In August, Grand Port Maritime de Marseille started two competitive bidding procedures to identify, firstly, the future occupant of Hangar J1 and, secondly, the operator of berths for mega yachts, which will utilise the docks next to the hangar.
Port of Marseille
These sites are exceptionally well located within Marseille. They lie in the new Joliette commercial district, close to LES TERRASSES DU PORT, the future high-end shopping centre set to open in 2014.
The city’s new museums, MUCEM and VILLA MÉDITERRANÉE, are just 500m away. The sites also have access to Marseille Fos port’s logistics and industrial facilities, in particular in terms of yacht repair services. The “ships over 60 metres in length” niche has also been chosen for its complementarity with the La Ciotat site. Marseille aims to position itself alongside Barcelona and Genoa in this segment, which will bring large units in for technical services.
The first bidding process offers a public services outsourcing contact to develop and operate berths for yachts over 60m in length and, if required, to create additional activities to generate interest in the facility.
Grand Port Maritime de Marseille
By its size, the area covered by the bidding process constitutes a rare opportunity in the French Mediterranean: 40,000m² of water, 750m of quays, 10,000m² of dockyard and 2,000m² on the ground floor of Hangar J1. When complete, the facility could accommodate 25 mega yachts.
The second bidding process will select the future occupants of Hangar J1. Surface areas available are between 2,000m² minimum and 21,000m² maximum, and additionally 10,000m² of dockyard adjacent to the hangar. The aim is for the activities selected (tertiary, events organisation, research, innovation, training, etc.) to make a financial contribution to the port’s development.
They will also be involved in boosting the international profile of the port and the city, in coherence with development projects in the Euroméditerranée area. Priority will be given to activities relating to the port and the sea, in particular services for yachts, and to projects which involve opening a part of the hangar to the public.
GPMM has set itself a deadline of 31 October 2013 to select candidates based on their professional, technical and financial capabilities. Only selected candidates will be able to access the specifications and submit a proposal, after that date. The objective is for successful projects for both bidding processes to be chosen during the second quarter of 2014.
