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The Abeille Bourbon to reinforce the maritime safety plan instituted by the French government As of March 2005, the Abeille Bourbon will take charge of maritime safety off the headland of Brittany The tugboat Abeille Bourbon will arrive in Brest harbour in March 2005, ready to take over from her celebrated sister-tug, the Abeille Flandre, which will in turn head south to reinforce the Mediterranean watch out of Toulon. The Abeille Bourbon is scheduled to be christened in Brest on April 13th by Madame Bernadette Chirac, wife of the French president. Co-presiding over the ceremony will be vice-admiral of the fleet Laurent Mérer, maritime prefect for the Atlantic, and Mr Jacques de Châteauvieux, chairman of Groupe Bourbon. A fast, powerful tugboat, with excellent tractive capacity This new, state-of-the-art tug was designed in the light of some 25 years of experience accumulated by Les Abeilles International. " With this tug, we set a challenge for the naval architect and for the shipyard by insisting that the Abeille Bourbon combined the technical characteristics of a sturdy, high-performance workship — speed, power and manoeuvrability — with a level of finish, design and lines worthy of a passenger vessel. The result is truly remarkable." notes Christian Munier, general manager of Groupe Bourbon's marine branch. With reaction time a major consideration for her success, the Abeille Bourbon has been designed and built to reach a maximum speed of 19.5 knots and to maintain high speeds even in bad weather conditions. With twin independent winches, offering 200 tonnes of pull, and two 1600-metre towlines, the Abeille Bourbon is equipped to assist and if necessary take in tow any type of vessel in difficulty — and notably the largest tankers, dangerous goods carriers and the most recent containerships — so as to prevent the dangers of a shipwreck or an ecological disaster. In terms of safety, the tug's new-generation equipment will allow her to handle operations efficiently even in extreme weather conditions. With an overall engine power of 21700 hp, the Abeille Bourbon is equipped with variable-pitch ducted screws, a real bulb-keel, two front and two rear side thrusters, a streamlined stern and a high freeboard for optimal crew protection in heavy weather. A state contract for salvage and assistance services awarded to Groupe Bourbon Under this contract, the company's ships are at the disposal of the maritime prefects for the Atlantic, for the Channel/North Sea and for the Mediterranean around the clock, seven days a week. They participate in salvage and assistance missions, supplying towage power and contributing their fire-fighting and pollution control capacities. " Over the past 25 years, the Abeille Flandre has been called in to assist in more than 800 operations, which have helped to forestall 16 disasters comparable to the Amoco Cadiz, to save 214 ships, to rescue 7200 seamen and to save another 150 others from mortal danger... The Abeille Flandre, which remains a top-flight tugboat, will continue her work in Toulon, for the protection of the Mediterranean shoreline. The Abeille Bourbon will no doubt prove a worthy replacement, taking over the task with flying colours, and will certainly win the same place in the hearts of the Bretons as had her illustrious predecessor." explains Christian Quillivic, general manager of Les Abeilles International. On November 23rd 2003, Groupe Bourbon announced that it had been awarded the contract for two specialist vessels to ensure maritime safety in the Channel and the Atlantic. Following a call for tenders with European limitations put out by the French navy, the group's project was selected on the basis of quality and price requirements according to three criteria : simplicity, reliability and fall-back safety systems. When the Abeille Bourbon takes up her duties in the West Brittany zone in March, she will be the first of these two assistance tugs to come into service. Jacques de Châteauvieux, chairman of Groupe Bourbon, adds : " By choosing to associate its name directly with this new specialist tugboat for salvage and assistance missions, Groupe Bourbon is proud to underline its longstanding involvement — for over a quarter of a century — in the preservation of the ecological balances of the French shoreline." Currently under construction, the Abeille Bourbon's sistership, the Abeille Liberté, will arrive in Cherbourg in the course of the summer this year to take over from the Abeille Languedoc, scheduled for future service in the Atlantic. Thus by the coming summer, Les Abeilles International will have renewed and repositioned its fleet of 5 vessels under contract with the state : the Abeille Bourbon in Brest, the Abeille Liberté in Cherbourg, the Abeille Flandre and the Carangue in Toulon, and the Abeille Languedoc along the Atlantic seaboard. Paris, February 28th 2005 About Les Abeilles : Les Abeilles SAS, which controls Les Abeilles and Les Abeilles International, is the Groupe Bourbon subsidiary which handles towage, assistance and salvage work. One of the world's foremost towage corporations, Les Abeilles owns a fleet of some 60 tugboats, including 22 recently-built additions. With a staff of some 1000 employees, the company has earned itself international recognition for its professional skills and operates in some twenty major French ports, in the Indian Ocean and in Africa. Under contract with the French Navy for the protection of the French shoreline and a member of the International Salvage Union, Les Abeilles International is responsible for salvage missions in the Atlantic, the Channel and the Mediterranean. With two new tugs scheduled for delivery by the summer, the company fleet will comprise 5 vessels, including the very famous Abeille Flandre and the Abeille Languedoc. Drawing on the know-how and experience of its staff-members (90 at present and some 115 by July), Les Abeilles International keeps this permanent watch with ships ready to move into action within 40 minutes, around the clock, seven days a week. Press contacts Publicis
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