Ships from Marseillan to patrol the Seine during the Olympic Games

Jean-François Cruveiller, patron du chantier Littoral, devant un navire militaire qui sera livré prochainement. – F.Faux

These 8 meter aluminum boats, manufactured by the Littoral shipyard, will be used by army commandos. Particularly during the opening ceremony.

July 26, 2024. Several billion viewers are watching the opening ceremony of the Paris Olympic Games. The delegations parade on boats, in front of the platform of heads of state, monitored by an entire armada of security, ready to intervene. Among them, army commandos… on brand new boats manufactured in Marseillan.

"We had a first order for sixteen units, and the twelfth will leave in two weeks, says Jean-François Cruveiller, director of Littoral. The condition for getting the contract, of course, was to be ready before the Games."

This Marseillan shipyard, which only makes aluminum boats, is used to large orders. Under its hangars, boilermakers and welders work on a 12-meter ship, painted a bright red…hellip; Already the fifth which will soon be delivered to the Marseille firefighters.

Other hulls – there are around fifteen – are leaving for the captaincy of Agde, the shellfish farmers of the Etang de Thau, Guyana or local fishermen. The main customers, however, remain the state and public services, such as port authorities or the army.

Patrolling the rivers and lakes

The army, in this case, needs these boats to patrol rivers and lakes. They will replace semi-rigids, used until then, but which had some disadvantages: the floats take up a lot of space on the deck, they limit its layout and are fragile. This first delivery, to destination of regiments based in Angers and Besançon, however, remains special. The specifications, developed through discussions with the military, are in fact those of a multi-mission boat, which can be transported by truck.

"It can be used to attack, as well as to rescue, details Jean-François Cruveiller as he climbs on board. This removable door, for example, allows quick access to water. These floor rings are useful for securing equipment boxes and, when taking divers or a commando on board, simply lower these jump seats to have a completely different configuration." 

Other specificity that is not found among boaters in the pond: places to store ammunition, a folding mast to carry radio antennas and gallows for heavy weapons.

The eight-meter boat, which weighs two and a half tons, is powered by two enormous 150-horsepower engines, which can make it reach a speed of 40 knots: if the first is damaged by a bullet, it always remains the second in backup. No frills on board, nor GPS, because we are not at sea and the soldiers themselves are largely equipped. "L& The objective is to have a simple, rustic, boat, concludes the boss of Littoral. Because even if the crews will be trained, we must not forget that they come from the Army…hellip; Not from the navy."

Local businesses

France has only around ten shipyards capable of assembling aluminum boats and only one in the region, in Marseillan. Littoral has existed since 1990 and delivers around forty boats per year. An activity that benefits its thirty employees and a whole range of local businesses. "The aluminum plates arrive to us and are cut by our neighbor, AIS, explains Jean-François Cruveiller, himself a native from Marseillan. The heart of our work is to assemble a puzzle which can make between 50 and 300 pieces, and to paint the structure." Other professionals from the region then intervene to motorize the ship, install insulation, electrical wiring, and electronics. If the development of the first unit of this order for the army took a year and a half, it now takes a month and a half to assemble the others. They are delivered turnkey, ready to sail. At what price? It is confidential but, according to our sources, higher than 100,000 euros per unit.

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