The maritime world has just lost one of its staunchest defenders!
Founding Chairman of the Maritime Cluster, and as such member of Grand Port Maritime De La Réunion’s Development Council, Maurice Cerisola maintained his commitment to develop Reunion’s blue economy right to the very end. We are grateful to him for this, and will continue to carry out the projects that were dear to his heart.
On my own behalf and that of everyone at Port Reunion, we would like to extend our sincere condolences to Maurice Cerisola’s family and loved ones.
Maurice Cerisola, fellow member of the Development Council, was not just the tireless individual that we all knew, but someone who, for each of us, will remain a man who listened and united, a man we can cite as an example when it comes to defending and developing the fundamental interests of Reunion Island, not only in economic matters but also for social integration.
He had long ago understood that companies needed to introduce a societal dimension to their work and to assume collective responsibility for our island. He proved that – often discreetly – in all the actions he himself undertook.
During the most recent visit of his friend Denis Robin, the Secretary General of the Sea, we were once again able to admire his strength of conviction and commitment to our port. He was always striving to encourage us to pursue common projects, be they vocational training, the future of youth, new technology, or the blue economy: always action, action, action.
His final project, Jouer Collectifs (“team playing”), must strike a chord in each of us as a touchstone that we could apply to our port operations. It was a subject I often spoke to him about, both of us being convinced that only joint action can produce meaningful results.
Let us be proud to have rubbed shoulders this simple but great man who could be ferocious but focused, knowledgeable but open to contradiction.
Maurice Cerisola deserves to be honoured by our Council and his name should remain linked to the reputation of our port.