After the capsize of the Maxi Banque Populaire IX on the night of 14th April off the coast of Morocco, the technical team of Team Banque Populaire has now reached the disaster zone to prepare and repatriate the boat, while Armel le Cléac'h and his crew (a mediaman and Pierre Hérissé) are safe ashore. Thanks to a Moroccan army boat which had been patrolling and ensuring the safety of the accident zone since yesterday, the trimaran could easily be located so that the shore crew could make the necessary preparations for the tow.
Ronan Lucas, Director of Team Banque Populaire explains the course of the intervention
" Arriving in the capsize zone in the morning, 2 professional divers and 3 members of the Banque Populaire Team's technical team accessed the boat to recover a maximum of elements which could damage the trimaran more significantly during the towing operation. For example, we recovered pieces of mast that were stuck under the boat. The conditions in the area were good today, which enabled us to work well.
Towing may have started after that, but it's going to take some time. The crew and the members of the Team present are trying to preserve the trimaran as much as possible until Casablanca. The wind conditions are relatively good and manageable, but we're extremely cautious.
The Banque Populaire Team was able to deal with the problems encountered calmly and professionally. Everyone got up to speed very quickly in order to be as efficient as possible and implement the rescue of the crew and the towing of the boat. In Casablanca or here in Lorient, everyone has been working on this since yesterday. We have greatly appreciated the solidarity and help of the French and Moroccan people with whom we have worked so far, and we thank them warmly ."
