Le Havre, june 23rd 2006, pdf file
As SNRH is challenging the government’s current decision, which does not authorize it to begin its commercial operations in the Port of Le Havre, Les Abeilles Le Havre would like to restate the conditions for the performance of towage operations in the Port of Le Havre that form the bases for fair competition.
Les Abeilles Le Havre holds a license to conduct port towage in the Port of Le Havre. This license stipulates that the service provider is required to maintain 9 tugs equipped on a permanent basis to service and ensure the safety of all vessels stopping at Le Havre as well as the safety of the facilities and environment in the Port.
In order to guarantee the immediate availability of its resources, the company maintains onboard crews who are ready to respond, immediately and in all circumstances, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. During their mandatory daily rest periods on board, the crews are ready to set sail without prior notice for safety reasons. The crews employed reflect these requirements. In effect, it is necessary to have a staff of 16 people per tug (4 crews of 4 people) in compliance with national legislation. The company has a work force of 170 people.
This permanent availability of the crews, stipulated in the collective agreements, explains the high percentage of personnel costs in the company’s accounts (approximately 50% of revenues).
In July 2005, Le Havre Port Authority licensed the SNRH under conditions that were supposed to be as follows:
At the end of 2005, Les Abeilles initiated a proceeding to obtain the cancellation of this license, on the grounds that the obligations for the operators were not identical in terms of the number of tugs.
SNRH made a choice to limit the availability of its vessels to the periods during which its own clients needed its services, and explains in the application filed to the Department of Marine Affairs that, outside the scheduled periods of 13 hours/day during which its crews would be on board, the tugs will be unavailable.
The implementation of an exclusively commercial scheduled service for private clients allows SNRH to staff its tugs with only 2 teams (compared with 4 for Les Abeilles). This service does not in any circumstances guarantee the permanent security of the Port, but gives SNRH the possibility of making substantial gains in terms of personnel costs.
Thus, while Les Abeilles provides a continual service resulting directly from the security requirements of the Port for the protection of its facilities and vessels in port, SNRH offers only a commercial activity.
This new discrimination in terms of service obligations between the 2 companies is not acceptable.
If the Port of Le Havre decided to change the rules imposed until now to establish a non-continuous commercial service, like that offered by SNRH, Les Abeilles Le Havre would have to modify its service accordingly and would be forced to make dramatic cuts in its staff.
In addition, the overcapacity created by the arrival of 5 new tugs in the Port of Le Havre will clearly result in proportional reductions in our fleet.
The towage market in France is a "mature" market, and it is certain that an increase in the marine traffic will not generate the same level of growth in tug operations. While the tonnages transiting through the Port of Le Havre have increased by nearly 20% in 8 years, the number of towage operations provided in Le Havre has risen by only 1% over the same period.
The combination of these two factors would lead Les Abeilles Le Havre to consider the elimination of approximately 100 jobs in order to maintain its competitiveness in this new regulatory and competitive environment.
For 6 years, Les Abeilles has been calling on the Administration and the Le Havre Port Authority to stipulate clearly the rules and obligations for all operators. The rules governing safety must be followed by everyone. If they are not, the safety (pollution, fires and other problems) of the Port of Le Havre and its environment will no longer be ensured.
Les Abeilles, a BOURBON subsidiary, is one of the world’s leading operators in towage, assistance and salvage, operating in the largest ports and terminals of France, in the Indian Ocean and the African coasts. Its mission is to guarantee its clients the best marine safety conditions, assist them to fight the risks of their activity, and protect the environment. With a regularly renovated fleet of 66 tugs worldwide, the company is internationally recognized for its expertise and employs over 1100 people.