Press release
AEOLUS vessel resumption to drilling work
Lézardrieux / Saint-Brieuc / Paris – July 31, 2021 -
Ailes Marines announces today the resumption of drilling work carried out by AEOLUS vessel and under agreement of Maritime Prefecture.
July
No presence of pollution according to the air and sea system control device
Ailes Marines conducted several helicopter overflights of the area and nautical patrols. These
control operations were carried out considering the modeling provided by the Documentation
Center for Research and Experimentation on Accidental Water Pollution (CEDRE).
In addition to the vessels present in the area, Ailes Marines organized aerial surveillance of the
modeled areas. Two overflights of the area were carried out on July 28 and two others on July 29.
At the end of these aerial missions, the crews observed no presence of iridescence or slicks in the
marine environment.
Fast environmental security protocols were deployed
As a precautionary measure and following the spillage of hydraulic fluid of the "PANOLIN HLP
SYNTH 46" type, observed on July 28 on the deck of the AEOLUS ship and in the marine
environment, during the recovery of a drilling rig, the company Van Oord immediately halted all
ongoing drilling activities on the AEOLUS.
At the same time, Ailes Marines immediately implemented new enhanced procedures and tools
for environmental safety. In addition to the helicopter checks, three surveillance vessels
intervened in accordance with the protocol to search for traces of iridescence on the surface,
deploy absorbent devices when necessary and take seawater samples.
Speed and quality of deployed actions made it possible to contain the incident.
Resumption of drilling work authorized by maritime authorities
After several checks in order to ensure the lack of traces of hydraulic fluid spilling into the marine environment, the AEOLUS vessel was authorized today to restart the foundation pile drilling of the Saint-Brieuc offshore wind farm.

About Ailes Marines
Key figures for the Baie de Saint-Brieuc offshore wind project:
- 75 km2 in area
- 62 Siemens Gamesa SG 8.0-167 DD 8 MW wind turbines
- 496 MW of installed capacity
- 1,820 GWh/year of production, i.e. the annual electricity consumption of 835,000 inhabitants (including heating)
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