Students in the "Maritime Issues and Strategies" (ESM) major at the national session headed for the Pays de la Loire for a two-day seminar in Nantes and Saint-Nazaire on Friday 8 and Saturday 9 April. This region is a model of dynamism in the maritime sector, with nuggets in shipbuilding, marine renewable energies and innovative marine technologies.
Early on Friday morning, the major docked at Chantiers de l'Atlantique in Saint-Nazaire, one of the world leaders in cruise ship construction. The visit gave the audience a chance to discover this emblematic shipyard, where the aircraft carriers Foch and Clémenceau were built, and from where the battleship Jean-Bart set sail in 1940 under incredible conditions. They were welcomed by Yann GONTIERdirector of communications and public relations at Chantiers de l'Atlantique and Laurent CASTAINGGroup CEO.
From his fascinating interviews, listeners will remember the strategic dimension of Chantiers de l'Atlantique for France and the impressive efforts made by the entire cruise industry in terms of decarbonisation and environmental protection.
They will also remember that beyond the impressive infrastructures - the largest in Europe, such as the gigantic 900-metre-long assembly hall or the 1,400-tonne capacity lifting bridge - it is the excellence of the engineering and construction processes that, through their mastery of complexity and technology, give the Group its exceptional productivity. The world's largest ocean liners are built in less than three years.
More unexpected was the presentation of their activities in Marine Renewable Energies (MRE). With remarkable vision and foresight, the Group has invested heavily to acquire exceptional expertise in the construction of electrical substations for offshore wind farms.
A round table on this subject brought together Frédéric GRIZAUDits Marine Energies Business Unit Director at Chantiers de l'Atlantique and Vincent BALESManaging Director of WPD Offshores and auditor of 3e ESM session. They were able to explore the political, economic, technical and administrative aspects of this sector, which is now booming after a difficult start in France. The lively and fascinating debates enabled listeners to discover the extraordinary dynamism of this young sector, whose impressive prospects were undreamt of just a few years ago. Contrary to popular belief, MRE is now capable of producing electricity at a very competitive price without subsidies. They represent a major challenge and, without doubt, part of the solution to the climate challenge.
This year's visit had a particular defence and security dimension, as the shipyards have been awarded the contract to build the new-generation nuclear aircraft carrier (PANG) and force replenishment tankers (PRF) for the French Navy. As it happens, the two project leaders, Hugues MARTEL for PANG, and Mikaël LE GAL for BRF, are auditors from the ESM major.
So it was with justifiable pride that the latter, accompanied by the captain of the vessel Pierre GINEFRIJacques Chevallier, the first of the four BRFs. Having had the privilege of descending to the bottom of the dry dock, they were able to admire the lines and dimensions of this magnificent vessel, which offers unrivalled performance compared with its predecessors.
After a visit to the MSC World Europa, Europe's largest cruise ship currently in the final stages of construction, the audience had a chance to recharge their batteries before setting off for the adjoining logistics hub of General Electric (GE) where, amidst an impressive line-up of wind turbine blades, generators and masts with dimensions approaching those of the Eifel Tower, they were greeted by Emmanuel CHARLOPAINsite manager. He was able to explain to them the assembly line for these blocks weighing around 500 tonnes, down to the last millimetre. With the maximum amount of work carried out on land, assembly at sea can be completed in less than a day.
The final highlight of the day was a visit to the national training centre of the French National Sea Rescue Society (SNSM). Some 8,000 people a year are rescued by this association of volunteers, both on the beaches and offshore, and they are the driving force behind the solidarity of all seafarers. After more than an hour's debate on the issues surrounding this major national cause, the SNSM will be taking part in a special event, Didier MOREAUthe SNSM's director of training, let the audience loose at the helm of the training centre's lifeboats, which were fortunately equipped with simulators.
Indeed, although the departure in fine weather went relatively well, conditions quickly deteriorated with the arrival of storms and darkness, giving listeners a first-hand experience of the particularly difficult conditions encountered by SNSM volunteers during shipwreck rescue operations.
On Saturday morning, the auditors travelled to Technocampus Océan in Nantes where they were met by Hubert LECUYERco-director of the site, and Didier BESNARDand the deputy director of CEA Tech, both of whom are IHEDN auditors. The auditors were thus able to discover the extraordinary dynamism of research in the maritime field, but also the particularly virtuous ecosystem set up by the Pays de Loire region. CEA Tech plays a little-known leading role in supporting businesses in this region, at the heart of a decompartmentalised organisation that provides exceptional synergy between the State, the academic world and businesses.
This morning was devoted to the major challenges of technological research and innovation in the naval sector.
The various research projects carried out by the CEA were of particular interest to the auditors, as they are at the heart of the work on resilience entrusted to them by the Prime Minister.
Didier PAILLARDDirector of Research at the CEA's Climate and Environment Simulation Laboratory (CEA/LSCE), Pierre SERRE-COMBEfrom CEA's energy programmes department, and Bertrand ALESSANDRINI from the Ecole Centrale de Nantes have joined Didier BESNARD to lead a morning of particularly rich debate, with a steady stream of questions from listeners.
The students then spent the afternoon presenting their committee work to their fellow students under the watchful eye of the teaching staff and their tutors. And indeed, Vincent BOUVIERformer SGMer, and Jean-Dominique GIULIANIPresident of the Schumann Foundation, who joined them for the occasion.
