On my last day of internship, I had the pleasure of joining the team for an in-depth exploration of the port of Port-Vendres. Today, I'm going behind the scenes of the marina and the harbor master's office!
Before we begin, it is important to understand that Port Vendres is divided into three distinct zones: the fishing port, the marina and the commercial port.
Here we go !
We meet at the beginning of the afternoon on the quays, where we are welcomed by Younis LECONTE, deputy harbor master, wearing a radiant smile and brimming with dynamism. This young man, passionate about both his profession and the place where he works, is about to reveal to us the ins and outs of his daily life.
So, Younis, could you enlighten us?
Broadly speaking, he is responsible for managing the water area as well as the distribution of locations for permanent customers (180 contracts) and availability for passing customers (only 10 locations available). He explains to us that he must constantly juggle these different aspects in order to best meet everyone's needs.
A port open to all…
Then, we will pass through the small secure gate reserved for boaters to venture along the sunny sea walls, where a variety of boats dancing on the waves will come into view.
Younis will tell us that in 2023, the port would welcome 45 boats over 24 meters and that rates are calculated based on the length of each boat. He will also show us the different types of moorings available at the port, embellishing his explanations with anecdotes about the visit of celebrities such as Travis Scott in 2023 or even Michael Jordan in 2020.
We will conclude this enriching visit in the reception hall, where we will meet the team responsible for welcoming boaters, maintaining the boats, managing the plumbing and electricity, as well as the browser support.
We will also have the opportunity to discover an exhibition of marine objects.
Let’s continue this fascinating exploration of the port…
We will have the privilege of accessing the harbor master's office to discover the functioning of this real maritime station, dedicated to the management of entries and exits from the commercial port side. To guide us in this adventure, we will have as a lucky guide the port commander, Marc FRANÇOIS.
He will introduce us to the various port facilities, explain the rules governing this impressive traffic, the control of containers as well as the work of dockers. We will have the opportunity to access the control room where we will be able to observe the comings and goings in real time using the different cameras.
To truly understand the complexity of the maneuvers in this “small” port on a human scale, there is nothing like speaking with our professionals. Using a meticulously drawn sketch displayed on the board in the room, the commander will show us how delicate these maneuvers are and require extreme precision.
We will conclude our visit in the storage areas, commonly called “fridges”. At Port Vendres, the storage capacity reaches 10 tonnes of goods and 000 m² of refrigerated storage, before these goods are then distributed across Europe by truck.
This marks the end of this second stage of our discovery of the captaincy. A big thank you to our two exceptional speakers!
During my visit, I learned with enthusiasm that the construction of a new quay was planned as part of an overall city development project. This new dock, with an increased depth of 60 cm, will revolutionize the loading of goods.
It's incredible to think that every additional centimeter of depth will add 22 tons of cargo! It is a true testimony to the innovation and dynamism of this port.
Themes
