttle to/from the airport at sign-on / sign-off. Confirm transport with the agent at least 24 hours before disembarkation.

SIM & Wi-Fi

Major operators: Orange, SFR, Bouygues, Free. Prepaid SIM at La Poste, supermarkets, or carrier shops. Free Wi-Fi at Stella Maris Le Havre + Stella Maris Marseille.

Consular contacts

Related rights: shore leave · medical care · abandonment · unpaid wages.

Port-state-control region: paris MoU · how to file a PSC complaint.

Le Havre: seafarer FAQ

Is shore leave allowed at Le Havre?
Shore leave at Le Havre: France (Schengen) — same rules as NL/DE/BE. Visa-required nationalities need a Schengen transit C-visa. Le Havre and Marseille are major crew-change hubs; agent arranges port pass on arrival. Reference: france-visas.gouv.fr.. Shore leave policy is set by the port authority, the flag administration, and the visa regime of France. Confirm with the agent before stepping ashore.
What visa or shore-pass do I need for Le Havre?
Seafarers calling at Le Havre on a vessel are generally exempt from regular tourist visas under Convention 108 / 185 (Seafarers' Identity Documents) if their flag administration has ratified the convention and they hold an SID. The standard document is the seaman's book + ship's crew list. France may also require a shore pass issued by the agent. Confirm before you board the vessel — visa rules vary by nationality and by recent immigration-policy changes.
Is there a seafarer welfare centre at Le Havre?
Yes — 2 seafarer welfare centres are listed for Le Havre in our directory. The centres are typically run by the Mission to Seafarers, Stella Maris (Apostleship of the Sea), or a regional ministry, and offer wifi, transport, shop, chaplaincy, and advocacy. Walk-in is normal; no appointment needed.
Is there a crisis or welfare helpline I can call from Le Havre?
Yes — 6 helplines are listed for France in our directory, plus ISWAN's 24-hour multilingual SeafarerHelp (+44 20 7323 2737) and the ITF Helpline. Helplines handle crisis support, abandonment, wage theft, mental health, and bereavement.
What's the nearest hospital to Le Havre?
Most major ports have a port-area hospital with seafarer-accustomed admissions; the welfare centre and the ship's agent can both advise. For serious cases, the nearest international hospital is normally in the same city or the next major city. The nearest major airport is Le Havre-Octeville Airport (LEH), about 4 km away — useful for medevac planning.
Is Le Havre a recognised crew-change port?
Yes — Le Havre is listed in our directory of recognised crew-change hubs, consolidated from IMO MSC.1/Circ.1636, ICS/IFSMA briefings, and ITF priority-port reports. Recognised hubs typically have better port-state and immigration facilitation for crew-change operations, faster visa processing for seafarers, and more welfare-centre presence.

For the arriving crew

Sources & verification (14)
  • country_iso3 · ISO 3166-1 (FR)retrieved 2026-05-05
  • country_name · ISO 3166-1 (FR)retrieved 2026-05-05
  • currency_code · ISO 4217:2015 (EUR)retrieved 2026-05-05
  • currency_name · ISO 4217:2015 (EUR)retrieved 2026-05-05
  • languages · CIA World Factbook (public domain), national-language listing (FR)retrieved 2026-05-05
  • timezone_iana · IANA tz database (Europe/Paris)retrieved 2026-05-05
  • timezone_dst · ECMA-402 Intl.DateTimeFormat (computed) (Europe/Paris)retrieved 2026-05-05
  • electricity · IEC TR 60083 plug-and-socket standard list (FR)retrieved 2026-05-05
  • function_codes_expanded · UNECE Rec. 16 — UN/LOCODE function-code mask (12345---)retrieved 2026-05-05
  • timezone_utc_offset · ECMA-402 Intl.DateTimeFormat (computed) (Europe/Paris)retrieved 2026-05-06
  • nearest_major_airport · OurAirports (CC0) — davidmegginson.github.io/ourairports-data (LEH)retrieved 2026-05-07
  • wikidata_qid · Wikidata SPARQL (P1937 UN/LOCODE join) (Q1129891)retrieved 2026-05-07
  • port_authority · Wikidata SPARQL (P1937 UN/LOCODE join) (Q112247877)retrieved 2026-05-07
  • climate_classification · Kottek et al. 2006 / Beck et al. 2018 — country-coastal Köppen zone (FR)retrieved 2026-05-07

Last verified

High confidence

Editorial confidence: how we grade. Data sources and methodology: /sources.