BACKGROUND HISTORY
The Société d’Opérations Maritimes et Fluviales (abbreviated as SOMEF) was founded in 1920 by Ougrée-Marihaye, a Liège-based steel maker. With two places of business in Liège and Antwerp and a subsidiary in Rotterdam, this company was already engaged in all port operations, maritime and waterway transport.
Some important dates for the Liège site:
1988 Acquisition of concession at the covered dock of Liège: we became handlers
1993 Management of the Cockerill Sambre halls: we become handlers in plants
1995 Creation of the Charleroi chartering office
1997 Obtaining of the contract on the Eurogal site, galvanised steel production
1998 Entry in the Usinor group
1999 Creation of the Tournai office
2001 Demerger of SOMEF
- The Antwerp site joins SATEM (Usinor subsidiary). After the merger, it will ultimately become ARCELOR LOGISTICS BELGIUM.
- The Liège site becomes autonomous. The new company created will assume the current name of “Somef .”
2002 Entry in the ARCELOR group
2005 The Compagnie Française de Navigation Rhénane (CFNR) acquires 40% of the shares of Somef.
2007 CFNR acquires 70% of the company’s shares; the remaining 30% are still held by the ArcelorMittal Group.
2010 CFNR acquires Deschieter in Ghlin where our Charleroi office is established (1 charterer).
2015 The HES group in Rotterdam becomes the principal shareholder.