Created ten years ago, the Reunion Island underwater works company has changed dimension since it became involved in surface maritime works with the support of the French construction group ETPO, its parent company. Between work on and under water, the company now oversees eight entities. Structuring this development, OCETRA Indian Ocean will become a group by the end of the year.
“We are proudly celebrating our 10th anniversary. This is a very beautiful human adventure marked by mutual aid., but also and above all by the rigor and collective efficiency in the work. » With these words, Axel Fernandez, founder of the company, launched the festivities for the tenth anniversary of OCETRA Indian Ocean on September 19 on the quay of the West port occupied by the company. Rarely has the term “adventure” been so well suited to describe the history of a company. External inspection of boat hulls, inspection of submerged parts of port quays, laying pipes at sea, implementation of FADs for coastal fishing, etc. : there is not a second of banality in the missions carried out by OCETRA Indian Ocean divers, who require maximum concentration. Mentioning some of the company’s latest interventions makes it even better understood. Underwater : in the north of Mozambique, she refloated an 80 m long boat, victim of a terrorist attack linked to Total’s gas exploitation project. On the water : le jack-up, which can be seen from the coastal road, used to survey the seabed of the final road construction site, testifies to its development in maritime works. On and under water : it was a team from OCETRA Indian Ocean which cleaned up the wreck of the Tresta Star washed up on the coast of Sainte-Rose.
A turnover multiplied by almost three
In two years, the company has experienced spectacular development. Particularly since its partnership with the Mauritian group Taylor Smith, major player in port construction in the Indian Ocean. OCETRA Indian Ocean intervenes in the ports of Reunion, Maurice, Madagascar and Comoros. In Mayotte, it is participating in the Longoni port expansion project. On the other hand, the acquisition of ETPO by Spie Batignolles at the start of 2024 strengthened its investment capacity in heavy construction equipment (jack-up, cranes, driving machine for driving piles, etc.). “Our turnover has increased almost threefold”, observe Axel Fernandez. Under the banner of OCETRA Indian Ocean, eight entities now sail : OCETRA Meeting, the original core, leader in underwater work in the waters of the Indian Ocean ; the Samotra Studies Office ; OCETRA Mayotte with base located in Petite-Terre OCETRA Ltd, established in Mauritius and booming in Madagascar, Seychelles and Comoros ; OCETRA Mozambique, based in Maputo ; Ocean Service, specialized in offshore drilling work and rental of jack-up barges, type jack-up ; Marine Green, supplier of ecological and depolluting solutions ; finally, TSMOI, specialized in supporting scientists and protecting the marine environment.
OCETRA Indian Ocean and the marine environment
Maritime works branch, environmental protection has become a specialty of OCETRA Indian Ocean, which has depollution equipment as well as a floating anti-pollution boom. In his practices, the company applies an environmental charter. “Every time OCETRA intervenes on a site, the teams undertake to return it in equal condition, or even better, than before our intervention. This includes in particular the cleaning of sites polluted by plastic waste., And this, even when they are not directly linked to the construction site. » Next goal : the ISO 14001 (environmental management) in 2025.
