Bourbon, the French maritime support company, has confirmed that its anchor-handling tug supply boat Bourbon Alexandre, carrying 16 crewmembers, was subject to a joint assault from several speedboats during the night of the Tuesday, Sept. 21 while operating offshore Nigeria in support of Addax Petroleum.
Offshore staff
MARSEILLES, France -- Bourbon, the French maritime support company, has confirmed that its anchor-handling tug supply boat Bourbon Alexandre, carrying 16 crewmembers, was subject to a joint assault from several speedboats during the night of the Tuesday, Sept. 21 while operating offshore Nigeria in support of Addax Petroleum.
Three crewmembers of French nationality were kidnapped. The 13 other crewmembers have remained on board and no injuries have been reported. No claim has been made at this stage.
Bourbon reports that it has contacted all families and will keep them informed. Bourbon reports that its Crisis Unit in Marseilles, in coordination with the Emergency Unit of Bourbon in Nigeria, is evaluating the situation and working to obtain a rapid liberation in the safest security conditions. Bourbon says it is working in close collaboration with the French and Nigerian authorities.
Bourbon says it will continue to disclose any new information when available and verified but otherwise will not make any comment that could adversely affect the liberation of the crewmembers.
The Bourbon Offshore division of Bourbon operates a fleet of 388 offshore vessels and has 111 units on order as of June 30. It employs 7,200 personnel.
Addax Petroleum is an international oil and gas exploration and production company focused on Africa and the Middle East and is an active player in West Africa. The company has experienced significant growth since its inception and was acquired by China Petrochemical Corp. (Sinopec Group) in August 2009.
