Since 2011, the mission of the Cluster Maritime de La Réunion* has been to bring together all players in the maritime ecosystem, from industry to maritime services and activities of all kinds, in order to bring their voice to the attention of institutional partners and develop the blue economy in the territory.
Le Journal des Archipels met with its leaders to find out more.
From left to right: Sébastien Camus, Emmanuelle Horeau and Loïc Le Foulgoc, respectively Chairman, Treasurer and Secretary General of Cluster Maritime.
One of the Cluster’s instigators, the late Maurice Cérisola, had a motto: “play in groups”, an old recipe from his rugby playing days. “It’s an adage that must be reflected in the actions of the Cluster Maritime de La Réunion, because it’s the only method that enables us to move forward with structuring projects on our island territories”, explains Sébastien Camus, its president since 2020.
So how can we “play as a group” in a (maritime) world undergoing radical change, not to say revolution?
To do so, we need to master the data related to the sector, and it is with this in mind that the Cluster has carried out a study on the shipbuilding / repair / maintenance / dismantling sector in 2021, as well as a study in 2022 on the pool of ships to be dismantled.
Winner of the Fonds d’intervention Maritime (FIM) 2022, the Cluster is planning two studies for the 2023-2024 period: a barometer of the blue economy and a study of decarbonized coastal vessels.
According to Sébastien Camus, “the barometer will be a living tool, with figures updated every year; a dynamic study in real time that will enable us to measure and, above all, communicate on the dynamism of the Cluster’s companies”.
The Cluster will thus be able to define the frameworks that will enable the integration or otherwise of companies defined as “blue”, but above all it will be able to offer a decision-making tool that will enable it to interact more effectively with institutions and “not allow excessive regulations to be imposed”, according to Sébastien Camus.
How can we respond to new decarbonization policies when new fuels are not available locally?
Read more in our edition of the magazine currently distributed in Mauritius – La Réunion – Madagascar – Mayotte.
