Since the departure of Locaboat, a blank season before getting the port of Agen back afloat

The lack of profitability due to a drop in attendance since the pandemic has led to the closure of the Locaboat base in Agen, which has redeployed three barges to Buzet-sur-Baïse. And this, despite a rebound effect after successive lockdowns.

Present since 1989 at the port of Agen, the Locaboat brand confirmed its withdrawal from Agen from the headquarters in Joigny in Burgundy last November. As soon as the season ended, the nautical stopover was removed from their site. The Locaboat fleet operated 12 boats on the port of the Dunkerque quay without a license, habitable barges© and for rent by 2 to 12 occupants, for a minimum of a weekend to several weeks. French customers and foreign tourists could use the canals and rivers of France and Europe. But the activity was seriously down and the economic and accounting logic was implacable. So today the port of Agen has become an empty shell with its ghost harbor master’s office, its deserted boat repair workshop and its abandoned docking pontoon. The boats have disappeared from the postcard of the Dunkirk quay, to the great displeasure of lovers of this corner of Agen and of life along the water and the locks.

Destination Agen manages services for boaters

But Nadine Labournerie puts things into perspective. President of the Destination Agen tourist office and community advisor to the Agglomeration in charge of tourist activities, she sees positive signs: “The boaters who navigate the canal on board their barges and boats continue to moor at the port. I passed there recently, I saw around ten. In any case, the Locaboat fleet was more than reduced recently. We, the Tourist Office, now manage the services offered to boaters. such as an unloading station to dispose of waste water, electric charging stations and drinking water supply points. We do not despair of finding a new boat rental company in the future.

It is true that Voies Navigables de France, the Agglomeration of Agen and the tourist office were a little taken by surprise by the sudden disaffection of Locaboat. Nadine Labournerie indicates that this season will therefore be “a year of transition, a blank year”. The research, negotiations and the desire to turn around could not be completed due to lack of time. “There will still be barges passing through this summer. And the tourists that we used to take on a boat rented from Locaboat will be offered trips along the canal, accompanied by our guide Alexia”.

Overall reflection between the Hermitage, the port, La Villette

The future of the port of Agen is also telescoped by various ongoing projects including the promotion of the banks of the canal. Indeed, the city of Agen is nurturing a project to pedestrianize and make the banks of the canal more attractive with an option of a restaurant barge. But also the heights of the Hermitage which would be concerned by a study that Clémence Robert, first deputy mayor, was already sketching out in 2021: “We can mention the plateau of the Hermitage, where we have great ambitions. The city has 8 ha there from where we overlook the canal, the canal bridge and the Garonne. The site is exceptional and not buildable. We are going to develop it in a natural area so that residents can go up and enjoy the panorama”. Finally, the future eco-district of La Villette, which extends to the universities on the Quai de Dunkerque with the nearby nautical port, also figures among the elements to be taken into consideration in a reflection which appears to be global in the evolution and enhancement of an entire district.

Several scenarios were emerging when the actual base closed last March, which the Voies Navigables de France were planning to look into: a takeover of the boat rental base, the transformation into a nautical stopover with the docking pontoon or a real boat port with a concession?

Gentle navigation on the canal, along the greenway lined with bicycles, remains a popular trend among fans of the slow life.