Yachting Art Magazine

The Neel Trimarans shipyard, based in La Rochelle and specialising in the construction of cruising trimarans, is expected to learn tomorrow the outcome of the administration proceedings initiated several months ago. The Commercial Court of La Rochelle is due to rule on the takeover of the company and choose between the bids submitted as part of a sale plan.

Placed in administration at the end of 2025, the La Rochelle-based company, founded in 2010, found itself facing financial difficulties against the backdrop of a slowdown in the boating market and following the default of a major export client. The aim of the proceedings was to enable the business to continue operating whilst seeking a buyer capable of ensuring the shipyard’s long-term viability.

According to information disclosed during the proceedings, two takeover bids were examined by the insolvency administrator. One came from a Paris-based investment fund, the other from a project led by local business figures from the La Rochelle yachting sector. Both proposals envisage the continuation of industrial operations at the La Rochelle site, with varying levels of employment retained depending on the project.

The Neel Trimarans shipyard has made a name for itself on the international market thanks to a range of cruising multihulls designed for offshore sailing. The shipyard is the very first in the world to have fitted a nacelle onto the three hulls of a trimaran, making it habitable, much like a pleasure catamaran.

Its models, produced at the La Rochelle site, are mainly intended for export. The company is part of a particularly dense nautical ecosystem in Charente-Maritime, where several major players in the pleasure boat building sector are based.

The court’s expected decision will need to take several criteria into account, including the financial soundness of the bidders, the continuity of industrial activity and the guarantees provided regarding employment. The shipyard’s employees, like the entire local nautical sector, are awaiting this decision, which will determine the company’s future.

The judgement is expected to be handed down tomorrow.