From shipbuilding to yachts refit,
the driver of a successful industrial development

La Ciotat Shipyards boasts a unique management style in the world of yachting,
which benefits from the stability of a public ownership and the agility of a private structure. 

La Ciotat Shipyards, formerly known as SEMIDEP-Ciotat, are a local public company, whose shareholders are:

    • The Department of Bouches-du-Rhône (34,73%)
    • The Metropole Aix-Marseille-Provence (34,65%)
    • The South Region (17,93%)
    • The City of La Ciotat (12,69%).

Created as the result of the 1994 agreements, La Ciotat Shipyards have witnessed the success of a voluntarist and partnership based policy of the reindustrialisation of the site formerly geared towards the construction of large industrial units (oil and LNG tankers, etc.) through a repositioning in the sector of repair, servicing and maintenance of large yachts.

The majority of the approximately one hundred million euros invested to date for the re-industrialization of the site are from private funds.

The unique management structure of the site, not commonplace within the yachting industry, is the subject of a political and extremely strong social consensus. It allows public body shareholders to retain control over major strategic choices of the site’s development while allowing reactivity suited to market requirements.

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La Ciotat Shipyards find themselves today among the European leaders in the sector of refit and repair of yachts, with 8% to 10% of the global market, thanks to several major competitive advantages.

In addition to its exceptional industrial equipment, the site stands out in its ability to qualitatively meet the characteristics of the demand in the very specific yachting market, within 100 nautical miles of the French Riviera. Its natural assets are complemented by a technical expertise recognized around the world for the servicing of large yachts, with several resident operators and lead-contractors specialised in this market.

Each year, approximately a hundred yachts over 50m, or about 1/7th of the world fleet, come to La Ciotat Shipyards.

In addition to the shipyards specialized in the refit of Yachts, La Ciotat Shipyards also manage the “Old Harbor”, nested in the heart of the city, which has a small marina with a capacity of 700 berths, including 120 berths available for visitors, and 300 spaces allocated for dry storage.