Almost Half of French Aircraft Carrier Crew Test Positive for COVID-19
Almost half the 2,300-strong crew on France’s sole aircraft carrier, the Charles de Gaulle, have tested positive for the new coronavirus, the armed forces minister said on Friday.Florence Parly told parliament that 1,081 out of 2,010 tests carried out had shown a positive result.
Damen Signs Milestone Pontoon Order
Damen Shipyards Group has recently signed a contract for the delivery of a pontoon to France-based company, Marc SA. The contract is a significant one for Damen, being the 100th order for a pontoon since the company opened its dedicated Pontoons & Barges product department in 2010.The client, is a leading civil works company in Brittany, located in Brest, Roscoff, Cherbourg and Lorient and serves the urban, rural, road, rail, maritime, industrial and environmental sectors. Marc uses pontoons to carry out its scope of work in the maritime arena, which includes harbor and quayside projects.
DEME Wins Elbe Deepening Contract
DEME, an international group of specialized companies involved in complex marine engineering works, has won a major contract to carry out the deepening of the Elbe fairway in Germany.The Belgian dredging, environmental and marine engineering group said that its German subsidiary Nordsee Nassbagger- und Tiefbau GmbH, based in Bremen, has acquired the maintenance dredging contract on the River Elbe in Germany.The contract has been awarded to a joint venture, including DEME’s German subsidiary, for a period of two years. DEME will maintain the whole 116 km long fairway of the Elbe between the North Sea and Hamburg.The TSHD ‘Marieke’ will…
Pumping of Remaining Erika Fuel Set To Begin
The first of five pollution-fighting vessels was to arrive in the French port of Brest on Monday to prepare to pump out tons of viscous fuel oil still lying in the hold of the sunken tanker Erika. TotalFinaElf is bringing in the vessels as part of a massive clean-up program after the Erika, the Maltese-registered tanker it contracted to transport 25,000 tons of thick fuel oil, broke up and sank last December. As part of a clean-up operation costing the company about $70 million, TotalFinaElf is now starting work on removing the oil still lying in the hull of the sunken tanker.
French Carrier De Gaulle Docks At Port Of Toulon
France's nuclear-powered aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle docked for the first time at its permanent base, the Mediterranean port of Toulon, on Wednesday. Three navy frigates and hundreds of yachts escorted the 42,000-ton vessel into port as it joined the rest of the French fleet. The Charles de Gaulle, which has 200 women among its 2,000 crew, is to leave in three weeks on its first long cruise. Carrying up to 40 planes, it replaces France's last surviving aircraft carrier, the 41-year-old Foch, which has been sold to Brazil. The Charles de Gaulle had left this past Saturday the port of Brest - where it was built over 13 years. France is expected to decide before the end of the year whether to build a sister ship to the Charles de Gaulle.
Experts Mull Risks Of Mid-Sea Gasoline Transfer
Salvage workers and shipping experts were studying a possible mid-sea transfer of nearly 30,000 tons of gasoline from a damaged tanker at risk of exploding, the ship's operators said. Spanish authorities insisted the tanker would not be allowed back into the country's waters to carry out the potentially risky operation. A tugboat carrying equipment and specialists for the operation had joined the Greek-owned tanker Castor, around 56 km (35 miles) off the Spanish port of Cartagena in the Mediterranean Sea, the ship's operator Athenian Sea Carriers said in a statement. The 1977-built Castor sought refuge in ports in Morocco, Gibraltar and Spain last week after developing a large crack in its main deck but was refused entry amid fears sparks could set off an explosion.
