• In Saint-Malo, the Naye ferry terminal is dilapidated and unwelcoming for disembarking English tourists.

  • A modernization project is presented this Thursday to the regional council of Brittany.

  • The project will cost 150 million euros with work taking place between 2024 and 2026.

It is "the gateway to Brittany" for British tourists who land in the region.

In Saint-Malo, the Naye ferry terminal is not very welcoming.

Without charm and aging, the infrastructure is "a mix between

Derrick

and

Star Trek

", ironically the president of the region Loïg Chesnais-Girard.

To dust off and modernize the equipment, which dates from the end of the 1970s, the region will invest 150 million euros between 2024 and 2026. "This is the most important investment programmed by the region on the mandate", underlines the elected socialist, who must present this Thursday the project to the regional advisers.

The chosen scenario, "the most ambitious", already provides for a return to compliance of the terminal which no longer meets safety standards.

At the end of its life, the north and south embectages of the lock which give access to the commercial port will thus be rebuilt in order "to secure access to the lower basins and avoid any collision between ships", specifies the Brittany region.

Ships will be able to shut down their engines at dock

Brexit has also been a game-changer for the terminal, where Brittany Ferries and Condor Ferries ships from England and the Channel Islands dock.

New security measures now apply to passenger and freight transport, requiring the installation of new equipment.

The ecological transition also requires maritime infrastructures to change software.

Quayside electricity will thus be installed, which will allow moored ferries to cut their engines during stopovers and considerably reduce the emission of pollutants as well as noise pollution.

Not the race for gigantism

The modernization of the Naye terminal also aims to develop passenger traffic, which has been at half mast for two years.

“Before the start of the health crisis, we were at around 750,000 passengers per year, explains Loïg Chesnais-Girard.

After the works, we should be able to accommodate 100,000 more.

To do this, work will be carried out in the channel in particular to allow ships of greater capacity, such as cruise liners, to be able to access the quays.

The maritime station, which does not really make you want to stop there, will also be completely revamped to look like a modern airport.

The project is ambitious but the region does not want to fall into delusions of grandeur.

“We are not going to build a large maritime hub either to explode traffic,” underlines Loïg Chesnais-Girard, wishing to make the ferry terminal a symbol of “low-carbon tourism”.

Economy

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Society

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  • Society

  • Transport

  • Maritime transport

  • Wed

  • ferry

  • Saint Malo

  • Brittany

  • England