BOURBON Offshore Surf celebrates 40 years of professional client-focused service
40 years after its establishment, Bourbon Offshore Surf is the oldest BOURBON affiliate and the Group's leading shipmanagement company.
Its recent and built-in-series fleet consisting of 80 units ranging from personnel transport to IMR vessels, tugs, AHTS and PSV, is supported by a team of over 3,000 qualified employees who ensure that offshore operations are carried out in accordance with the very highest safety standards.
80% of Bourbon Offshore Surf's activity is carried out in western Africa, in countries where it has a history of presence such as Congo, Gabon and Cameroon, as well as in Nigeria and Angola, and more recently Ghana. The company is also present in Mozambique, Saudi Arabia, Trinidad, India and Brunei.
"As the group's spearhead, after having a pioneering role 40 years ago, we are responsible for enriching, developing and carrying on the tradition of BOURBON's expertise in all offshore professions. We also provide a complete range of offshore oil services and strive to uphold our goal of achieving operational excellence", explains Eric Verrière, General Manager of Bourbon Offshore Surf. "We are lucky to be able to rely on skilled employees and a modern, reliable fleet that makes it possible for us to handle our clients' requirements in an efficient and safe manner."
From Surf to Bourbon Offshore Surf
In 1972, when Jean de Gaudemar, René de Réal and Alain Delacroix (3 professionals in the maritime service sector) founded the Compagnie des moyens de surface adaptés à l’exploitation des océans, later known as Surf, they never imagined that 40 years later, the company renamed Bourbon Offshore Surf would become one of the major branches of a world leading company in offshore oil&gas marine services.
The first strategic change occurred in the early 1980s when Surf invested in new vessels for the first time. In 1992, BOURBON gradually took over. The Group then capitalized on its affiliate's expertise which contributed to the strategic growth trend in the offshore oil marine service sector.
What do voices from the past have to tell us today?
Bourbon Offshore Surf is without a doubt a major component of BOURBON's core identity, thanks to the commitment of the women and men who continue to play a major role in BOURBON leadership.
On the occasion of this anniversary celebration, a limited edition book covering 40 years of Bourbon Offshore Surf's history will be given to all of the affiliate's employees. The work is the result of collective memory, including the accounts of the men and women behind the adventure, both in the past and present.
