Cereals and fertilisers

Of the twenty two commercial harbours listed in Brittany, only four now have a traffic superior to 500 000 tonnes per year. Lorient, Brest, Saint-Malo and Roscoff have perpetuated a commercial tradition through the centuries, even if the cereals, fertilisers and hydrocarbons in holds and supertankers, have replaced the cargos of spices and silks of the 17th century.

Now a land of importation, Brittany, only exports a minute quantity of agricultural foodstuffs to Europe and the Middle East. During the 80s, after having fallen behind from the infrastructural point of view, the commercial harbours invested with the aim of increasing their capacities of reception. Competing with Nantes in the South and Le Havre in the North, Lorient and Brest argue the supply of Brittany in fertilisers and foodstuff for livstock, while Saint-Malo and Roscoff distinguish themselves by their passenger traffic to the British Isles, via Brittany Ferries.

To this day, the "Merchant Navy" in Brittany counts 6 000 sailors registered for commerce, half of them still sailing the Oceans.