The Ganter branch in Saint Nazaire

In the west of France, where the Loire River flows into the Atlantic Ocean, lies the port town of Saint Nazaire. One of the largest local companies is the STX shipyard. With a view to directly and efficiently serving this shipbuilding giant as a client, Ganter has opened a branch in its direct vicinity. At first there were only three, today we have eleven employees who manage projects in the millions for the STX shipyard and its customer, the cruise company MSC. With an initial Major order, in the past year Ganter was able to establish itself in this new market: We received the contract for the construction of the so-called “Kid’s Avenue” and the 450 m² “Solarium Bistro” on the “Harmony of the Seas”, which at the time was the largest cruise ship in the world. For the “Kid’s Avenue”, we developed an area of 1,200 m² on Deck 14, whereby we realised nine different rooms as well as a theatre, a “Science Lab”, an artist’s studio and a workshop, all designed and suitable for children aged from a few months up to twelve years of age. The STX shipyard and the customer, MSC, were pleased with the result and showed continued trust in our expertise, meaning that we succeeded in winning a spectacular follow-up order for various areas on another ship, the “MSC Meraviglia”. It involved the construction of a promenade and of a Cocktail bar, a chocolate bar, a karaoke bar and finally an English pub. As a general contractor ,we required to implement an area of 1,600 m², whereby the design of the Promenade is of such great value because it is the first area the guests get to see when they board the cruise ship. While the one group was still dealing with the “MSC Meraviglia”, the other was already engaged with taking on another ship: the “Symphony of the Seas”, for which we have again been commissioned and which will replace the “Harmony of the Seas” as the largest cruise ship in the world. The order volume which we took on as general contractor this time was also accordingly significantly greater. Now that our order books are full in Saint Nazaire, we are looking into the future with confidence. We will also be involved in the development of “Meraviglia” sister ships; STX in France plans to deliver three more cruise ships by the autumn of 2019 alone. And we will also be co-designing the “Celebrity Edge” series, that is to say four more ships by the year 2022. We look forward to reporting again soon on our work on the ships; here in Saint Nazaire, where we can hear, smell and taste the Atlantic Ocean.