La Ciotat, the refit powerhouse.
44 hectares of yards, 1,600 m of industrial quays, the Grande Forme dry dock and the 4,300-tonne shiplift Atlas. Nobody calls here between two bays — vessels come to leave the water. Winter quarters for 50 metres and above.
La Ciotat is not a port of call — it is an industrial tool. Shipbuilding here is documented back to the fifteenth century; the naval yards peaked above 5,000 workers in 1973, closed on 31 July 1988, and a reindustrialisation agreement signed on 17 August 1994 turned that heavy inheritance into the refit hub of the Western Mediterranean. Around 150 yachts pass through the site each year, a hundred of them over 50 metres; La Ciotat Shipyards itself claims 8 to 10% of the world yacht refit market. Of all the harbours in our Côte d'Azur territory, this is the only one you steer for in order to take the vessel out of the water.
The model is singular: a local public company, La Ciotat Shipyards — held by the Bouches-du-Rhône department, the Aix-Marseille-Provence metropolis, the Région Sud and the town — owns the heavy infrastructure and grants access to competing operators on a non-discriminatory basis. The owner picks the yard; the big machinery stays shared.
The site's platforms:
- —The Grande Forme — a 200 m × 60 m graving dock inherited from the tanker era, refurbished in 2016, operated by MB92 under a lease running to 2042.
- —Atlas, the megayacht platform — a 4,300-tonne shiplift commissioned in September 2022 (a €47.5M investment, Bardex linear-chain lifting), vessels from 80 to 115 m, hauled dry in under 3 hours, up to 6 additional hardstanding berths.
- —The superyacht platform — a 2,000-tonne shiplift and 17 hardstanding berths.
- —The yacht platform — a 300-tonne travelift and 24 hardstanding berths. Add a 660-tonne gantry crane from the shipbuilding era for heavy lifts, masts and appendages.
Everything else serves that vocation: the Vieux Port and its roughly 700 berths cater for crews and tenders, the yards receive vessels on their own access-controlled quays, and anchoring for large units nearby is governed by the Calanques National Park regulations. Marseille is 30 km away, Cassis 12 km, Saint-Tropez 53 nautical miles; Marseille-Provence airport covers scheduled flights and Le Castellet aerodrome business aviation.
Public infrastructure,
competing shipyards.
MB92 La Ciotat
Born from the acquisition of Compositeworks (October 2017 agreement) and the takeover of Blohm+Voss's activities on site in 2018, MB92 operates the Grande Forme and the Atlas platform, with access to the public 2,000 t shiplift. In-house: a 300 t Origins facility, 12,000 m² of dry dock, 14,000 m² of work areas, a 50 m paint cabin and shore supplies up to 6 kV / 1,800 kW per yacht.
Monaco Marine La Ciotat
45,000 m², 16 hardstanding berths for units up to 90 m, around 2,000 m of alongside berthing, a 300 t travelift, access to the public 2,000 t shiplift, a motorised trailer up to 600 t and a 90 m climate-controlled paint shed. Certified ISO 9001, 14001, 45001 and 50001.
The public site & the specialists
La Ciotat Shipyards invests for the long run: over €100M committed to reindustrialisation since 1994, and a plan of around €67M through 2034 to hold its ground against Genoa and Barcelona. Alongside the two majors operate Nautech and Classic Works — the classic-yacht specialist — plus Exail for technical vessels.
Refit, on the owner's side.
Securing the slot before summer — a winter refit is decided in spring: in practice, berths on the big platforms are booked months ahead. We frame the work specification, consult the site's operators in parallel and weigh up graving dock, shiplift and afloat work against the actual worklist — the core of our yacht management mandate.
Representing the owner through the works — we act as owner's representative: every work order and every variation crosses our desk before commitment, key stages are inspected jointly with the yard, and the family office receives a regular, unfiltered budget statement.
Keeping the crew squared away — a vessel on the hard remains a manned vessel: reduced rotations, contracts to adjust, shore accommodation, MLC obligations that never pause. Our MLC crew management covers the yard period as much as the season.
Returning to service — post-work trials, closing out punch-list items, updating the safety management documentation where modifications require it, coordinating class and flag surveys before the vessel goes back on the line for summer.
A refit to prepare at La Ciotat?
Operator selection, slot booking, representation during the works or a second opinion on a quote: talk to us early — the platforms fill up well before winter. Detailed proposal within 48 hours.
Get in touch