After a day of conferences with the entire national session in Paris, the 'Maritime Issues and Strategies' major set sail for Marseille for a seminar devoted to port activities, the challenges of maritime transport and new technologies.
On Friday 2 February, at the Fort de Ganteaume overlooking the Vieux Port, listeners enjoyed a presentation and discussion with representatives of the Grand Port de Marseille before embarking on a tour of the Port's facilities. The tour ended in front of the Digital Realty (formerly Interxion) data centre, where the major was welcomed for a tour of the facilities, before enjoying a presentation of the company, followed by lunch, which provided an opportunity for more in-depth discussions.
In the afternoon, it was CMA-CGM's turn to welcome the IHEDN auditors to their headquarters in Marseille. For two and a half hours, the major benefited from a series of presentations on the company, ranked in the world's top 3 in container shipping, before taking the bus back to La Ciotat.
After a round-table discussion on "UAVs, innovation and technological breakthroughs", featuring speakers from Exail, Naval Group and the French Navy, the audience was welcomed into Exail's workshops to see the various UAV equipment and remote surveillance centres developed by the company. As luck would have it, a new trimaran patrol boat, the Ocean Eagle 43, built by the CMN shipyard and featuring a highly innovative concept, was docked in La Ciotat. One of our auditors, employed by CMN, was able to give us a comprehensive presentation of the boat's features. A cocktail party bringing together the audience and the various speakers brought the day's events to a close with some more informal exchanges, before we took the bus back to Toulon.
The following day, the sun shone brightly as listeners boarded a transrade shuttle to watch dynamic demonstrations by the Gendarmerie maritime at sea. The programme included the hoisting of a dog and its handler specialising in the detection of explosives, an intervention demonstration and, for some of the audience, boarding the patrol boats and semi-rigid interception craft.
After this sequence, the major headed for La Seyne-sur-Mer and Orange Marine. There, listeners were given a full presentation on submarine cables, their history, the issues involved and installation campaigns, accompanied by fascinating debates among the audience, before enjoying a tour of the company's facilities. After a welcome lunch break, the three committees then turned their attention to their work, each presenting a progress report one after the other, in the presence of Engineer General Florence Plessix, Head of the National Session Department, and the ESM major management team.
