French maritime firm Louis Dreyfus Armateurs (LDA) Group announced that its subsidiary Louis Dreyfus TravOcean has signed its first contract related to the development of offshore windfarms in France.
The transport and logistics company said that the contract for supply, installation and protection of inter-array power cables for the Saint-Nazaire offshore wind project was signed earlier this month with project leaders EDF Renouvelables and Enbridge, after an international tender was won by Louis Dreyfus TravOcean in consortium with cable manufacturer Prysmian.
"Maritime services to the Marine Renewable Energy industry have become essential to the strategic development of LDA," said the release.
"After winning contracts with large foreign clients, namely in Germany and the United Kingdom, LDA is particularly pleased that its know-how and earlier investments are now recognized by major contractors and field experts such as EDF Renewable and Enbridge," it added.
LDA said that it is confident that this first key contract related to offshore windfarms in France will accelerate the emergence of a French business sector dedicated to Marine Renewable Energy, which the Group has been calling for and will undoubtedly generate employment and increased activity for French companies.
"This contract consolidates Louis Dreyfus Armateurs' order portfolio in the European offshore wind sector, improves visibility on its business volumes and reinforces its ambition to increase investments in this dynamic industry," said the release.
As such, LDA has confirmed the recent acquisition of the Open R / Plen R Group, specializing in regulatory audits, technical inspections, survey and consulting services for large wind turbines. This acquisition extends the range of value-added services offered by Louis Dreyfus Amateurs to its international clients, it said.