The opportunities of the civil nuclear energy
La Seyne Sur Mer July 1st, 2010
VAR ITER ACTIONS gathers the Var Chamber of Commerce and Industry (industry department and Var Accueil Investisseurs), the Var Chamber of jobs and Crafts, Toulon Var Technologies Innovation and the Var Departmental Council. On July 1st, this network will organize in the office of CNIM (Brégaillon – La Seyne sur mer) a meeting on the following subjects: the opportunities of the civil nuclear energy, ITER and the CEA of Cadarache for the var industry. Program and registration on: http://variteractions.tvt.fr/ for further detailsEUROSATORY Exhibition
Paris 14-18 June 2010
Var Accueil Investisseurs participates to the EUROSATORY exhibition – land, Airland, Homeland Defence Week in order to promote the defense and safety sector in the Var- HALL 5 - S440. for further details
Maritime economy
The Mediterranean - a "sea in the middle of the earth"
- An enclosed area covering 2.5 million km2, with a 14-km wide opening to the Atlantic Ocean.
- A sensitive sea, buffeted by violent natural events (rain, wind, etc.), that is home to a diverse and fragile ecosystem.
- A major shipping zone:
- 20% of the world's oil tankers and 30% of its merchant vessels,
- Joint No. 1 world yacht sailing area with with Florida.
- A population of 150 million people who share many issues that could be handled by a "Mediterranean Union" under construction.
- A special feature of the Var: the proximity of deep ocean floor (abyssal plain 2500-4000 m deep) and 420 km of open coastline.
The Var - where marine skills converge
An economy spawned by naval activity, centred in the Toulon basin- The Toulon basin has been the French Navy's historical Mediterranean home port since the 16th century, and is now the most important European arsenal and the biggest Mediterranean naval defence base (some 26 000 military and civilian personnel – 6 submarines – 37 surface vessels).
- Many firms work in the areas of ship maintenance, maritime safety and security.
Discover a web of specialised companies
- BMTI - full communication systems and composite materials
- CESIGMA - measuring systems
- CHRISAR SOFTWARE TECHNOLOGIES - underwater acoustics
- CNIM - complex mechanical systems
- COMMUNICATION & SYSTEMES - critical systems
- DEGREANE HORIZON - meteorology
- ECA - underwater robots
- ECT INDUSTRIES - electronics and photonics
- EURODOC - documentation services and systems
- IRTS - control stations
- NAVFCO – military training
- OPTIS - light simulation
- OSEAN - underwater lighting and video systems
- PROLEXIA - modelling
- SEMANTIC TS - underwater acoustics
- SHERPA ENGINEERING - system engineering
- SOFRESUD - communication systems
- SONOVISION-ITEP - technical documentation
- SYSTÉMIQUE - underwater acoustics
- TERRA NOVA INGENIERIE - information systems
- THALES COMPUTER SA - information systems
- THALES SERVICES - information systems
- VIBRIA INGENIERIE – instrumentation
- WILCO INTERNATIONAL - specialist equipment
The Var - Bridgehead of the Pôle Mer PACA competitiveness cluster
- The world-class competitiveness cluster fosters the emergence of innovative joint ventures drawing on all the region's maritime resources - 60 000 direct jobs in the Provence-Alpes-Côtes d’Azur region are linked to the sea.
- It is a project enabler counting on roughly 250 stakeholders - industrialists (2/3) and research and training bodies (1/3), 40% of its members are in the Var.
- It is organised along 2 strategic lines; "maritime security" and "sustainable development", it has set it sights on becoming a major homeland security player, building an innovating products and services offer for the naval and offshore oil sector, and earning worldwide recognition as a centre of competence in marine environment knowledge, marine biology resources, environment and coastline development management.
- The Mer PACA cluster works as the counterpart to the Brittany Marine cluster, and with other competitiveness clusters in the region.
Discover the many research and experimentation centres
- IFREMER Méditerranée
- LISMMA - Laboratoire Ingénierie des Systèmes Mécaniques et MAtériaux
- LSEET - Laboratoire de Sondages Électromagnétiques de l’Environnement
- IM2NP - Institut Matériaux Microélectronique Nanosciences de Provence
- MAPIEM - Matériaux Polymères Interfaces Environnement Marin
- PROTEE PROcessus de Transferts et d’Échanges dans l’Environnement
- SNC - Systèmes Navals Complexes – Laboratoire mixte Université de Toulon – DCNS
- I3M - Information, Milieux, Médias, Médiations
- CPT - Centre de Physique Théorique
Specialisation in marine and underwater technologies
- Underwater penetration: developing automatic unmanned vessels.
- Developing information and command support systems.
Water sports - a case of total immersion in the Var
- 900 firms - generating sales of over €600M (up 6% in 1 year) - 3 800 permanent jobs (ports & firms).
- The Var has the highest mooring capacity of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur region and Corsica: 45 ports (24 000 moorings) and 9 to come (2 700 moorings).
- The activity is kept buoyant by busy tourist traffic - 68 million overnight stops in 2007, 56 yacht clubs, 23 light sailboat marinas, 4 boating centres and many boating events - "voiles et moteurs" at la Seyne-sur-Mer, les Voiles de Saint-Tropez, stage of the Tall Ships’ Races in 2007.
- France's top-ranking Blue Flag holder (quality label) in the marina category (with 11 ports).
Skills that nowadays provide outlets in many other sectors: civilian port activities, professional yachting and ship maintenance, harnessing of marine biology and energy resources, environment and coastal engineering etc.
Some of the shipyards and subcontracting firms
- 4 shipyards: IMS Couach - FOSELEV MARINE - CHANTIER NAVAL DES BAUX - MONACO MARINE. The development of major shipyards in the Toulon basin and also at la Ciotat (10 km from the Var) which has a boat lift (2 000 tonnes) and on the Saint-Mandrier-Sur-Mer PAM marine activity park – 2 yards being built: GUY COUACH and NAUTOR SWAN.
- A network of subcontractors: ACTI - chandlery, AZUR MONTAGE - scaffolding, ENTREPOSE NAVIBORD - boilermaking, electricity, machining, FAVIER CASANOVA - insurance, FIOUL 83 - petroleum, oils and lubricants, IGUACU - decks, marine joinery, OLBIA - marine upholstery, joinery, OPTIS - light simulation, POLYTECH - companion bellmaker, RUSSO YACHTING - yachts, SMATE - joinery, fitting, SONOCAR - surface treatment, TECH HELICE – propellers, VOILERIE S N S - sails.
The Sciences and Technologies of the Sea in PACA dossier in French