8 February, 2008

BOURBON, the French company which owns the Norwegian anchor handling tug Bourbon Dolphin that sank off Shetland with the loss of eight lives, has recorded substantial profits for last year.

Bourbon chairman and chief executive Jacques de Chateauvieux said the company’s annual revenues had risen by 26.5 per cent during 2007, despite the loss of the tug on 12 April last year.

Its offshore division did particularly well with an improvement of 22 per cent on income.

The investigation report into the sinking of the Bourbon Dolphin was due to be published last Friday, but will now come out on 1 April.

A Special Inquiry Commission was set up by the Norwegian minister of justice and police on 4 May last year.