# Chantiers de l'Atlantique

Chantiers de l'Atlantique is a shipyard in Saint-Nazaire, France. It is one of the world's largest shipyards, constructing a wide range of commercial, naval, and passenger ships. It is located near Nantes, at the mouth of the Loire river and the deep waters of the Atlantic, which make the sailing of large ships in and out of the shipyards easy.
The shipyard was owned by Alstom from 1976 onwards, became Alstom-Atlantique, and was later part of Aker Yards when Aker Group acquired the Alstom Marine business in 2006. In 2008, the South Korean company STX Corporation acquired Aker Yards, and the shipyard became part of STX Europe (formed by the renaming of Aker Yards).
After the bankruptcy of STX Corporation, the shipyard was acquired by the French government and reverted to its original name of Chantiers de l'Atlantique.

## History

The current Chantiers de l'Atlantique yard evolved from the Ateliers et Chantiers de Saint-Nazaire Penhoët, Saint-Nazaire, France, famous for building the transatlantic liners: France, Île de France, and Normandie.
It was renamed to its current name in 1955 by the merger of Ateliers et Chantiers de la Loire and Ateliers et Chantiers de Penhoët. In 1961, it built the transatlantic ocean liner France, the world's longest passenger vessel only overall, but not at the waterline. After the construction of the last Compagnie Générale Transatlantique liner and the closure of the Suez Canal, the yard began building large tankers, including Batillus, Bellamya, Pierre Guillaumat and Prairial. A new dry dock was built for this purpose and allowed the construction of tankers exceeding one million tonnes, but it remained mainly unused except for the construction in 1975–1976 of the sister ships Gastor and Nestor and then again idle until construction of Cunard's liner Queen Mary 2.
Between 1985 and 1998, the shipyard built several cruise ships for Royal Caribbean Cruise Line (RCCL). In 1987 the first of these ships, Sovereign of the Seas, was delivered, and was the first mega cruise ship in the world. Subsequent deliveries to RCCL included Monarch of the Seas, Majesty of the Seas, Nordic Empress, Legend of the Seas, Splendour of the Seas, Rhapsody of the Seas, and Vision of the Seas. In 2003, the shipyard also delivered Crystal Serenity to Crystal Cruises and Queen Mary 2 to Cunard. During the construction of RMS Queen Mary 2, a gangway to the dry-docked ship collapsed, killing sixteen people.
On 4 January 2006 Aker Yards purchased the Marine Division of Alstom, which included the Chantiers de l'Atlantique shipyard. In March 2007 Aker ASA divested its interest in Aker Yards, with South Korean STX Corporation acquiring a 39.2% stake in Aker Yards in October. By 3 November 2008 STX Corporation had acquired a controlling stake in the company, renaming it to STX Europe. The same year, the French government purchased a 33.34% stake in the shipyard.
After the bankruptcy of STX Corporation in 2016, STX France was put up for sale, and the Italian state-owned shipyard Fincantieri showed interest in acquiring STX France.
In September 2017, after difficult negotiations and a brief nationalization of the shipyard by the French government, the involved parties reached an agreement, with Fincantieri acquiring a 50% stake in STX France, and the remainder being held by the French Naval Group and the French government. A month later, it was announced that the Saint-Nazaire shipyard would regain its original name, Chantiers de l'Atlantique.
In 2022, a new crane entered service during the construction of Celebrity Ascent, replacing the older crane from 1967.

