Since 1946, a French department, the island of Réunion in the Indian Ocean has claimed a special position with the same status as metro France and as the farthest-flung part of the European Union.

Now it is to become only the second place outside mainland Europe to adopt KBA's waterless newspaper printing technology.

On the final day of the DRUPA trade show in Düsseldorf, at which the German press maker reported orders totalling "far over $113 million", it also announced it would install a single-tower Cortina newspaper press, capable of printing 90,000 cph, in La Réunion. Previously, the only Cortina press - which prints coldset and heatset using the same inks - outside Europe has been at Gulf News in Dubai. It will be the twentieth Cortina sold, and will produce newspapers, magazines, supplements and other print products.

The double-width press will be equipped with a hot-air dryer for the production of high-quality newspapers and semi commercials consists of a four-high tower, an autopaster and a KF3SC jaw folder, with provision for extension at a later date.

East of Madagascar and 175 kilometres southwest of Mauritius, La Réunion has a population of about 840,000, most of whom speak the local Creole language. Already it has gained fame with pioneer of digital newspaper printing RotOcéan producing same-day editions of national newspapers such as Le Monde, Le Figaro and sports title L'Equipe along with local newspapers on a Kodak VL4200 inkjet web.

The remote island is one of five 'overseas departments' of France (the others are French Guiana in South America, Guadeloupe and Martinique in the Caribbean, and Mayotte, also in the Indian Ocean) and benefits from the same media subsidies as mainland France.