The Brittany port of Lorient is becoming a centre for scrapping, as series of decommissioned fishing vessels queues up to be dismantled at the port’s 2000 square metre deconstruction area.
The latest is the 21-metre L’Écume des Jours, followed closely by 20-metre St Brieuc trawlers Daytona and Testa Rossa.
‘This scrapping is the first in a series that will keep us busy at least until the end of June,’ said Benjamin Guillemet, manager of the Lorient Keroman ship repair area.
‘As they had been working in UK waters, they were accepted onto the European individual support plan in compensation for Brexit.’
This work is in the hands of contractor Meca NRJ, which has a 2000 square metre space allocated to it.
Environmental company Guyot is expected to take over, with four or five vessels expected to be scrapped by the end of June.
Sem de Lorient Keroman was approved to scrap vessels in 2020 and the first to be broken up was 17-metre trawler Guillemot VI, which ran aground in the harbour entrance in 2007 and was broken up in 2021 after many years out of the water.
With a number of fishing vessels due to leave the French fleet under the fleet exit plan, there has been some consolidation in the Keroman region and several new operators have appeared, specialising in scrapping.
