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Thales to maintain and support French Navy ships Nivôse and Floréal

23 September 2005

The French Navy's Fleet Support Service (SSF) has awarded Thales a contract for the maintenance and support of French Navy ships Nivôse and Floréal based on Reunion island in the Indian Ocean.

The contract, worth '12 million, comes under the SSF's "Heading 2005" programme launched at the beginning of the year to mark the introduction of competitive bidding for maintenance on French Navy ships. In this context, the contract is an important first for Thales.

"Navy personnel tell us that their work is at sea. Our aim, therefore, is to reduce lay-up time to a minimum. Our offer not only reduces the lay-up time for refits from the usual five months work to just three and a half, but is also competitively priced. I am confident that these benefits will satisfy our customer throughout the course of this contract and any future services we are asked to provide," says Thales Director, Naval Services, Guy Baruchel.

The ships are 3,000-ton frigates with a staff of 100 sailors. Both are assigned to patrol and surveillance missions in the southern Indian Ocean. The Nivôse is scheduled for a major refit and the Floréal for an intermediate refit. Work on the Nivôse will begin in January 2006 and is scheduled for completion by mid-April. The Floréal will be laid up for a similar period beginning in July 2006.

Thales will perform the work in partnership with fleet management firm V. Ships. The company has a proven track record in ship support and maintenance as well as partnerships with shipyards all over the world. The Nivôse and Floréal will be dry-docked in Dubai and quay-side maintenance done on Reunion island.

After winning the guaranteed-availability maintenance contract for the Dupuy de Lôme signals intelligence vessel, this latest success confirms the strategic decision to offer Thales customers a comprehensive range of platform support services drawing on the Group's vast experience in naval prime contracting.

Press contacts
Corporate Communications - Markus Leutert - Tel: + 33 (0)1 57 77 86 26
Division Naval - Evelyne Monnier - Tel: + 33 (0)6 70 79 57 16