Nearly 20 years after the sinking, the wreck of the Bugaled Breizh, a Breton fishing vessel which had suddenly sunk with five men on board in early 2004 off the British coast, will be dismantled, we learned on Tuesday January 3 from judicial sources.
With the legal action closed in France and Great Britain, “
the decision has been taken to dismantle
” the vessel “
and we are in the process of contracting with a private company to carry out this operation.
The public market is underway
, ”prosecutor general at the Rennes court of appeal, Frédéric Benet-Chambellan, told AFP, confirming information from the regional daily Ouest-France.
For the moment, it is envisaged that this dismantling, for a cost estimated at "
around 50,000 euros
", "
would take place at the military port
" of Brest where the wreck has been parked at the quay since its refloating six months after the sinking.
“
Execution would take place in the next quarter or semester
“, we said from the same source.
"The civil parties are not all convinced"
The civil parties have been notified of this decision and have not expressed any specific request so far, such as keeping certain parts of the trawler as a souvenir.
“
I have not been seized of such a request.
If ever that were, I think I would not oppose it
, ”said the magistrate, evoking for example elements such as the name of Bugaled Breizh (“
Children of Brittany
” in Breton).
On the judicial level, "
justice has decided but the civil parties are not all convinced
" by the decision rendered, a dismissal, acknowledged the Attorney General.
Read also Bugaled Breizh case: “The English did not say everything”
Asked about the fact that the defense secret was not lifted during the investigation, which would have allowed justice to widen its scope of investigations, Frédéric Benet-Chambellan replied: "
I understand that it could disturb, create doubts
”.
In addition to the dismissal pronounced on the French side, the British justice concluded to a fishing accident.
For the relatives of the victims, the Bugaled Breizh, registered in Guilvinec (Finistère), was sent to the bottom by a submarine which was caught in its fishing gear.
Because, at the same time, a NATO military exercise was taking place in the sector involving several European and American submarines.
The 24m vessel sank in one minute at a depth of 80m on January 15, 2004, while fishing off Cape Lizard (Cornwall).
The skipper had just had time to warn another Breton trawler who was nearby.
