Chantiers de l’Atlantique in Saint-Nazaire

Chantiers de l’Atlantique is located in Saint-Nazaire on the French Atlantic coast. The site is associated with passenger ships from several eras: from the Impératrice Eugénie in the 19th century, through the Normandie and the France, to the Queen Mary 2. Its history also shows how shipyard names and construction contracts changed over time.

From the shipyard’s beginnings to Chantiers de l’Atlantique

Engineer John Scott was commissioned to establish the shipyard in Saint-Nazaire and train its workforce. According to the shipyard’s chronology, the Impératrice Eugénie was delivered in 1864.

Chantiers de l’Atlantique was formed in 1955 through the merger of Chantiers de la Loire and Chantiers de Penhoët. The name changed during subsequent phases of the company’s history: Aker Yards was used in 2006, followed by STX France in 2008. In 2018, the shipyard returned to the name Chantiers de l’Atlantique. These names therefore mark distinct periods in the company’s history.

Launches, contracts and deliveries

The Normandie was launched in 1932. The shipyard’s chronology records the launch of the France in 1960. A launch marks the ship’s entry into the water; it is a distinct construction milestone and is not the same as its later delivery.

Contracts should also be distinguished from these construction milestones. In 1980, Holland America Line ordered the ships Noordam and Nieuw Amsterdam from the shipyard; the contract for the Sovereign of the Seas followed in 1985.

The Queen Mary 2 is an example of modern passenger-ship construction: Cunard ordered her on 6 November 2000, and Chantiers de l’Atlantique delivered the ship in Saint-Nazaire in December 2003.

Saint-Nazaire and cruise-ship construction

These examples bring to life the evolution of passenger-ship construction at the site: historic ocean liners, contracts for passenger ships and the delivery of a modern ocean liner are all part of the same long shipyard history, yet they represent different ship types and phases of construction. Especially when it comes to older vessels, distinguishing between passenger ships and cruise ships helps avoid applying historical terms interchangeably in retrospect.

For more on the technical process of shipyard construction, see Ship sections, shipyard construction and undocking. The guide Cruise ship, ocean liner and passenger ship explains the differences between these terms. For an overview of other locations, see Shipyards in cruise-ship construction.