Founded in 1965 by the Piriou brothers, the Concarneau shipyard soon established a solid reputation in the construction and repair of fishing boats. In the early 1990s, the company expanded its activities to include vessels for the offshore oil and gas industry and also turned its attention to towing and dredging. Piriou then expanded into pollution response and freight and passenger transport, simultaneously expanding its operations into Vietnam, Algeria and Morocco. The company has also set up bases in Senegal, The Ivory Coast, Réunion Island and the Seychelles.

Piriou is also, and above all, a family venture. Founded in 1965, the company was run by several generations before being sold in 2020 to Vincent Faujour, who had been the company’s Managing Director since 2015.

The shipyard, which now employs 1,400 people worldwide, has achieved record sales of 350 million euros, and the group is now keen to invest more in carbon-free shipping.

The CDK Technologies shipyard is renowned as the leading specialist in racing boats. The story of CDK Technologies began in 1984 when three men – Jean Le Cam, Hubert Desjoyeaux and Gaëtan Gouerou – combined their skills to create an innovative company: CDK Composite. All equally passionate about ocean racing, in 1986 they took part in the construction of the boat ‘Poulain’ for yachtsman Olivier de Kersauson. That same year, Jean Le Cam won the Formula 40 World Championship at the helm of a multihull built in the Port-la-Forêt workshops. In 1993, the arrival of new shareholders gave the company new impetus and a new name: CDK Composite became CDK Technologies.

Since then, this Finistère-based company has established itself as a European leader in constructing and assembling racing boats. CDK Technologies has made innovation its spearhead, using cutting-edge materials such as carbon to combine lightness and strength.

For over 30 years, the Chantier du Guip shipyard has been based on the legendary Quai du Commandant Malbert in Brest. In 1991, the shipyard won the tender to build the city of Brest’s ambassador ship, the schooner La Recouvrance. After this, the company decided to set up its workshops in the commercial port. The ambassador ship was launched the following year during the first boat festival, and these international Fêtes Maritimes are now held every four years to celebrate sailing and welcome the world’s most iconic boats. The company went on to specialise in the construction and restoration of fishing boats, then extended its activities to the restoration of heritage boats, working boats and luxury yachts.

The Chantier du Guip is one of the largest shipyards in Europe, a symbol of excellence that sets the standard in marine construction; it has also held the label of Entreprise du Patrimoine vivant (Living Heritage Company) since 2008. Some of the greatest names in shipbuilding are still engraved in the history of the Chantier du Guip, including the Hermione, the Belle Angèle, Notre Dame de Rumengol and the Scottish cutter Seagull, all of which have passed through the hands of the carpenters and cabinet-makers at Le Guip.

JFA Yachts has been building and maintaining top-of-the-range sailing and motor yachts for 30 years. Its founder, Frédéric Jaouen, was born in the walled town just opposite the JFA Yachts premises, so he says that when he and partner Frédéric Breuilly set up their shipyard in 1993, it was only natural that they should turn to the harbour where he grew up.

Working in aluminium, wood and composite, the shipyard has carved out a niche for itself making bespoke projects for the high-end market.
In 2017, JFA Yachts was awarded the label of ‘Living Heritage Company’, a distinction granted by the Institut Supérieur des Métiers, to recognise French companies who have nurtured excellent craft and industrial skills. It helps to preserve certain exceptional economic and cultural talents, which are all too often under threat. The Concarneau shipyard has also won an award in the United States for one of the five most beautiful motor yachts between 32 and 43 metres.

Based in Saint-Pol-de-Léon since 1999, Atelier Composite de la Baie was one of the first to build Miniji boats in France, delivering an average of ten Miniji boats every year.
This type of boat cannot be capsized or sunk. The helmsman sits inside in a bucket seat, and from here all the fittings and adjustments are within easy reach. The simplicity of its operation – a halyard, a sheet to manoeuvre the sails and a steering wheel – makes it accessible to disabled sailors, as only one hand is needed to manoeuvre the boat. The Miniji is the official vessel chosen by the French Disabled Sports Federation for the French Sailing Championship.
This particular shipyard also specialises in building and repairing the light sailing ships known as caravels.

Tucked away in Quimper’s Corniguel harbour, Ufast is a shipyard that has specialised in building military vessels since 2008. The shipyard designs and builds fast boats from 5 metres to 33 metres, vessels that are either highly technical for combat (interception) or for government administrative action at sea (coastal fisheries surveillance).
Ufast’s responsiveness, dynamism and constant innovation are major assets, enabling the company to continually develop custom-built, highly reliable vessels. They are built from innovative, reinforced composite materials that are particularly robust, able to carry out missions in even the most difficult conditions at sea.
The Quimper-based shipyard also exports globally, notably to a number of countries in sub-Saharan Africa.

MerConcept is an ocean-racing stable originally set up by François Gabart in 2006 in Port-La-Forêt and now based in Concarneau. Since it was founded, the skipper’s company has broadened its scope to include construction and low-carbon maritime mobility. It works hand-in-hand with skippers from the design and manufacture of their boats to the overall management of their sporting projects.

Since 2018, MerConcept has been working as a designer and technical partner on various innovative maritime projects, collaborating with several shipyards. In particular, the company was involved in the design of the new Imoca VandB Monbana Mayenne. Launched in June 2022, this Imoca was designed for circumnavigation, combining reliability, innovation and performance. MerConcept also contributed to the design of the Imoca MACIF Santé Prévoyance, built by the CDK shipyard and launched in June 2023. It was thanks to this boat that Charlie Dalin won the 2024/2025 edition of the round-the-world Vendée Globe race, confirming the success of this collaboration.