BOURBON Success Story Continues with 54th and Last Bourbon Liberty 200 Vessel and the Very 1st Bourbon Liberty 300 Vessel

PARIS, March 28, 2012 /PRNewswire/ --

BOURBON announces the extension of its flagship series Bourbon Liberty in line with its strategy to offer a very high standard of service for the most demanding clients.

A naming ceremony was held today at Sinopacific Zhejiang shipyards in China for two iconic BOURBON vessels: Bourbon Liberty 254, last vessel to be delivered of the Bourbon Liberty 200 series of 54 AHTS, and Bourbon Liberty 301, first vessel of the Bourbon Liberty 300 series of 20 AHTS.

In June 2010, the group announced its "BOURBON 2015 Leadership Strategy" and ordered 3 new series of vessels from Sinopacific shipyards. Bourbon Liberty 301 is the first vessel of the first series to be delivered.

"Delivery of the Bourbon Liberty 301 is an important milestone for BOURBON," says Christian Lefèvre, CEO of BOURBON, during the vessel-naming ceremony. "Our strategy of building standardized vessels in large quantities, as exemplified in the Bourbon Liberty 100 and 200 series, has been a tremendous success and a key factor in helping BOURBON reach a position of global leader in the offshore marine services industry. With this extension of series, BOURBON demonstrates the efficiency and flexibility of this strategy to meet the needs and expectations of the most demanding oil and gas clients".

The first Bourbon Liberty, Bourbon Liberty 101, was delivered to the Group in February 2008. Four years later, all 76 Bourbon Liberty vessels (54 Bourbon Liberty 200 and 22 Bourbon Liberty 100) are operational and provide clients with numerous advantages:

• low fuel consumption thanks to diesel-electric propulsion
• greater reliability as a result of new design and equipment redundancy (multiple thrusters and 3 main generators)
• maneuverability with 5 thrusters
• greater cargo capacity since the main generators were moved to the main deck level.

"We operate a fleet of 76 Bourbon Liberty vessels worldwide," says  Rodolphe Bouchet, VP Business Management for Marine Services. "The concept and design of the series is appreciated and recognized by our clients, as evidenced by their loyalty. We continue to respond to their needs and remain closely connected to the evolving needs of the offshore industry. The 'BOURBON 2015 Leadership Strategy' plan which calls for extending the range of this series with 20 new Bourbon Liberty 300's and 15 new Bourbon Liberty 150's, reflects an accurate anticipation of the evolution of the market".

"Bourbon Liberty 300 vessels are the extension of Bourbon Liberty 200 vessels. They provide clients with a larger deck space and the capacity to carry more liquid mud and bulk products. At the same time, they use the same key features as the Bourbon Liberty 200 series (Class 2 Dynamic Positioning system, main gensets, azimuth thrusters)," comments Olivier Daniel, BOURBON Newbuilding Managing Director.

BOURBON decided to extend its fleet by offering clients a Cleanship Class AHTS. Since innovation is at the core of BOURBON growth, the group decided voluntarily to apply this Cleanship notation to the Bourbon Liberty 300 series even though the deadweight of the vessels does not require it.

Nineteen other Bourbon Liberty 300 vessels and 15 Bourbon Liberty 150 vessels will join the recently delivered first Bourbon Liberty 300 vessel, in the near future.

In 2014, BOURBON will be able to provide clients with an unprecedented series of 111 standardized, efficient and innovative offshore vessels.

About BOURBON

BOURBON offers oil & gas companies with the most demanding requirements a comprehensive range of surface and subsea marine services for offshore oil & gas fields and wind farms, based on an extensive range of latest-generation vessels. The Group provides a local service through its 27 operating subsidiaries, close to clients and their operations, and it guarantees the highest standards of service quality and safety worldwide.

BOURBON has two operating Activities (Marine Services and Subsea Services) and also protects the French coastline for the French Navy.

Under the "BOURBON 2015 Leadership Strategy" plan, the Group is investing US$2 billion in a large fleet of innovative and high-performance and built-in series offshore vessels.

In 2011, BOURBON posted revenues of €1.008 billion and operated a fleet of 437 vessels.

Classified by ICB (Industry Classification Benchmark) in the "Oil Services" sector, BOURBON is listed for trading on Euronext Paris, Compartment A, and is included in the Deferred Settlement Service SRD and in the SBF 120, CAC
Mid 60 and DowJones Stoxx 600 indices.

CONTACTS
Publicis Consultants
Jérôme Goaer                      +33(0)1-44-82-46-24 - [email protected]
Véronique Duhoux               +33 (0)1-44-82-46-33 -[email protected]
Vilizara Lazarova                 +33(0)1-44-82-46-34 -[email protected]
BOURBON
Investors - Analysts - Shareholders Relations
Patrick Mangaud                  +33(0)1-40-13-86-09 -[email protected]
Communication Department
Christa Roqueblave             +33(0)1-40-13-86-06 -[email protected]

SOURCE BOURBON

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