## Ships

Notable passenger liners built by at the Chantiers de l'Atlantique yard (former Ateliers et Chantiers de Saint-Nazaire Penhoët) include:
Passenger ships :
| | Ship name (as built) | Year delivered | Built for | Current status | Notes |
| 1910s ||||||
| | SS France | 1912 | Compagnie Générale Transatlantique | Scrapped 1936 | |
| 1920s ||||||
| | SS Paris | 1921 | Compagnie Générale Transatlantique | Burned and Capsized at Dock 1939, Scrapped 1947 | |
| | SS Ile de France | 1927 | Compagnie Générale Transatlantique | Scrapped 1959 | Was used as a "movie prop" in the film The Last Voyage, prior to scrapping. |
| 1930s ||||||
| | MS Lafayette | 1930 | Compagnie Générale Transatlantique | Burned, scrapped | |
| | SS L'Atlantique | 1931 | Compagnie de Navigation Sud Atlantique | Burned, and scrapped | |
| | SS Champlain | 1932 | Compagnie Générale Transatlantique | Sunk WWII | |
| | SS Normandie | 1935 | Compagnie Générale Transatlantique | Burned and Capsized at Dock 1942, Scrapped 1948 | It was the world's largest ship until Cunard's Queen Elizabeth, held Blue Riband. Capsized in New York Harbor, 1942. Scrapped in NJ, 1946. |
| | SS Pasteur | 1939 | Compagnie de Navigation Sud-Atlantique | Sank 1980 on way to scrap yard | |
| 1950s ||||||
| | SS Bretagne | 1952 | Société Générale de Transport Maritimes | Scrapped 1963 | |
| | MS General Mangin | 1953 | Cie de Nav Fraissinet et Cyprien Fabre | Scrapped 1986 | |
| | MV Jean Mermoz | 1957 | Cie de Nav Fraissinet et Cyprien Fabre | Scrapped 2008 | |
| 1960s ||||||
| | SS France | 1962 | Compagnie Générale Transatlantique | Scrapped 2008 | Launched in 1961, the world's longest passenger ship from 1961 to 2004, became the SS Norway. |
| | MS Ancerville | 1962 | Compagnie de Navigation Paquet | Hotel Ship | A former passenger ship built in 1962, integrated as part of Sea World, a multi-purpose complex in Shenzhen, China since 1983. |
| | SS Shalom | 1964 | Zim Israel Navigation Company | Sank on way to Scrap Yard 2001 | Israel flagship (1964). |
| | MS Renaissance | 1966 | Compagnie Francaise de Navigation | Scrapped 2010 | A French cruise liner that entered service in 1966 for service on the Marseilles-Haifa route. |
| | MV Yaohua | 1967 | China Ocean Shipping Company | Possibly Hotel Ship | Last ship to be launched from slipway at St. Nazaire |
| 1980s ||||||
| | MS Nieuw Amsterdam | 1983 | Holland America Line | Scrapped 2018 | |
| | MS Noordam | 1984 | Holland America Line | Scrapped 2022 | |
| | MS Sovereign of the Seas | 1987 | Royal Caribbean Cruise Line | Scrapped 2020 | Was the largest cruise ship in the world from 1988 to 1990, and its sister ships, MS Monarch of the Seas and MS Majesty of the Seas. |
| | Danielle Casanova | 1989 | SNCM | In service | Sailing nowadays for Corsica Linea as the Mediterranee. |
| | MS Star Princess | 1989 | Sitmar Cruises/Princess Cruises | Scrapped 2021 | Ordered for Sitmar Cruises as the Fair Majesty |
| | Bretagne | 1989 | Brittany Ferries | In Service | Car ferry launched in 1989. Sails on the Portsmouth to Saint-Malo route. Brittany Ferries Ex-Flagship. |
| 1990s ||||||
| | Nordic Empress | 1990 | Admiral Cruises/Royal Caribbean Cruise Line | In Service | Ordered as Future Seas for Admiral Cruises. |
| | Monarch of the Seas | 1992 | Royal Caribbean Cruise Line | Scrapped 2021 | |
| | Majesty of the Seas | 1992 | Royal Caribbean Cruise Line | Laid up | |
| | Dreamward | 1992 | Norwegian Cruise Line | Scrapped 2022 | |
| | Windward | 1993 | Norwegian Cruise Line | Scrapped 2022 | |
| | Legend of the Seas | 1995 | Royal Caribbean Cruise Line | In Service | |
| | Splendor of the Seas | 1996 | Royal Caribbean Cruise Line | In Service | |
| | Napoleon Bonaparte | 1996 | SNCM | In Service | Sailing nowadays for Grandi Navi Veloci as the Rhapsody. |
| | Rhapsody of the Seas | 1997 | Royal Caribbean Cruise Line | In Service | |
| | Paul Gauguin | 1997 | Services Et Transports / Radisson Seven Seas Cruises | In Service | |
| | Vision of the Seas | 1998 | Royal Caribbean Cruise Line | In Service | |
| | R One | 1998 | Renaissance Cruises | In Service | 8 sister ships |
| | R Two | 1998 | Renaissance Cruises | In Service | 8 sister ships |
| | R Three | 1999 | Renaissance Cruises | In Service | 8 sister ships |
| | R Four | 1999 | Renaissance Cruises | In Service | 8 sister ships |
| | Mistral | 1999 | Festival Cruises | In Service | |
| 2000s ||||||
| | R Five | 2000 | Renaissance Cruises | In Service | 8 sister ships |
| | R Six | 2000 | Renaissance Cruises | In Service | 8 sister ships |
| | Millennium | 2000 | Celebrity Cruises | In Service | |
| | R Seven | 2000 | Renaissance Cruises | In Service | 8 sister ships |
| | R Eight | 2000 | Renaissance Cruises | In Service | 8 sister ships |
| | Infinity | 2001 | Celebrity Cruises | In Service | |
| | Summit | 2001 | Celebrity Cruises | In Service | |
| | Seven Seas Mariner | 2001 | Radisson Seven Seas Cruises | In Service | This is the world's first all balcony luxury cruise ship. |
| | European Vision | 2001 | Festival Cruises | In Service | |
| | European Stars | 2002 | Festival Cruises | In Service | |
| | Constellation | 2002 | Celebrity Cruises | In Service | |
| | Coral Princess | 2003 | Princess Cruises | In Service | |
| | MSC Lirica | 2003 | MSC Cruises | In Service | |
| | Island Princess | 2003 | Princess Cruises | In Service | |
| | Crystal Serenity | 2003 | Crystal Cruises | Laid up | |
| | Queen Mary 2 | 2004 | Cunard Line | In Service | Floated in 2003, is the longest, tallest, widest, and the largest ocean liner, and at the time of her construction, the largest passenger ship, and is currently the only ship to undergo regularly scheduled transatlantic crossings. |
| | MSC Opera | 2004 | MSC Cruises | In Service | |
| | MSC Musica | 2006 | MSC Cruises | In Service | |
| | MSC Orchestra | 2007 | MSC Cruises | In Service | |
| | MSC Poesia | 2008 | MSC Cruises | In Service | |
| | MSC Fantasia | 2008 | MSC Cruises | In Service | |
| | MSC Splendida | 2009 | MSC Cruises | In Service | |
| 2010s ||||||
| | Norwegian Epic | 2010 | Norwegian Cruise Line | In Service | |
| | MSC Magnifica | 2010 | MSC Cruises | In Service | |
| | MSC Divina | 2012 | MSC Cruises | In Service | |
| | MSC Preziosa | 2013 | MSC Cruises | In Service | |
| | Europa 2 | 2013 | Hapag & Lloyd | In Service | |
| | Harmony of the Seas | 2016 | Royal Caribbean Cruise Line | In Service | |
| | MSC Meraviglia | 2017 | MSC Cruises | In Service | |
| | Symphony of the Seas | 2018 | Royal Caribbean Cruise Line | In Service | |
| | Celebrity Edge | 2018 | Celebrity Cruises | In Service | |
| | MSC Bellissima | 2019 | MSC Cruises | In Service | |
| | MSC Grandiosa | 2019 | MSC Cruises | In Service | |
| 2020s ||||||
| | Celebrity Apex | 2020 | Celebrity Cruises | In Service | |
| | MSC Virtuosa | 2021 | MSC Cruises | In Service | |
| | Wonder of the Seas | 2021 | Royal Caribbean International | In service | World's third largest cruise ship as of 2024 (236,857 GT) |
| | Celebrity Beyond | 2022 | Celebrity Cruises | In service | |
| | MSC World Europa | 2022 | MSC Cruises | In Service | First in new class of MSC vessels |
| | MSC Euribia | 2023 | MSC Cruises | In Service | |
| | Celebrity Ascent | 2023 | Celebrity Cruises | In service | |
| | Utopia of the Seas | 2024 | Royal Caribbean International | In Service | First LNG powered ship of the class |
| | Ilma | 2024 | Ritz Carlton Yacht Collection | Delivered | |

