Brest (France)

Brest is a port city in Brittany (northwestern France), with a total area of 50 km2 (19 ml2) and population around 145,000 (metro over 300,000). The harbour is in a sheltered position not far from Breton peninsula's western tip. Brest's harbor is ranked France's 2nd largst military port (after Toulon).

It is located on continental Europe's western edge. the Brest metro area is ranked Brittany's 3rd largest - following Nantes and Rennes.

During the Middle Ages, town's history was based on its castle. Richelieu made it a military port and the town grew around its arsenal. Heavily damaged by bombing raids during WW2 (1939-1945), the city centre was rebuilt after the war. At the end of 20th century and the beginning of 21st century, the deindustrialization of Brest was followed by the growth of the service sector.

Today, Brest is a major university town with over 23,000 students. Besides the Western Brittany University, the city and its surrounding area has elite schools, including Ecole Navale (French Naval Academy), Telecom Bretagne and Superior National School of Advanced Techniques of Brittany. The city is an important research centre (sea-focused), housing the French Polar Institute (Paul-Emile Victor), the French Research Institute for Exploitation of the Sea (IFREMER) and Le Cedre (Centre of Documentation, Research and Experimentation on Accidental Water Pollution). The French Naval Academy (Academie de Marine) was established in 1752. The aircraft carrier Charles-de-Gaulle was built here. Every 4 years, Brest hosts the "international festival of the sea, boats and sailors" (Les Tonnerres de Brest).

Damen Shiprepair Brest

Damen Shiprepair Brest is a shipyard owned by Damen Group - Dutch shipbuilding, and engineering company based in Gorinchem (Holland).

Damen's Brest yard specializes in ship repairs and vessel conversion projects, also in offshore vessels, refits, maritime maintenance works, vessel decommissioning. Its portfolio also includes large oil tankers and LNG carriers.

• Drydock 3 can accommodate ships with LOA length up to 420 m (1378 ft), which makes the facility also suitable for cruise ship refurbishments. The shipyard has 2 more (smaller) docks - 1 wetdock and 1 drydock (length 338 m / 1109 ft). Among the largest passenger liners refurbished in Brest are Norwegian Epic (NCL) and Ventura (P&O UK).
• Brest Shipyard also offers black and grey water disposal, new water supply system, ample storage space, large laydown areas and temporary workshops (available for subcontractors). Adjacent to the shipyard is a small containership terminal.
• In recent years, Damen Group installed here a modern plasma cutting machine. For larger projects there are dedicated facilities (serving around 200 subcontractors) and a separate office (for specialists and engineers).

In 2018, the cruise port handled “This year we expect 17 calls and 22,270 guests in Brest,” said Marine Lucas, cruise manager.14 ship calls and 16,170 tourists/passengers and crew. In 2019, the numbers grew to 17 ship calls and 22,270 tourists. The port is perfect for visiting on repositioning cruises (RepositionCruises.com) between Northern Europe and the Mediterranean.

Brest cruise terminal