Bourbon, International leader in marine services for modern offshore

Container ship - Western English Channel

On January 18, 2007, during a force 10 storm in the western English Channel, between France and the United Kingdom, the hull of this 5000 TEUS container ship was significantly cracked on the starboard and port sides between the forecastle and the first hold, with water entering the engine room. With the ship crippled, a salvage master and the team was lifted by a helicopter from the French Navy. Les Abeilles worked for 3 days during the emergency phase (subcontracted by Smit) in dangerous weather conditions, with the constant threat of a break-up of the vessel. The speed of the response team allowed the Abeille Bourbon and the Abeille Liberté to tow the vessel under difficult sea conditions (5-meter swells) and to deliberately ground it in the Bay of Lyme, south of the United Kingdom, preventing the vessel from sinking. During this emergency towage, the structural conditions of the vessel deteriorated very quickly, the crack became significantly larger, and the rear of the vessel began to sink dangerously, generating fears that the hull would break in two, causing a major spill in the middle of the Channel. The deliberate grounding allowed salvage crews to pump out the holds and unload all 2500 containers, preventing any pollution. (Abeille Bourbon, Abeille Liberté)