Germany’s Blohm+Voss is to build a new maintenance and refit facility for megayachts at La Ciotat in the South of France. 

The company will partner with La Ciotat Shipyards (managed by SEMIDEP-Ciotat), the local company in charge of the site development, which is providing a large dry-dock and neighbouring workshop premises embedded within the existing shipyard.

Blohm+Voss will utilise this new facility in the heart of the Mediterranean to maintain and service megayachts over 80 m in length.

Operation is planned to start in November 2016.

Blohm+Voss Chief Executive Officer Fred van Beers says: “Setting up a maintenance facility for megayachts in La Ciotat is an important step in our current growth strategy. With our new office in Monaco and this central location in the Mediterranean we are moving our core business closer to our customers; we are now offering more flexibility and tailored life-cycle services.

“The dock in La Ciotat is 200 m long and 60 m wide. Our customers now have the choice of utilising our extensive shipyard facilities in Hamburg or our new base in La Ciotat for large yacht maintenance, refits or conversions. Whatever our customers require: we will provide our renowned, exceptionally high Blohm+Voss quality standards and on-time services at both sites.”

Jean-Yves Saussol, Managing Director of La Ciotat Shipyards, explains: “We have chosen Blohm+Voss as our trusted partner due to the quality of their business plan, their extensive track-record, the financial strength of the company and its strong desire to work closely with the local community.” The services that Blohm+Voss will bring to La Ciotat complement the services currently offered by other companies on the yard. Blohm+Voss aims to utilise the existing synergy potential and will start talking to future partners on and around the shipyard within the next month.

Blohm+Voss will appoint a French-speaking management within the next few weeks to manage the roll-out, recruit local staff, partner with suppliers and prepare the facilities for upcoming projects. The business is scheduled to start by the end of 2016.