‘Thalassa’ modernisation

Piriou Naval Services, the French branch of the Piriou group for Repair and Services, has won the European bid Ifremer launched in June 2016 for the modernisation of its oceanographic research vessel ‘Thalassa’.

Delivered in 1995, Thalassa is an oceanographic vessel mainly dedicated to public service missions relating to fisheries research and physical oceanography. Thalassa can deploy the teleoperated ROV system Victor 6000, thus partly answering requests for deep environment missions.

The vessel will undergo a full mid-life maintenance and refit programme in acquiring equipment that will widen the spectrum of its missions and allow it to fully carry out environmental and geoscientific missions.

The main upgrades will be:

- New acoustic equipment integrated into the hull or the keel: multibeam sounders, sub-bottom profilers, single beam transducers used during halieutic campaigns, halieutic multibeam sounder. Renewal of IT equipment and network.

- Submarine systems deployment improvement, installation of CTD sounder -referred to as clean sounder- to analyse trace metals in the water column and of an oceanographic crane.

- Main accommodation refurbishment. The scientific command centre will be refurbished and the meeting room reorganized, the sorting room will be rearranged whereas the working deck laboratories and wheelhouse will be renovated.

- Replacement of: the propelling engine control system, the 4 diesels generators, the vessel power management systems, the alarm handling and fire panel systems, as well as the regulated current production.

- Miscellaneous works required by In-Service Support for the next twenty years.

The work will be carried out in Concarneau during summer 2017.

Vincent Faujour, Piriou group General Manager said: ‘We are very satisfied with the renewed confidence of Ifremer for the modernisation of the Thalassa. Piriou is among the rare French actors able to provide a global offer to shipowners (design, construction, maintenance, repair, refit, ISS and related services). Our international subsidiaries allow us to implement these services in all our yards in Europe, in Vietnam, in Nigeria and soon in Algeria’.

Involved in shipbuilding, repair, naval engineering and services since 1965, Piriou specialises in producing vessels up to 120 m with high added value through a combination of high-performance engineering and a global network of industrial sites in Europe, Africa and Asia. With over 420 ships built and delivered worldwide, Piriou provides bespoke solutions as well as a complete range of standardised or customised vessels that satisfy the requirements of international shipowners, whether they be private or public, civilian or military.

Piriou Naval Services (PNS) is the French branch of the Piriou group for Repair and Services. Based in Concarneau as well as in Lorient and Brest, PNS provides, both in France and abroad, maintenance works, complex stopovers project management, In-Service Support (ISS) for all types of vessels as well as trading and training activities.