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www.seadiscovery.com Marine Technology Reporter 29 year alone, the company expects to receive 30 new vessels to its stable.

Les Abeilles, the towage and sal- vage division, is active in three main segments: harbor towage, terminal towage and coastal environment. In late April, the company announced plans to expand its fleet, saying that it had ordered 12 new harbor tugs, including a series of eight vessels from the Piriou Shipyard in

Concarneau, France, and four from

Damen in China.

Yves Rastoin, Chief Executive

Officer of Les Abeilles, a division of

Bourbon, said: "Under Bourbon

Horizon 2010 strategic plan, we reaffirmed our goal to expand the towage and salvage business. With these 12 vessels, Les Abeilles is meet- ing the demands of its clients and adapting to the challenge posed by larger LNG tankers and mega-con- tainer ships, as well as strengthening its position in international bid ten- ders."

Eight of the new tugs will serve the

Les Abeilles fleet in the major French ports. Measuring 98.5 x 33 ft., the more compact template for this series contributes to better maneu- verability enabling greater opera- tional efficiency. The tugs, equipped with Azimuth Stern Drive propul- sion and a new design, are designed to offer 15 percent more bollard pull capacity than earlier models, raising capacity from 57 to 65 tons. This choice is an effective response to the changes in towage operations result- ing from an increase in the size and tonnage of the vessels towed. The eight new tugs will also be equipped with fire-fighting capacity.

Deliveries are scheduled between

October 2007 and the end of 2008.

Dressed for success: Bourbon CEO Jacques de Chateauvieux has his company positioned to dominate the offshore service vessel market in the next four years, with a commitment to invest nearly $1.8 billion in new boats.

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