The Grand Maritime Port of Reunion Island reached a decisive milestone in mid-February with the first operational dewatering on the Titan dock., carried out with the fishing vessel Albius, belonging to the SAPMER shipping company.
The commissioning of the floating dock is scheduled for the month of April.
To carry out this highly precise maneuver, all GPMDLR teams dedicated to naval repair – divers and dockmaster – as well as sailors, i.e. 15 agents in total, were mobilized. After preparing the “attinage” (ship support elements on the dock), l'immersion du dock, then the entry of the ship under the supervision of the pilotage with the support of Boluda towing means, the GPMDLR teams centered the ship and secured it before returning to the dock. The Albius has been positioned, secure and completely dry in just four hours, marking a first full-scale use of the floating dock. Getting back into the water, carried out Wednesday morning, also took place successfully.
The challenge of inspecting ship hulls
Conducted in real conditions, this operation allowed the GPMDLR teams to take full control of the Titan dock before its move to platform 9 scheduled for next March, once the pile anchoring work is completed. On his side, the SAPMER shipping company was thus able to carry out a complete visual inspection of the hull of its ship. The commissioning of the floating dock is scheduled for April 2026, with a first commercial operation, marking a new stage in the development of the ship repair sector in Reunion Island.
