sommaire · 5 sections
Before the SNCF railways, before the energy utilities, before even the Revolution: the seafarers’ pension scheme already existed. It is the doyen of the French system — and, in more ways than one, its most singular case. It wasn’t closed like the SNCF or the RATP; it’s more than 80% funded by the State; and it rests on a mechanism found nowhere else: you don’t contribute on your wage, but on a flat-rate scale.
5th episode. The overall architecture (episode 1) sets out the vocabulary; the SNCF , IEG and RATP factsheets serve as points of comparison.
1673: the very first pension scheme in France
It all began under Colbert, Louis XIV’s Navy minister. The Edict of Nancy of 23 September 1673 created a fund for naval invalids, financed by deductions from sailors’ pay — tied to the “classes” system that organised their recruitment for the Royal Navy1. It is, historically, the first French pension scheme, nearly three centuries before social security was generalised.
Its modern form, the ENIM (national establishment for naval invalids), dates from 1930. Today it is a public body managing the seafarers’ special pension scheme — pensions, health, disability — for around 130,000 members: merchant marine, fishing, professional leisure boating, and their dependents1.
The quirk: contributing on a scale, not on your wage
Here’s what makes the ENIM unique. In the general scheme, you contribute on your actual pay. For seafarers, both contributions and pension are computed on a flat-rate wage: a scale of categories (around twenty), assigned by role on board, and revalued each 1 April by order. The wage actually earned plays no part in the calculation2.
The rest of the mechanism:
- Higher pension contribution: 10.85% on the seafarer’s side, versus 6.75% in the general scheme2.
- Pension calculation: each year of service is worth 2% of the average flat-rate wage of the last three years. That’s 37.5 years of service for a full pension (75%) — a duration kept at 37.5 years, while the private sector drifts toward 432.
- Ages: departure possible from 50 (seniority pension, with 25 years of service) or 55 (proportional pension), raised progressively by the 2023 reform (toward ~57 by 2027)3.
The most subsidised scheme in the series
If the SNCF (~0.6 contributor per retiree) and the RATP (~0.8) looked unbalanced, the ENIM is in a class of its own: ~29,000 contributors for ~108,000 pensioners, a ratio of roughly 0.274. The seafaring trade has thinned out; the pensioners remain many.
The logical consequence: contributions fund only a fraction of pensions. In 2023, the State balancing subsidy and compensation transfers make up about 83% of the scheme’s resources; its own contributions cover only around ten percent of old-age benefits4. In proportion, it is the scheme most dependent on national solidarity in the whole series — not out of any special generosity, but out of pure demographics.
A trade scheme, therefore still open
One last difference, and a big one: unlike the SNCF, RATP or IEG, the ENIM has not been closed. The reason is structural — it’s a trade scheme, not a company one. You don’t stop “recruiting seafarers” the way recruitment under the SNCF statute was stopped: as long as there are seafarers, the scheme takes new members. The 2023 reform raised its ages and aligned some parameters, but did not put it into run-off.
Key takeaways
- The ENIM runs the oldest scheme in France (1673, Colbert); ~130,000 members (merchant marine, fishing, professional boating).
- Unique quirk: you contribute and draw a pension on a flat-rate wage by category, not on actual pay. Contribution 10.85%, pension of 2%/year (37.5 years = 75%).
- The most subsidised: ratio ~0.27 contributor/retiree → ~83% of resources come from the State and compensation.
- Still open: a trade scheme, not closed — unlike SNCF, RATP and IEG.
Next episode: the small schemes — Paris Opera, Comédie-Française, Banque de France, notaries’ clerks — a gallery of curiosities that completes the “42” picture.
This article is general information and does not constitute advice. The rules and figures cited are those known in mid-2026 and change with each reform.
The Edict of Nancy of 23 September 1673, under Colbert, set up a fund for naval invalids financed by deductions from pay; it is regarded as the starting point of the first French pension scheme. The ENIM, in its current form, dates from 1930; it covers around 130,000 members (merchant marine, fishing, professional leisure boating). ENIM — our history ; COR — Enim factsheet . ↩︎ ↩︎
Contributions and pensions based on flat-rate wages, set by category (according to the role on board) and revalued each 1 April by interministerial order; seafarer old-age contribution rate of 10.85% (versus 6.75% at CNAV); pension accrued at 2% per year of service of the average flat-rate wage of the last three years (37.5 years for the full 75% rate). La retraite en clair — seafarers ; ENIM — calculation method . ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎
Departure possible from 50 (seniority pension, subject to 25 years of service) or 55 (proportional pension); ages raised progressively by the 2023 reform. La retraite en clair — seafarers . ↩︎
Scheme in severe demographic imbalance — around 29,000 active contributors for ~108,000 pensioners. In 2023, the State balancing subsidy and compensation transfers make up about 83% of the scheme’s resources, its own contributions covering only about 10% of old-age benefits. Cour des comptes — RALFSS 2023, ch. X “The seafarers’ social-security scheme” ; COR — Enim factsheet . ↩︎ ↩︎