ALCATEL-LUCENT’s and LOUIS DREYFUS ARMATEURS’ cable ship chartered by BEA
ALCATEL-LUCENT (Euronext Paris and NYSE: ALU) and LOUIS DREYFUS ARMATEURS, partners in the joint-venture ALDA MARINE, announced today the signature of a contract with the Bureau Enquêtes et Analyses (BEA) for chartering their cable ship Ile de Sein. BEA will manage the mission which is part of the fifth phase of the marine operations under the ongoing investigations of flight from Rio de Janeiro to Paris, which crashed on June 1st, 2009.
The campaign’s objective is to find the flight recorders and recover some of the aircraft wreckage, identified in 3900 meters water depth. Ile de Sein will be equipped with a remotely operated vehicle (ROV) provided by PHOENIX INTERNATIONAL INC.
The Ile de Sein, which is expected to arrive in the Canary Islands this week to load equipments required for this mission, is a cable ship specialized in laying and maintaining submarine cable networks. It is ideally suited for this type of search and recovery mission thanks to its extremely powerful equipment allowing for dynamic positioning (assisted by GPS) and enabling to keep its position even in rough seas (1 meter radius up to Beaufort 7). The Ile de Sein is currently involved with her sister ship Ile de Bréhat in the deployment of the West Africa Cable System, (WACS) owned by a consortium customer of ALCATEL-LUCENT, connecting South Africa to Portugal.
"We are pleased that our submarine technologies can contribute to the search of elements helping public authorities to make things clear on this catastrophy and contributing this way to improve security. At this occasion, ALCATEL-LUCENT wishes to express their deep sympathy to the families of the victims" said Philippe Keryer, president of ALCATEL-LUCENT’s network activities.
Mr Alain Le Guillard, Chief Executive Officer of the LOUIS DREYFUS ARMATEURS Group, declared: "We are proud that the technologies developed by LDA and the experience of our crews can help find the causes of this tragedy. We express our deep regrets and sympathy to the families of the victims".
Often called upon to assist for similar operations, ALCATEL-LUCENT and the LOUIS DREYFUS ARMATEURS Group have developed a real expertise in wreck recovery. In 2004, the cable ship Ile de Batz (identical to the Ile de Sein) had recovered flight recorders and debris of the Boeing that had crashed at Sharm El Sheikh, in Egypt. In 2007, a similar operation had been conducted by the cable ship Ile de Ré when plane crashed off Moorea Island (French Polynesia).
The LOUIS DREYFUS ARMATEURS Group had already participated in the search of the wreck of the Rio-Paris flight, through its shipping subsidiary FAIRMOUNT MARINE. Two of the most powerful tugboats in the world – Fairmount Glacier and Fairmount Expedition – had been implemented to tow hydrophones belonging to the US Navy in June 2009.
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Press contact:
Antoine Person: +33 (0)1 7038 6117
antoine.person@lda.fr
Crédit photos: Louis Dreyfus Armateurs
