BOURBON has announced the signing of a five-year marine charter agreement with CGGVeritas for six new seismic support and assistance vessels that will be delivered at the end of 2012. Following a tender procedure, BOURBON has decided to build these vessels at Grandweld Shipyards in Dubai. These vessels will be used to support the fleet of CGGVeritas seismic survey vessels operating all over the world, providing them with the requisite ancillary services including crew change, fuel delivery, storage, assistance and support during in-sea maintenance operations.
These 53-meter-long vessels will have hybrid propulsion consisting of two classic diesel engines to move at speed for transit work and two electric engines that are very precise and economical in terms of energy, for escort and support work for the seismic survey vessels. BOURBON has already set up a department dedicated to the efficient management of these contracts and vessels, supervised by one of its Shipmanagement subsidiaries.
With this new segment of Support Vessels, BOURBON is continuing to implement the investments announced for its BOURBON 2015 Leadership Strategy plan and extends the range of services offered by its fleet.