Becoming a benchmark for the port of the future
the 4th largest port in Brittany, with 1,130 berths, Port La Forêt is an emblematic location for French yachting, where ocean racing and pleasure boating coexist. With around twenty yachting professionals in the marina, it offers everything a yachtsman could expect, and the on-site restaurants make it a small town in its own right. But the port, which celebrates its 50th anniversary in 2022, doesn't want to stand still. Frédéric Boccou, Director of SAEM SODEFI, the port's manager, explains: "Port La Forêt has been certified Port Propre Actif en Biodiversité since 2021, and all investments since 2021 have been linked to the environment. There's a desire to make it a benchmark for the port of the future, and to build a qualitative port with users and professionals."
Renovation of careening areas
With 3 careening areas scattered around the port, no longer meeting environmental standards, action was urgently needed. The port therefore decided to review the issue in depth, even if this meant modifying the overall operation of the port. Frédéric Boccou explains: "In summer, the criss-crossing of handling equipment, pedestrians, cyclists and tourist vehicles was creating a risk of accidents. We decided to create a single storage and careening area covering 2.3 hectares, compared with the current total of 1.3 hectares. A single traffic lane will be created, reserved for handling to and from the launching dock and construction sites. Traffic flows will be modified and a well-defined parking lot created, with an additional parking lot reserved for port subscribers and one for professionals. In the creation of these parking lots, we are limiting the artificialization of the soil with gratings."
Treatment of careening water
Anticipating changes in environmental standards and climate change, Port La Forêt has decided to innovate in the creation of its careening area. Of the 2.3-hectare technical area, 8,000 m2 will be reserved exclusively for careening, with a watertight asphalt surface discharging into a phyto-purification lagoon for run-off water, before it joins a gravity settling tank. Finally, carbon and resin filters complete the filtration of pollutants. Frédéric Boccou explains the rest of the process: "In 2022, drought halted economic activity at the port for 4 months. It is essential to preserve water resources. That's why we decided to install a water recycling system. Cohin Environnement has experience in wastewater treatment plants and industrial truck washing in a closed environment, and has adapted this to marinas. The water undergoes microfiltration, passes through UV lamps and is then pressurized before being returned to the washing circuit. On the careening area, there will be 2 taps: one for drinking water and one for recycled water. In addition, there will be ecological corridors between the various zones of the technical area for phytodepuration and to provide greenery."
Alongside the careening area, a number of other projects are on the menu, including an area dedicated to sandblasting, an exhaustive selective sorting area collecting anodes in particular, a shower block for customers after careening, and a container for carrying out minor work under cover. At the same time, the Finistère department is also planning a new building for 2 IMOCA boats.
Substantial investments
Such projects are not without funding. Of the ?6,365,875 (excl. VAT) cost of the project, ?5 million is being borne by SAEM SODEFI, while the water agency and the French Secretary of State for the Sea are subsidizing the work as part of the marina of the future project. Although the project was launched in 2021, work began in early 2023 and should be completed in July 2025, with the careening area completed by the end of 2024.
