It was 'a sad and heartbreaking experience to lose a ship' and the accident had served as "a reminder to us all that - the sea is a very hard and dangerous environment which needs and imposes respect, Louis-Dreyfuss said.

Maritime Journal reported last April on the six-month conversion of the 95m long and 15.6m wide vessel. She was completed Summer and was on her second assignment when she sank. The conversion itself was the biggest ever handled by seismic and research ship specialist MWB.

CGG Mistral, built on the hull of a former Polish fish factory vessel, was completely gutted at MWB and rebuilt with four new decks. She was also widened to incorporate additional 5,600kW of engine power.

MJ Information No: 17804