Many sailors in distress owe him a debt of gratitude. After 44 years of service and hundreds of rescues, the ocean-going tug The Flanders Bee arrived in Brest this Friday to be deconstructed there. For its last stopover, the ship chartered by the French Navy, 63.5 meters long and 14.4 meters wide, was welcomed to the sound of the bagad of Plougastel by several dozen onlookers.
He began his career in Brest in 1979 after it was taken over by Les Abeilles International, a French shipowner specializing in offshore towing. The vessel notably carried out the towing of the rear part of the tanker Erika after sinking in December 1999 off the coast of Brittany. In 2005, she was moved to the Toulon service station, before giving way there on June 17 to L’Abeille Méditerranée, one of the most powerful tugs in the world.
Deconstruction as the “only way out”
“Deconstruction turned out to be the only reasonable solution in the absence of a viable memorial project,” emphasizes Samira Draoua, president of Abeilles International. The Navaleo company in Brest was chosen to ensure its deconstruction. Her twin, L’Abeille Languedochas also been being deconstructed in Brest since August 2022.
The two ships, which were built in 1978 in the Norwegian shipyard in Ulstein, will be deconstructed simultaneously from March 2023. Until then, Navaleo teams will remove asbestos and remove fluids and furniture.