 |
|
 |
HISTORY OF THE PORT :
THE “WEST INDIES COMPANY”
The City of Lorient was created in 1666 on August 30 by Colbert, Louis XIV’s chief minister. For centuries, its commercial development was linked to its international trading activity.
1664 : creation of the West Indies by Colbert in order to supply the French market with Asian products.
1666 : creation of the Faouëdic naval construction site. This gives birth to the City of Lorient, which becomes a hub for commercial ships coming from and going to Asia (spices, teas, porcelain, fabrics, silk...).
1719 : creation of the 2nd Indies Company after the first one collapsed (1703). The trade monopoly with the Africa, Louisiana, the Caribbean, the Indian Ocean and the China Sea colonies insures prosperity to the city for years. The company goes bankrupt in 1769
1766 : construction of the first commercial wharf outside the India Company’s enclosure
1785 : creation of the 3rd Indies Company. The company’s commercial monopoly is abolished by the revolution in 1790
1794 : The Indies Company was terminated by decree. Lorient is proclaimed a military port in 1791
END of 19th CENTURY :
MAJOR COMMERCIAL BOOST
The port’s trade was only symbolic since the end of the 18th century but it became the scene of frenzied activity at the end of the 19th century. The advent of steam made Lorient Bretagne Sud a large coal
importation port between 1870 and the days before the Second World War. Welsh coasters
found return freight opportunities with mine timber coming from local fir plantations.
The port managed other trade limited in tonnage (cereals, fish roe, wines, salt, lime, sugar)
and the commercial activity
was moved to the deep water basin of “Kergroise” in order to meet new
freight requirements.
1880 : global trade 45,000 tonnes
1889, August 27th: 1st public facilities management
tender won by the Lorient and Morbihan Chamber of Commerce and Industry
with the running of 2 cranes on the outer harbour.
1914, July 1st: management of all port
facilities by the CCI
(including fishing boat wharf)
1920 : operational launch of the first section of Kergroise’s first deep water wharf (112.50 m)
1929 : 438,000 tonnes, record trade since
the end of the 19th century. Coal (239,000 t) represented half of the total port activity
1939 : total trade, 293,000 tonnes, in
days just before the Second World War
1960 – 2004 : NEW GOODS AND NEW INVESTMENTS
A deep transformation of the national and regional economy modified the nature of trade at
the end of the Second World War. Kergroise was slowly equipped to competitively
handle such trade and Lorient became the number one commercial port in Brittany.
1960 : sand and gravel trade 70,000 t
1961 : construction of the petroleum products wharf
1963 : consolidation of animal food raw material trade (30,000 t)
1970 : extension of main wharf up to 568 m in length
(agri-bulk products and general cargo)
1975 : end of coal and mine timber traffic
1980 : construction of the silo and rail / road transit station (STRR)
1987 : construction of the 150 m wharf (general cargo)
1991 : end of wine traffic
1992 : acquisition of the “kangaroo” multi-purpose crane (agri-bulk products and general cargo handling)
1999 : construction of the quayside cold-storage plant
2003 : ISO 9001 : 2000 quality certification
2004 : acquisition of a multi-purpose crane for containers and heavy lift cargoes
Trade since
1880
|
|
|
 |
| |
CCIM
3, boulevard de la Rade
56100 LORIENT - FRANCE |
|
Tel : 02 97 87 76 00
Fax : 02 97 37 22 19
E-mail : lorient.port.commerce@morbihan.cci.fr |
|
|
 |
|
|
http://www.lorient.port.fr - The Port - History