Euromaritime consolidates Marseille’s standing as a home port for the world’s blue economy

The international maritime trade show is expected to attract more than 4000 visitors

The Euromaritime exhibition will take place from January 30 to February 1, 2024 at the Parc Chanot in Marseille. This year’s edition will be a fully international affair as it marks the launch of the first EurAfrican Maritime Forum (FoMEA). As France’s leading port and the country’s second most important diplomatic hub after Paris, Marseille has the wind at its back when it comes to the international maritime economy thanks to its strong connections to the African continent and its bold blue economy ambitions. Among the major structural projects underway in Marseille’s port zone are ones linked to the decarbonization of industry, the energy transition, and training and education programs for the jobs of the future. Thanks to its vast pool of existing talent and expertise related to the maritime sector, Marseille-Fos offers even further advantages to investors, and Provence Promotion is ready to help support any maritime investment project and help ensure it is a success.

Marseille will be the port of call for the maritime industry from January 30 to February 1. Euromaritime, which is a major trade show for the blue economy and maritime development, was founded in Paris. However, in 2020, it cast off its moorings and anchored in France’s leading port city. It has been held in Marseille ever since.

“We wanted to get closer to the sea, to distinguish ourselves from the maritime trade shows in Northern Europe, and to open up to the countries of Southern Europe, the Mediterranean, Africa, and the Middle East. Marseille proved to be the best place to achieve these objectives. Added to this, of course, is the rich maritime ecosystem in Marseille and the South of France with the Port of Marseille Fos, CMA CGM, the Pôle Mer Méditerranée maritime hub, the Riviera Yachting Network, and the La Ciotat Shipyards,” says Hugues du Plessis d’Argentré, the managing director of Sogena, which organizes Euromaritime. A subsidiary of GICAN, the industry association representing 260 manufacturers and organizations in the French maritime sector, Sogena also organizes the Euronaval trade show.

More than 4000 visitors from 52 countries and 300 exhibitors are expected to attend the Euromaritime trade show at the Parc Chanot in Marseille. With so many international stakeholders in the maritime economy attending the trade fair, Provence Promotion will once again play an active role in the event. The economic development agency will maintain a presence at the Aix-Marseille-Provence Metropolis and Port of Marseille Fos stands in order to meet potential investors.

The Euromaritime program will include business meetings and conferences on the key challenges facing the maritime industry, foremost of which is the issue of the decarbonization of ships as shipowners need to accelerate their technological advances in collaboration with shipyards.

Euromaritime expands its international dimension with a focus on Africa

This edition of Euromaritime will be marked by a significant opening up of the trade show to the international arena with the creation of the first EurAfrican Maritime Forum (FoMEA). “We’ve invited stakeholders from the maritime economy in Africa to come and present their projects, to benefit from Euromaritime to exchange ideas with European maritime stakeholders, and to discover the innovations and services of our exhibitors. This forum could be the first step in a more ambitious project to create an annual EurAfrican maritime forum that would be held alternately in Africa and France,” says Hugues du Plessis d’Argentré.

As a leading Euro-African hub, Marseille is a natural location for this international expansion. In recent years, the ties between Marseille and Africa have been strengthened thanks to initiatives by the Chamber of Commerce and Industry Aix-Marseille-Provence and the Aix-Marseille-Provence Metropolis, the creation of the Africalink business network, the opening of the Provence Africa Connect program, and the rise of the annual Emerging Valley technology show that focuses on start-ups and innovation in Africa.

Innovation, decarbonization, and training: Marseille-Fos is shaping the future

The Port of Marseille-Fos is undergoing a historic and euphoric period of energy, industrial, and digital transition. Over the next ten years, €11 billion worth of investment projects are planned for the Marseille Fos port zone. Among these projects, €500 million will be invested over the next four years for the construction of new port infrastructure for the production and logistics of offshore wind power as pilot projects move to an industrial scale. A number of major industries will set up in the area, including H2V, which plans to build a facility for the production of green hydrogen and methanol in Fos, and Carbon, a solar panel gigafactory that is expected to generate 3000 new jobs.

In total, there are already 42 600 full-time jobs and 1570 companies directly or indirectly linked to the activities of the Port of Marseille-Fos, representing 7.9% of all salaried jobs in the Bouches-du-Rhône department. These findings were part of a study presented by the French statistics agency Insee in May 2023.

In addition, major training and education projects are set to come to fruition. In June 2023, French President Emmanuel Macron announced that a training center for maritime professions would be built in the Aix-Marseille metro area, and the Tangram training center built by CMA CGM on the grounds of the renowned École Nationale Supérieure Maritime academy is already scheduled to open in 2024.