A ribbon cutting ceremony was held on 4th December for the official re-opening of drydock No 10 in Marseille.
Drydock No 10 is the biggest dock in the Mediterranean, and one of the largest in the world. The event was organised by Chantier Naval de Marseille (CNdM) and the Marseille Fos Port Authority.
Ferdinando Garrè, CEO of San Giorgio del Porto, Genoa-based parent company of CNdM, said; “With this inauguration, we officially kick start a new development phase for our business and for the city of Marseille.
When San Giorgio del Porto arrived here in July, 2010, we took over an area that had largely suffered from the crisis, but thanks to our determination and to the vision of the port and the local authorities, we have relaunched the shiprepair industry in Marseille.
“Now we can work to consolidate and further develop our activities, as we can finally exploit the full potential of these infrastructures, turning Chantier Naval de Marseille into a key logistical hub for all kind of vessels,”Ferdinando Garrè, CEO of San Giorgio del Porto, parent company of CNdM and headquartered in Genoa, Italy.
“This is a moment of great joy and pride for me and for San Giorgio del Porto as a whole as we become one of the key players of the economic relaunch of the port of Marseille,” he added.
CNdM operates three drydocks in Marseille.
Thanks to its 465 m length and 85 m width, dock No 10 can accommodate all types of vessels. With the new facility, the shipyard will be able to position itself and the port of Marseille as a prime location for all shipowners and cruise ships, plus other large ship types. Ten cruise ships are already scheduled for maintenance at CNdM next year.
“With the today inauguration of the dock 10, CNdM has at its disposal an unique industrial means in Mediterranee, which will give the capability to offer to its customers a very high level of services and added values for all type of vessels in order to manage the most complex works on board with their own personal and the strong technological competences of the local network,” said Jacques Hardelay, CNdM President.
“The proximity of the cruise terminal is an exceptional asset for the shipowners in order to reduce their drydock duration and for the GPMM to be able to increase its attractiveness. Our target is to contribute to the development of the local economy thanks’ to the variety of type of vessels able to be repair or convert in our yard,” he said.
“The port of Marseille/Fos is the first French cruise port and plays a major role in the Mediterranean Sea. The size of the new ships requires drydocks of adequate measures and in proximity of their area of operation.
Thanks to our three co-investors, French Government, Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur Region, Bouches-du-Rhône Department, drydock No 10 responds to this need and opens new industrial perspectives to large scale shiprepair,” said Christine Cabau Woehrel, president of the Directory Port of Marseille Fos and CEO of Marseille Fos Port Authority. “It is a new page for shiprepair in Marseille. We can now offer our customers, on the same premises, a complete port service, from commercial operations.”
CNdM was founded by San Giorgio del Porto in 2010 and employs about 120 people, including naval architects, mechanical engineers and technicians. The shipyard is located in a strategic position, at the centre of a large traffic zone extending from Genoa to Barcelona. The formal inauguration of the drydock follows another significant milestone in the consolidation of CNdM, represented by the entry of Costa Crociere with a 33.3% share back in August, 2016.
Additionally, about €10 mill investments have been planned to increase the shipyard’s efficiency. Among CNdM activities, a special focus will be given to operations linked to the optimisation of energy efficiency and environmental performances of cruise ships, in line with the new regulations and cruise lines investments strategies.
Thus far, the ‘Costa Magica’ and ‘Costa Pacifica’ have been handled in the refurbished dock.
