| France. Clemenceau will not rot in Brest, says Minister of Defence |
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| Friday, 17 March 2006 | |
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Marian Martin: Michele Alliot-Marie, France’s Minister for Defense, promised François Cuillandre, mayor of Brest, that the aircraft carrier Clemenceau will not rot in Brest, at a meeting in Paris. Michele Alliot-Marie indicated that the Government’s priority was the dismantling of the old aircraft carrier "as soon as possible", but she added a caveat dismantling of warships containing asbestos must be considered at European level. The mayor of Brest noted what the Minister had to say but insisted that the Clemenceau could only remain in Brest roads for a limited period, which must not extend beyond spring 2008, when Brest would again host its maritime festival. Cuillandre confirmed that the creation of a site for dismantling end of life vessels could be of interest to the city, but such a venture “must not penalise industrialists, who have long been committed to military and civil ship construction and repair.” He also pointed out that Brest’s civil dry docks were currently overbooked and that the city would prefer its military docks to be used for the construction of new ships, such as the future European multi-mission frigates Meanwhile, the Clemenceau is anchored off Mombasa, in Kenya, awaiting the arrival of the high seas tug Sables Capes, which will take over from the Sumatras and take her to Brest, where she is expected to arrive towards the end May. |
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| Last Updated ( Friday, 17 March 2006 ) |
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