A naval emergency for our Eiffage Energie Systèmes teams in the Loire-Atlantique department !

The accident to the Astor happened on 5 September, when the rear left side of the 177-metre ship caught on a concrete wharf. No-one was hurt, but there was considerable damage. A big, 20 m² crack split open two metres above the waterline, and the port side of the ship thus needed extensive repairs.

Our teams took charge of the project and the repair work, retrieving the ship’s plans in order to rebuild the hull to the best of their ability.

Work began on Saturday 7 September.

 “We’ll replace the deck plating, but we’ll also need to overhaul the structure since some sections of the deck have been ruined. This is all part of naval repairs”.  Eiffage Énergie Systèmes-Clemessy Services’ naval repairs manager Guillaume de Williencourt made no secret of the fact that this was a huge challenge, given the timeframe.

Four welders finished the work on board on Friday 13 September, while crossing the Bay of Biscay, and got off the ship in Portugal on Saturday 14 September. 
As for the metallic part of the quay, corroded by rust, it has not been used for many years and is now off-balance, having been separated from the concrete wharf to which it was formerly attached.

Photo credits : ©Philippe POUVREAU