Marseille port workers end strike

A backlog of ships will now be able to resume deliveries within hours

Workers at the French port of Marseille have ended an 18-day strike that had threatened to cut off fuel supplies to France and its neighbours.

At least 30 oil tankers were prevented from docking by the strike.

The dispute was over who should be authorised to discharge gas tankers at a new terminal - dock workers or employees of gas company Gaz de France.

In talks between unions and employers, it was agreed the port workers would be allowed to load and unload gas.

The port is the world's third biggest for dealing with oil products.

"Everyone is keen to resume work as quickly as possible and this will be done from the beginning of the afternoon," local union official Pascal Galeote said.

A backlog of ships, including a number of oil tankers, which were blocked by the strike will now be able to use the hub to resume deliveries within hours.

The Marseille terminal feeds several refineries in France, Germany and Switzerland, which could have been forced to halt production if the strike had carried on.