During the night of Saturday 7 to Sunday 8 December 2024, while it was slowly drifting from its berth, the tanker Larus was assisted off the coast of Saint-Brieuc (Côtes-d'Armor) by L'Abeille Bourbon, the intervention, assistance and rescue tug (Rias) 80 meters long and on permanent alert in the port of Brest, indicates the Atlantic maritime prefecture in a press release.
The ship in difficulty must reach the port of Brest (Finistère) during the day this Sunday, where it will remain sheltered until the end of the Darragh storm. It could then be towed to Estonia for repairs.
First alert Saturday afternoon
The Larus, a 100-meter tanker, empty of cargo, with thirteen people on board, had been at anchor in the bay of Saint-Brieuc since November 9, 2024, the date on which it declared damage while sailing in the Ouessant traffic separation system (DST). Since that date, she has been waiting for the arrival of the tugboat which will take her to Estonia to carry out her repairs. The arrival in the area of this tugboat, initially scheduled for December 5, had been delayed by the degraded weather conditions of the last few days.
Saturday December 7 at 4:50 p.m., in the middle of storm Darragh, the Larus reported to the Regional Operational Surveillance and Rescue Center (Cross) Corsen that its anchor “hunted” and that it was slowly drifting towards the coast.
At 5 p.m., the maritime prefect of the Atlantic, in conjunction with the Cross Corsen which is coordinating the operation, decided to sail L'Abeille Bourbon from its waiting area at Stiff, near the island of Ouessant , to reach the Larus as quickly as possible. At 5:20 p.m., the ship's shore agent requested assistance from the authorities to assist the Larus.
A helicopter as reinforcement
Taking into account the weather conditions and the environment of the bay of Saint-Brieuc, the maritime prefect also requested the support of the port of Saint-Malo and one of its tugs to assist the ship. After setting off around 9 p.m., it turned back a little before 11 p.m., due to weather conditions. Around 11:45 p.m., the Abeille Bourbon arrived in the area.
Read also: REPORTING. On board the Abeille Bourbon, muscular guardian of our coasts
At 00:50 a.m., the Abeille Bourbon having been unable to pass the trailer onto the Larus, the maritime prefect decided to send an assessment and intervention team aboard the ship, with the support of a helicopter. H160 of the French Navy. At 4:28 a.m., after a delicate maneuver, the trailer passed between the Abeille Bourbon and the Larus. The team then began its transit to the port of Brest, which it is scheduled to reach this Sunday.
Many state services mobilized
Throughout the operation, an H160 helicopter from the Lanvéoc-Poulmic naval aeronautics base remained on alert in order to, if necessary, evacuate the tanker's crew or transport reinforcements on board. .
This operation was carried out in coordination with the Delegation for the sea and the coast and the Côtes-d'Armor prefecture, the Center of practical expertise in anti-pollution control (Ceppol) of the French Navy and the action teams of the State at Sea of the Atlantic Maritime Prefecture, to anticipate any eventuality regarding the consequences of this event on land.
