Bourbon confirms death of two more crew members after vessel sinking

French offshore vessel owner Bourbon has reported the death of two other crew members of the Bourbon Rhode vessel who went missing following the sinking of the vessel in the Atlantic Ocean last weekend.

Following the incident last week where the Bourbon Rhode vessel found itself near the eye of the hurricane Lorenzo and sank in the Atlantic, three crew members were rescued and eleven were missing. On Monday, September 30 Bourbon confirmed the death of one crew member.

In its latest update released on Tuesday, Bourbon said: “The bodies of our two mariners were recovered at sea last night and transferred on the French navy “Ventôse” frigate. Bourbon stands by the seafarers’ families and is fully mobilized to support them in this terrible time.”

The company added that the research operations carried out by the French authorities with the support of the US authorities are part of exceptional measures, further intensified in recent days. Since the beginning of the operations on September 26, ten commercial vessels have been mobilized in the area.

According to Bourbon, daily overflights are performed by a Falcon 50 of the French Navy, supported by a C 130 Hercules aircraft from the US Coast Guards. The Navy frigate, accompanied by its helicopter “Panther”, is at the heart of the system and coordinates the grid of nearly 40 search areas.

Bourbon Corporation CEO, Gaël Bodénès, stated: “On behalf of all BOURBON employees, I would like to pay tribute to the deceased sailors. Our thoughts and prayers are with the families and loved ones who are grieving over this dramatic event. We stand in full solidarity with them in this ordeal and assure them of our strongest support. Research operations are continuing on this sixth day and the mobilization of the maritime world is unprecedented. I would like to express our gratitude to all the research teams and those who volunteer.”