Marseille Giant Drydock to Open in September

The French port Marseille Fos is set to re-open its giant Drydock 10 shiprepair facility this autumn after almost fifteen years of dormancy, following a EUR 28 million (USD 31.8m) renovation project due for completion in September.

Work started early last year under a port authority plan to reintroduce a repair and maintenance base for some of the largest ships afloat.

The 465m long, 85m wide drydock – third biggest in the world after Lisbon and Dubai – is aimed principally at mega cruiseships but will also target the latest generation container carriers, LNG tankers, bulk vessels and offshore rigs.

The 25-year operating franchise has been awarded to a group including Italy’s San Giorgio del Porto; their subsidiary Chantier Naval de Marseille, which already operates two smaller drydocks at the port; and Mariotti, the world’s fourth largest cruise ship builder.

Main elements of the overhaul are the construction of a new 9,100 tonne dock gate and refurbishment of the electrical and pumping systems, with project management by French civil engineers Spie batignolles TPCI.

Half of the project finance has been provided by the French state and by two regional government authorities. The balance is coming from the port authority’s own funds and through a EUR 5.9 million (USD 6.7m) loan from the government-controlled investment body Caisse des Depots.