Saved from destruction in 1989 but abandoned for more than 30 years, the laborious was refurbished by volunteers in La Seyne-sur-Mer. A work rewarded by a label.
After more than three decades of forced retirement, the laborious benefit from a second youth. The ex-Navire of the shipyards of La Seyne-sur-Mer was rehabilitated by volunteers, around thirty years after the end of his activities.
Built after the Second World War, it became the iconic boat of Seynois shipyards, before its closure in 1989. And here it is, in 2025, awarded a “Boat of heritage interest”.
This decoration rewards the 12,000 hours of work carried out by the 15 volunteers of the association “Les Amis du Laborieux”, who embarked on a titanic site in 2021.
25,000 euros needed for renovation of the interior
“He is unique. He worked for many years at the Seyne shipyard. He worked a lot with the town hall on weekends and in summer,” explains Marc Lefèbvre, president of the association, at the microphone of BFM Toulon Var.
The laborious “took artists, in this case Johnny Hallyday,” he said.
The work of volunteers focused on the outside of the ship. The renovations cost nearly 65,000 euros. 25,000 additional will be necessary to start refurbishment from the interior of the boat which has crisscrossed the harbor for almost 40 years.
The association launched an online kitty to obtain donations in order to launch this second phase of renovation and “return to the laborious its brightness of yesteryear”.
Florent Pauquet with Mathias Fleury
