http://www.meretmarine.com/article.cfm?id=109002
An English version seems a good idea – machine translation.
“Finally a good news for the marine and the building sites of Saint-Nazaire. Within the framework of the revival program of the economy launched by the president of the Republic, the ministry for Defense will have a budgetary extension. Herve Morin indicated that this envelope could allow the anticipated ordering of the third building of projection and command (BPC) of the type Mistral (cost estimated at approximately 300 million euros).
The first two units, the Mistrals and Thunder, were coréalisés by DCNS and the Building sites of the Atlantic. Delivered in 2006 and 2007, these ships were produced in two parts. The front halves, carried out in Saint-Nazaire in 2003 and 2004, had been towed in Brest where they had been welded with the back parts, assembled by DCNS starting from blocks produced in Poland. For the third BPC, such an assembly should not reproduce, the building sites resident of Saint-Nazaire (today STX France) undoubtedly ensuring the totality of construction. This order would make it possible to fill the hole of load specified starting from the end 2009. If nothing is yet act, a notification is hoped for the next year for a realization in the tread. “We started to work with DCNS to start this project and to present an offer”, explains Jacques Hardelay, managing director of STX France, whose State recently took 33% of the capital.
In crisis period, where the orders of steamers (principal activity of Saint-Nazaire) are in sleep, the public authorities should thus give a blow of growth to the industrialist, who hopes in parallel to see quickly starting again the project of second aircraft carrier. Nicolas Sarkozy had indicated in June that the decision to build, or not, this ship was deferred to 2011 or 2012. However, if the situation in Saint-Nazaire became critical, it is hard to imagine how the Head of the State would not authorize this salutary order (several assured years of load). The trade unions, like the town councilors, anxious of the future of the building sites, invited the government besides to support the industrial activity in this delicate period. “It would be interesting to be able to produce in Saint-Nazaire these military ships. That would make it possible to make up the deficit of work, in particular in the research departments”, estimates Marie-Odile Bouillé, appointed of the Loire Atlantique
A third… and a fourth BPC concerned
Concerning project BPC, it should be noted that the third boat must be followed by a fourth ship of the same type (4 BPC are envisaged in the new model of army defined by the White paper and ratified by the military bill of programming). The two new buildings will come to replace transport of barges of Foudre unloading and Sirocco, brought into service in 1990 and 1998. In order to make it possible the navy to carry out economies of scale and to be able to sell occasion these TCD, the grouped order of the BPC 3 and 4 are not besides to exclude. STX could, moreover, profit from possible contracts gained with export by DCNS. The French naval group in particular seeks to place the concept of the BPC to South Africa and why not Canada and Portugal.
For memory, the Mistral is 199 meters long for a displacement of 21.500 tons in load. Equipped with a command centre and important hospital infrastructures, it can transport 16 helicopters, 450 soldiers, 70 vehicles (including 13 Leclerc tanks) and 4 barges of unloading. Built to the civil standards, it is in particular equipped with cabins derived from those installed on the steamers. This is why the part before this building, made in Saint-Nazaire, included/understood the “buildings life” and the embarked hospital
STX in string for the renewal of the supply tankers
Vis-a-vis the disarmament of its floating workshops and with the ageing of its fleet of supply tankers, the navy currently studies the replacement of these units by a new generation of logistic buildings. Of a displacement of more than 20.000 tons, these ships would replace the buildings of support the Loire and Jules Verne, designed to be withdrawn from the active service in 2009, as well as the supply craft Meuse, Var, Marne and Somme, delivered between 1980 and 1990. Charged with fuel, vivres, ammunition and spare parts, these ships, very requested, make it possible to deploy durably and in all autonomy, far from the metropolis, a naval or air and sea group. However, the four supply craft currently in service start with seriously aging, in particular the Meuse (28 years), some knowing technical vexations more and more. For certain sailors, their replacement is a priority, or else the capacities of deployment overseas of the burbot could be obérées during the next decade. The inscription of the order of four new boats is thus highly wished in the next law of military programming, covering the period 2009 – 2014, is examined this winter by the Parliament. In this manner, the new logistic buildings, capable general-purpose units to ensure the supplies the sea and certain repairs thanks to embarked workshops, could be ordered by 2011 – 2012.
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Double hull: “It would be good that the State shows the example”
Another factor could, nevertheless, encourage the ministry for Defense to order these boats in times, and even earlier than envisaged. New shareholder of STX France, with more than 33% of the capital, the State will be can be constrained to ensure of the load the building sites resident of Saint-Nazaire. Whereas the company is currently in conflict with one of its main customers, NCL, in connection with the realization of the program F3 (2 giant steamers for 1.5 billion euros), the crisis is also felt in the sector of cruising. After five years of euphoria, the ship-owners indeed ceased ordering ships. And, in ambient uncertainty, one really does not see when that is arranged. However, for lack of new agreements, the site could know a strong contraction of its activity as of the year 2010.
Lastly, the defenders of the project propose the problems of maritime security. Since 2010, the double hull will be obligatory for the civil tankers. However, the Meuse, VAr, the Marne and Somme are tankers with simple hull. Following Grenelle of the Environment and whereas France pushes with the reinforcement of the legislation on the maritime security, “it would be good that the State shows the example”, estimates an industrialist.”
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