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Balaruc-From oil to pleasure boating
The Balaruc-les-Bains basin, which was used exclusively by the Raffinerie du Midi (Midi Refinery) until 1990, has gradually become a free pleasure port. The majority of those using the port would today like to benefit from better conditions and in particular from a legal framework governing their presence.
"We organise a cleaning operation of the water area and immediate surroundings every year. We are in some ways the lighthouse keepers of the port of Balaruc-les-Bains, also called Suttel port." says Claude Jahannault, President of the Association of Fishermen and Yachtsmen of Balaruc-les-Bains (Association des Pêcheurs Plaisanciers de Balaruc-les-Bains – APPB) since its creation in 1996. This is quite an unusual port: it has no legal status, no port captain’s office, no wharfs, no electricity and no freshwater. Nobody pays for their berth or any other type of fee whatsoever. This type of place is called a free port (there are no transactions and customs duties). "Practically all the port is primitive. We have to leave all the boats that are able to float on the water even if they have no owners or numbers", points out Danièle Chaillou, secretary to the Mayor of Balaruc-les-Bains (editor’s note: until 16 March 2008). So who manages it? According to Pierre Hardy, director of sports, "The APPB acts as the negotiator between the authorities and individuals".
Originally, the port of Balaruc-les-Bains was built for the Raffinerie du Midi (Midi Refinery), a refining and hydrocarbon storage company. It established itself here at the end of the 19th century and dug a basin with a five to six metre depth for large units.
The refinery ceased its activities quite quickly in the 1920s. It then concentrated exclusively on storage until 1990. Claude Jahannault remembers, "Little by little, from 1990, pleasure boating has gradually taken over the water area." There are currently between 200 and 250 small craft in the basin (the association has a total of 200 members). Moreover, six companies have been authorised by the maritime services to carry on boat repair activities.
Two associations currently share the management of the basin. The ASBB (Sporting Association of Balaruc-les-Bains) manages sailing activities. It has a closed wharf which can be seen from the road linking Balaruc to Sète. The second, the APPB, is fighting to have the use of the port legalised. "To get to the water area, you have to drive over private property which belongs to the Raffinerie du Midi. We submitted a request to the Town Hall in 2001 asking it to purchase all the land adjacent to the water area. We would like to re-discuss this request with the newly-elected local council", says Claude Jahannault.
To begin with, the APPB would like to obtain a temporary authorisation to occupy the port which would consequently, in exchange for a rental fee, represent a lawful use of the water area. Its president adds, "We have small boats ranging in value from €3,000 to €5,000. This is not Sète or La Grande Motte. Port Suttel is simply the place where we moor our craft. Everyone has their little stake, their little boarding bridge and under no circumstances an anchor. All our members know that moving the bed of the water would represent a catastrophe for the workers and tourism in the area."
It is indeed far better to leave the bed alone. The Raffinerie du Midi,
which still owns part of the land, left the inhabitants of Balaruc with a major handicap: layers of hydrocarbons on the waterbed. An association has been created to defend the residents and inhabitants of the town as the oil is able to seep into the cast iron pipes and pollutes tap water. Thanks to its efforts, the Prefecture ordered the Raffinerie du Midi to clean up its land in 2004. But the situation has grown worse as the layers now flow into the Thau lake. A floater was installed in March 2007 to keep them in place. It is not only the future of the port that is at stake but all of Balaruc and the Thau Basin.
