A new case is causing a stir in the port of Saint-Laurent-du-Var: the contract for awarding the shipyard is being challenged in the Nice administrative court.

A real storm is shaking the port of Saint-Laurent-du-Var. After the disputed award of the port concession to the Chamber of Commerce and Industry , it is the shipyard that is this time at the heart of the storm.

On July 14, 2025, the Metropolis issued a notice of award for the development and operation of the shipyard at Monaco Marine (1) for a period of 20 years starting January 1, 2026.

Except that its competitor YDGS Company, in a consortium with Ippolito, has just filed, this Tuesday, September 9, 2025, an appeal for annulment before the administrative court of Nice against the award to Monaco Marine, already the operator.

"This contract is irregular following an irregular procedure"

The shipyard was awarded through a temporary occupation authorization agreement for public property. But, according to Pierre Karbowiak, a lawyer associated with Isabelle Willm: "Contrary to what the Metropolis decided, I consider this to be a public procurement contract. Because the developments that will be made at the shipyard will be used for the operation of the port. And that changes everything. Indeed, the procedure they used is streamlined with far fewer constraints. It does not guarantee sufficient transparency. This contract is irregular following an irregular procedure."

It must be said that the market is colossal: around 100 million euros in turnover for the company that will operate and develop the shipyard. And an investment of nearly 5 million euros for its refurbishment and the purchase of equipment.

"We are very surprised not to have been received by the Metropolis' advisory committee to defend our case. We did not have a negotiation phase," proclaims Yann Gaucher, president of YDGS Company. The application that the entrepreneur submitted with the Ippolito group was rejected on July 8, 2025.

"Another notable fact: Monaco Marine was chosen, even though everyone knew that the company was in the process of being bought out by an American group (2) which has no activity in Europe," says Pierre Karbowiak. "How was this new situation assessed in the handling of the file?" asks Yann Gaucher.

"The Metropolitan Council has not deliberated"

"The Metropolitan Council did not deliberate on the award to Monaco Marine, even though it should have done so," insists Pierre Karbowiak. When contacted, the Metropolis did not respond to our requests.

The Alpes-Maritimes prefecture, for its part, "sent a letter to the Métropole on August 5, 2025, requesting disclosure of the documents relating to the Saint-Laurent-du-Var shipyard. To date, we have not received a response." It notes that "these land permits are subject to a competitive bidding requirement."

According to various online publications, the day before the deadline for submitting applications, Monaco Marine inaugurated its new premises in Beaulieu-sur-Mer with great fanfare on February 27, 2025, in the presence of Christian Estrosi, President of the Metropolis.

Two other cases are currently pending. They both concern the award by the Metropolis of the concession for the port of Saint-Laurent-du-Var to the Chamber of Commerce and Industry .

1. Monaco Marine is a company created by Michel Ducros in 1995. It owns nine shipyards in the Paca region.

2. Safe Harbor Marinas owns and manages 139 marinas and boatyards in the United States and the Caribbean. The two companies, Safe Harbor Marinas and Monaco Marine, entered into exclusive negotiations as early as June 2025. Safe Harbor Marinas announced the acquisition of Monaco Marine in August 2025.