Editing Lorient (section)

==<FONT COLOR="#FF6600">'''HISTORY OF LORIENT'''</FONT>==

=== HISTORY OF THE PORT: THE "WEST INDIES COMPANY" ===

The City of Lorient was created in 1666 on August 30 by Colbert, Louis XIV’s chief minister. For centuries, its commercial development was linked to its international trading activity.

* '''1664 :''' creation of the West Indies by Colbert in order to supply the French market with Asian products.

* '''1666 :''' creation of the Faouëdic naval construction site. This gives birth to the City of Lorient, which becomes a hub for commercial ships coming from and going to Asia (spices, teas, porcelain, fabrics, silk...).

* '''1719 :''' creation of the 2nd Indies Company after the first one collapsed (1703). The trade monopoly with the Africa, Louisiana, the Caribbean, the Indian Ocean and the China Sea colonies insures prosperity to the city for years. The company goes bankrupt in 1769

* '''1766 :''' construction of the first commercial wharf outside the India Company’s enclosure

* '''1785 :''' creation of the 3rd Indies Company. The company’s commercial monopoly is abolished by the revolution in 1790

* '''1794 :''' The Indies Company was terminated by decree. Lorient is proclaimed a military port in 1791

=== END of 19th CENTURY: MAJOR COMMERCIAL BOOST ===

The port’s trade was only symbolic since the end of the 18th century but it became the scene of frenzied activity at the end of the 19th century. The advent of steam made Lorient Bretagne Sud a large coal importation port between 1870 and the days before the Second World War. Welsh coasters found return freight opportunities with mine timber coming from local fir plantations. The port managed other trade limited in tonnage (cereals, fish roe, wines, salt, lime, sugar) and the commercial activity was moved to the deep water basin of “Kergroise” in order to meet new freight requirements.

* '''1880 :''' global trade 45,000 tonnes

* '''1889, August 27th:''' 1st public facilities management tender won by the Lorient and Morbihan Chamber of Commerce and Industry with the running of 2 cranes on the outer harbour.

* '''1914, July 1st:''' management of all port facilities by the CCI (including fishing boat wharf)
'''
1920 :''' operational launch of the first section of Kergroise’s first deep water wharf (112.50 m)

* '''1929 :''' 438,000 tonnes, record trade since the end of the 19th century. Coal (239,000 t) represented half of the total port activity

* '''1939 :''' total trade, 293,000 tonnes, in days just before the Second World War 

'''''More informations about the History of Lorient on the [[wikipedia:Lorient]] !'''''