We will be offering you a series of reports to better understand life on the port of Saint-Florent.
2nd series: the cleaning station agents
- Nathalie Santucci and
- Eric Ventre
Could you explain your role within the maintenance area, also known as the docking area?
We are responsible for organising boat launches, landings and trailer departures, based on a schedule between private individuals and professionals.
We also manage the mini waste disposal centre, which is used to collect various types of waste, such as used oils or fuels, as well as distress flares.
We manage the equipment for the maintenance of port facilities (quays, pontoons, electrical bollards, etc.). During the winter period, we also carry out the maintenance of premises and equipment (crane and chocking).
The port has anti-pollution equipment: absorbent booms and containment booms, and we ensure they are kept in good condition and ready for rapid deployment if needed, as was the case recently when a boat caught fire in the port.
2 – If I understand correctly, the environmental aspect is at the heart of your concerns?
Indeed, environmental protection is an important issue that concerns all of our daily activities. We ensure that the products used by users on the cleaning area are biodegradable.
We collect grey and black water by pumping. There is an underground run-off water treatment unit for the careenage area, where all products from boat maintenance are collected. These flows are collected in a 30m³ tank.3 via a filtration system.
By practising all these actions, we have obtained the Blue Flag label and more recently the Clean Port certification.
3 – What are the different difficulties you are facing?
The hardest part is balancing the organisation with user expectations, as soon as the warmer weather arrives everyone rushes to get their boat in the water.
Manoeuvring the gantry also requires a lot of concentration because the activity is intense; there are movements in the refuelling area due to pedestrian and vehicle traffic.
4 – What are the highlights of your activity?
Our peak business period begins in March and reaches its highest levels in May, June, and July.
Boaters all want to get their boats back in the water quickly after their antifouling, at the same time in early spring.
The area has between 15 and 20 spaces depending on the size of the boats, and we perform over 800 crane lifts per year.
What do you do during winter?
We provide crane maintenance (oil changes, greasing, hydraulic circuit checks, etc.).
The infrastructure is maintained by us (painting, repairs, fitting out of the premises and the refitting area) with the aim of improving the operation of our lifting work and preparing in advance for the rapidly approaching season.
