Delivery of the " ville de Bordeaux "
Paris, March 30, 2004 – Today, the Ro-Ro vessel 'Ville de Bordeaux' was delivered
to its owners, Louis Dreyfus Armateurs and Leif Hoegh ASA of Norway. The vessel
will transit from China to Europe in the coming days and will then sail European
waters to collect all the Airbus A380 components and ship them to Bordeaux (Pauillac).
From there, the aircraft parts will be transhipped on barges and will sail up
the river Garonne (from Pauillac to Langon) to finish their journey by trucks
(Langon to Blagnac) at the final assembly line in Toulouse.
The 'Ville de Bordeaux' will sail under the French flag and the management of
Louis Dreyfus Armateurs. Airbus has chartered the ship for 20 years plus an
additional 10 years in option and the agreement provides for an optionnal unit
that could be delivered in 2007.
This is a perfect example of Maritime Transportation servicing the development
of industrial projects while enhancing our Society progress by affording priority
to safety, reliability and environment protection considerations.
We trust that Sea Motorways will be the future illustration of this concept.
