Groupe Bourbon strengthens its potential in deepwater offshore through business cooperation with Rigdon Marine (USA)Groupe Bourbon and Rigdon Marine LLC (USA) have concluded a cooperation agreement in which Groupe Bourbon will finance an order placed by Rigdon Marine for 10 deepwater offshore vessels. Rigdon Marine is a U.S. corporation, created in 2002 by its owner Larry Rigdon. Rigdon, 54 years old, brings to this venture 28 years of experience in the offshore petroleum supply vessel industry, most recently as executive of a leading corporation active in this sector. The agreement provides for the operation and employment of the vessels in the U.S. market by Rigdon Marine. The offshore division of Groupe Bourbon will assist Rigdon Marine with the marketing of the vessels internationally. The vessel, a platform support vessel (PSV) adapted for the deep-water offshore market according to a design by a Groupe Bourbon technical team working with Guido Perla & Associates of Seattle, Washington, will be built in an initial series of 10 units at Bender Shipbuilding and Repair Co, inc. — Mobile, Alabama for a total value of 125 million dollars. Deliveries are scheduled to begin in the first quarter of 2004, continuing until the third quarter of 2005. These vessels were designed to satisfy the needs of the growing worldwide deepwater offshore markets, with current focus on West Africa, Brazil and the Gulf of Mexico. They will also serve to rejuvenate the Gulf of Mexico classical service/supply vessel fleet, much of which exceeds 20 years in age. This development will provide a major step forward for Groupe Bourbon’s strategic growth in the deepwater offshore marine service sector. Paris, November 28th, 2002 Contact
Presse - Caroline Simon — 01 53 70 74 81 — csimon@image7.fr |