### Other ships built at the yard

* Sans Souci class - Four sloops, designed as seaplane tenders, but built as convoy escorts. all launched in 1940.
* Belle Abeto - Built in 1952 as LAENNEC 66 BELLE ABETO passenger/cargo ship.
* Batillus-class supertankers - Four ships launched (1976–1979)
* MV Gastor and MV Nestor - Two LNG carriers built in 1975–1977 for the Dutch NSU (later Nedlloyd) and Ocean Group (later owned by Bonny Gas Transport). The large drydock, which was later used for the Queen Mary 2, was specially built for the building of supertankers in the 1970s, among which were these two ships. The drydock was never used again until the Queen Mary 2 was being built.
* MS Baltic Princess - A part of it was launched in 2008.
* Russian amphibious assault ship Vladivostok - Later purchased by Egypt.
* Russian amphibious assault ship Sevastopol - Later purchased by Egypt.

### Future ships on order

Ships on order :
| Ship name (as built) | Delivery date | Built for | Tonnage | Current status |
| MSC World America | 2025 | MSC Cruises | 205,700 | Ordered |
| Celebrity Xcel | 2025 | Celebrity Cruises | 140,600 | Ordered |
| Luminara | 2025 | Ritz Carlton Yacht Collection | 37,000 | Ordered |
| MSC World Asia | 2026 | MSC Cruises | 205,700 | Ordered |
| Corinthian | 2026 | Orient Express | 30,000 | Ordered |
| (Unnamed) | 2027 | Orient Express | 30,000 | Ordered |
| (Unnamed World Class) | 2027 | MSC Cruises | 205,700 | Ordered |
| (Unnamed Oasis Class) | 2028 | Royal Caribbean International | 231,000 | Ordered |