CMA CGM has released footage of a towing exercise involving its 16,020 TEU Marco Polo containership and two tugboats off the coast of Le Havre, a major port in northern France's Normandy region.
The CMA CGM Marco Polo simulated engine damage to train the crew of L’Abeille Languedoc, the assessment and intervention teams (IEE) and the Maritime Operations Center (COM) of the Maritime Prefecture of the English Channel and the North Sea — responsible for the safeguarding of persons and property, the safety of navigation and the protection of the environment.
A towing team from Maritime Prefecture and the Bees assessed trailer traction and tensioning and a progressive rise of the convoy on board the Marco Polo.
The exercise was carried out to train for an increasing need to handle larger ships at Le Havre.
Nearly 15% of the vessels stopping there are more than 320 meters long.
In 2016, the Maritime Prefecture and the administrations under its responsibility managed 21 maritime events in the North Sea Channel that could have led to serious or major accidents.
