The Martinez shipyard at St-Cyprien in south-western France has announced that it is to build a new tuna vessel in a contract worth €3.50 million. This is the first of its kind to be built for almost ten years.
The 35 metre new purse seiner is being built in vacuum-infused GRP, and the yard has plenty of experience in building in lightweight materials. Currently the mould is under construction. The order for the new seiner is expected to double the yard’s turnover for the year and Martinez has already taken on staff to cope with the additional workload, with more due to be employed as the construction progresses.
The tuna business in the south of France has been through some tough years with extremely tight restrictions for the last decade, but quotas have gradually been increased enough to justify investment in a new vessel at last.
The new tuna seiner is being built for a local customer and will operate from St-Cyprien.
