MB92 La Ciotat reaches major milestone ahead of autumn shiplift delivery

• Lifting platform moved into position in complex engineering manoeuvre
• World’s largest artificial harbour-based fish nursery installed along the quays

MB92 La Ciotat, France’s leading superyacht refit shipyard, announced today that a major milestone has been reached in the construction of the platform, maintaining the shipyard’s schedule for the opening of the facility as planned this autumn for yachts up to 115-metres in length.

Following the delivery last summer of the main elements of the structure and 9 months of engineering work on site, the Matière-Bardex team have now completed the complex task of assembling and moving the lifting platform to its final position. At 100 metres in length, equivalent to a football pitch, and 20 metres wide, the platform weighs 1,100 tonnes and required a team of 20 people and 3 hours to carry out the exceptional manoeuvre of moving the shiplift structure and 2 days for the final installation in the concrete recess.

The innovative Bardex lifting system which includes 20 chain jacks is now being installed, and features a hydraulic ram and chain system expressly designed to increase safety and reduce maintenance.

Mathieu Bauden, MB92 La Ciotat Facilities Director, has been overseeing the project since its inception end of 2018 and said: “This is a key stage in the delivery of the 4300t platform which leaves us well positioned as we enter the final six months of the project. The next important steps are the delivery of the control building, the installation of all energy networks, reception of the transfer system, the cradles and final testing followed by certification by Lloyds this summer.”

Vincent Escallier, Commercial Director of MB92 La Ciotat added: “We are all looking forward to the imminent opening of our new facility and this latest accomplishment brings us one step closer. It’s an extraordinary piece of infrastructure that complements the wide range of lifting options available to clients of our shipyard.”

Installation of the world’s largest artificial harbour-based fish nursery

The platform’s docks have been equipped with a biomimetic solution supplied by the company Seaboost. Based on the complex structure of posedonia sea grass, this solution creates an effective, integrated and safe environment that will encourage the reproduction of local marine species.

In addition to the nursery, La Ciotat Shipyards, the local port authority, have administered an exemplary project, implementing numerous environmental measures during the construction phase such as soil decontamination, reuse of materials on site, installation of a double bubble curtain and anti-sediment curtains to protect cetaceans and water quality.