Chantiers de l'Atlantique and the public works company Charier inaugurated on 26 November 2018 the extension of the pre-assembly area which allows a significant increase in the production capacity of the shipyard.
With the work started in July 2017, the yard floor area is now expanded by 17,000sqm, meaning a 30% gain. By lengthening the rail of the 1,400-tonne gantry crane – which is assembling the hull of the large vessels – by 135 m the completed project allows six more mega-blocks to be assembled and outfitted.
"This investment worth €16 million allows us to move to a simultaneous construction capacity of 22 blocks, compared to 16 previously and thus meet the increase in the current and future industrial load of the yard," said Laurent Castaing, General Manager of Chantiers de l’Atlantique.