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La Seyne sur Mer-The largest dockyard in the world
The first shipyards at La Seyne sur Mer, opened their doors in 1711. With the advent of metallurgy in the first half of the 19th century, they quickly saw significant growth. Armand Béhic, the investor behind the simultaneous relaunch of La Ciotat’s shipyards, which had been severely affected by the timber ship crises, founded the Mediterranean Ironworks and Shipyards Society in 1856 and took over La Seyne site. This shipyard employed 1,300 workers and assembled both civilian and Navy vessels. These were the Golden Years for La Seyne shipyards, referred to as the largest in France in a report from 1884. The work and launch facilities were much larger than those found at La Ciotat. Ten docks were available for the construction of the largest ships manufactured during that period. These hulks were the ocean liners that connected Europe with the rest of the world.
In 1927 the largest dock in the world was built in La Seyne. The dockyard had to diversify into the production of gas carriers, barges, and equipment for offshore oil drilling platforms, because of cut-throat global competition.
In spite of Second World War bombings, a 25 ha (60 acre) site was rebuilt and extended to providing a 1400 m (4,600 ft) waterfront. On the eve of the fatal oil crisis in 1973, the yard employed more than 5,000 workers. The petrol tanker and gas carrier markets became increasingly dominated by Asian, especially Korean shipyards in the wake of the worldwide recession.
This was the trigger for the gradual decline, culminating in the shipyard's definitive closure in 1989. The town council responded by launching the largest urban development programme anywhere between Genoa and Marseilles. The Fernand Braudel Park was inaugurated in 2006. The shipyard’s emblematic lifting bridge is presently undergoing restoration. It may be operational for your next call into the port in August 2008.
