A New Chair at the Helm of UMNP

The annual general meeting of Nantes Ports Maritime Union (UMNP) was held on 5th June and was attended by some one hundred stakeholders from the Port Community. On this occasion, maritime pilot Ludovic Madec was elected Chair by the members of the Board of Directors of the Organization.

A Loire pilot for nearly twenty years and after spending four years at the head of the Loire Pilots Association, Ludovic Madec succeeds Pascal Vialard, who served as Chair of the UMNP for nine years, marking his three terms with numerous initiatives in support of the Port Community.

The new Chairman states that the primary mission of the UMNP is to bring together local stakeholders, in order to help to find solutions for regional, national and international customers who wish to bring their vessels to the Port with a view to developing their activities, and to pursue the port promotion dynamic instituted with the OPortUnity collective initiative.

An Ongoing Dynamic

At the meeting, Jean-Rémy Villageois, Chair of the Management Board of Nantes ‒ Saint Nazaire Port, spoke about the many transformations facing the port sector. Indeed, the Port of Nantes ‒ Saint Nazaire is at a turning point, a change of system wherein fossil fuels can no longer be the foundation of its model.

Industrial sovereignty, energy sovereignty, decarbonization... a phase of profound transformation is underway in response to sustainability challenges. There are many examples of this societal commitment, examples that are already a reality and can be seen on the Loire Estuary (electricity storage, innovative data centers, wind-powered ships…), but also in anticipation of future industrial developments (the Éole, TakeKair and Green Coast projects…).

Contact at UMNP – Frédérique Lamy