When the skies turn to the Sea
AIRBUS entrusts LOUIS DREYFUS ARMATEURS and its
associate LEIF HÖEGH with the maritime transportation of
its new A380 main components
Louis Dreyfus Armateurs, jointly with Leif Höegh of Norway, have signed a contract with Airbus for the transportation throughout Europe of the new A380 aircraft main components.
Louis Dreyfus Armateurs (through its subsidiary FRET SA) and Leif Höegh (through their subsidiary CETAM) have just secured the contract for the maritime transportation to Toulouse of the new A380 main components from the various manufacturing Airbus plants in Europe.
This 20 year contract necessitates the building, for delivery in 2004, of a specially designed vessel dedicated to the transportation of the A380 wide-dimensions main components. The agreement provides for an optional unit with delivery in 2007 and extensions of the contract for a total of 10 another years.
A new challenge for Louis Dreyfus Armateurs.
Actively involved in all segments of the shipping industry for over a century, Louis Dreyfus Armateurs ranks high among the leading dry bulk specialists, whilst at the same time diversifying towards more Industrial-linked activities.
From the drawing board to the commercial management of vessels, Louis
Dreyfus Armateurs goal has always been to optimise the organisation of maritime
skills to better serve the needs of its many Industrial partners, thus becoming
the catalyst of their shipping-linked projects. This expertise is now recognised
Worldwide and allows the French flag to fly high on the seven seas. It has led
to Louis Dreyfus Armateurs being engaged in partnerships with GDF for LNG
transportation, with CGG for seismic research, with ALCATEL for cable laying and
maintenance and now with AIRBUS for the transportation of A380 main
components.
Short sea transportation: a reliable and competitive
choice by AIRBUS.
Designed and manufactured at various plants spread
all over Europe, the A380 components, whose sizes and value make them unique,
will be transported "by sea" in the most economic and reliable of
conditions.
For the first time, through this contract, AIRBUS integrates
Maritime Transportation into its components transportation logistics chain. It
also represents a new challenge to LOUIS DREYFUS ARMATEURS and LEIF HÖEGH who
have ordered a totally dedicated RORO vessel at Jinling shipyard in
China.
The vessel's crew will consist of 16 seamen, resulting in 32 new
jobs. As from 2004, the vessel will sail European waters to collect all the
AIRBUS A380 components (the fore and aft sections of the fuselage from
Hamburg/Finkenwerder, wings from Broughton, Wales, the tail section from Puerto
Real and the cockpit and central fuselage from Saint Nazaire) and bring them all
to Bordeaux. From there, the components will be on-carried by barges along the
river Garonne then by road, for final assembly at Toulouse.
This is a
perfect example of Maritime Transportation servicing the development of
Industrial projects and more particularly enhancing the development of our
Society by affording priority to considerations of safety, reliability and the
protection of the environment.
The French companies engaged in
maritime activities, all belonging to the professional organisation ARMATEURS de
FRANCE, have for a long time encouraged the greater use of short-sea
transportation, providing an immediate answer to the problems of increasing road
congestion. Short-sea transportation associated with modern port infrastructure
is the solution to saturated road networks, providing an alternative transport
mode to customers and end-users. It is also cost-effective, efficient and
operates seven days a week !
The wide-bodied A380 is the most modern,
spacious effective passenger aircraft ever conceived. Officially launched on the
19th December 2000, the A380 will enter service beginning 2006 and introduces
totally new standards in terms civil air transportation.
The base model
of this new aircraft will be able to transport 555 passengers in its 3 class
version over 14.800 km/8.000 nm. The cargo version, the A380-800F, will be able
to carry a load of 150 tons (330.000lbs) over 10.400km/5.600nm.
Nine
companies have already placed orders for a total of 97 A380 aircrafts including
17 cargo A380-800F's.
Philippe Louis-Dreyfus, President of Louis Dreyfus
Armateurs and of the French organisation ARMATEURS de FRANCE, is thrilled at
this co-operation with AIRBUS. Hopefully a sign of the times which will
establish Maritime Transportation in general and short-sea transportation within
Europe in particular, as an appropriate solution to the growing problems of
safety and pollution in overland transportation.
