Nazairians attend the departure of MSC Bellissima, February 27, 2019. -

S. Salom-Gomis / AFP

  • The sale of the Saint-Nazaire shipyards to its competitor Fincantieri is officially canceled.

  • The French State will temporarily remain the main shareholder of the Chantiers.

  • The latter employ 3,300 people and benefit from a very full order book.

The announcement fell on Wednesday evening: the plan to buy Chantiers de l'Atlantique by their Italian competitor Fincantieri is definitely abandoned.

Under discussion for three years, this engagement will have been victims of the economic crisis and the skepticism of a large number of observers, foremost among which are the elected representatives of Loire-Atlantique.

The latter feared indeed transfers of skills to Italy or China (with which Fincantieri has formed partnerships) and, ultimately, unfortunate consequences on employment in Saint-Nazaire.

It must be said that the shipyards today employ 3,300 people and call on 4,000 subcontractors on the site.

Their order book is, moreover, extremely well filled: eight liners, three electrical substations and four military ships, not to mention the future French aircraft carrier promised at Saint-Nazaire.

"Expressions of interest" exist

What future now for this “French industrial flagship”?

For the time being, the State “remains the main shareholder of Chantiers de l'Atlantique and will support the company as long as the crisis lasts,” the Minister of the Economy, Bruno Le Maire, said on Wednesday evening.

The government reiterated, however, that France was not intended to remain permanently at the helm of the Nazairian company [the state holds 84.3%].

A buyer is therefore sought.

"Expressions of interest" exist, we assure the Ministry of the Economy, which wishes to maneuver without haste: "Let us wait for the dust to settle and see what marks of interest are confirmed".

“We must not rush but not drag too much either, reacts David Samzun, mayor PS of Saint-Nazaire.

We need to take new orders ”.

The councilor, a supporter, like other elected officials, of an investor carrying an “industrial and non-financial project”, recently claimed to have met a French candidate for the “site lover” redemption.

Will he come out of the woods?

The region invited to take a stake

In the meantime, the president of the Loire-Atlantique department, Philippe Grosvalet (PS) supports the creation of a “territorial pool, so that the State, the shareholders and the territories together build a solid solution for the future of our sites. and those who work there ”.

"The department will take its part," he promises.

The elected ecologists of the Pays-de-la-Loire region call on the regional council to enter directly into the capital of the sites (up to 16%) in order to "support the ecological transition of the company", and "Send a strong signal to new investors".

It would cost 20 million euros to the community.

“The Chantiers de l'Atlantique are of strategic importance for the Pays-de-la-Loire region.

When the sites are doing well, all of Saint-Nazaire is doing well ”, justify the environmentalists.

As for the CGT, the majority union of Chantiers de l'Atlantique, it is already warning future candidates.

“The union has repeatedly opposed the sale to the Italian capitalist group Fincantieri but certainly not by harboring illusions about a French shareholder, public or private, who would care more about the site's employees.

Today, like yesterday, the naval CGT is against any shareholder or buyer who does not commit to salaries, hiring and working conditions.

"

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