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Marseille mega-ship initiatives entering final phases

Marseille mega-ship initiatives entering final phases
Two major construction projects in the Marseille port area that will ease access for large cruise vessels navigating the Passe Nord entrance and also provide drydocking facilities for mega ships through the recommissioning of the giant No.10 drydock, are nearing completion.  The cost of the two engineering projects is almost €64m.

The drydock has been flooded for the first time since work started in January 2014 to enable flotation of a new 9,100 tonne dock gate and three 4,500 tonne caissons – under construction there since March - that will form the remodelled ends of sea walls guarding the harbour entrance.  Almost 23,000 tonnes of concrete have been used in the various structures.

Currently 12mtr tall, the caissons are being towed to the Passe Nord site one by one in a phase lasting until October, when afloat construction taking them to a height of 22mtr is due to end.  

The 15mtr diameter, 30mtr long units will then be sunk on to platforms 18mtr below sea level and injected with up to 10,000 tonnes of concrete, with project completion scheduled by the year-end.

The Marseille Fos port authority approved the scheme in June 2012 and is contributing almost half the €32.7m cost alongside state and regional funding.  

The Passe Nord entrance works will enlarge the opening from 190 to 240mtr and also enhance turning space for the latest generation cruise vessels.  Last year Marseille handled more than 170 cruise ships over 300mtr long and is now prepared for regular calls from ships exceeding 360mtr, such as Harmony of the Seas which called in June this year.

Renovation of drydock 10, at 465 x 85mtr the third largest facility of its kind in the world after Lisbon and Dubai, was mainly inspired by the growing size of cruiseships sailing worldwide -  65% of which operate in the Mediterranean - but will also provide a minimal-deviation repair and maintenance option for giant container, gas and bulk carriers as well as offshore platforms.
 
The drydock was built in 1975 as a supertanker facility but was mothballed in 2000 after the market shifted east.  The €31.1m recommissioning initiative – with €14m funded by the port authority - includes overhaul of the pumps and electrical network in addition to the new gate, which will be moored on site for fitting out and testing when the dock is handed over to operator Chantier Naval Marseille (CNM) in September.  

During this period the original gate, currently being renovated, will be in place.  The first customer is expected by the end of the year.  

CNM has been operating two other large drydocks at Marseille since 2010 – No.8 (320 x 50mtr) and No.9 (250 x 37mtr). Drydock 10 brings a massive new dimension to the repair base with a capacity of 480,000cu mtr of water that can be emptied in 3.5 hours at a rate of 40cu mtr per second.