The La Rochelle court opted for an extended stay of proceedings on Wednesday, March 25. The Hermione – La Fayette association, which has been under court-ordered restructuring since September 2025, has been granted additional time to get back on its feet.
The Hermione in the bay of Saint-Jean-de-Luz, June 2018. (Archives) (Bob Edme)
The decision will be officially handed down on April 3rd by the La Rochelle court. However, during the closed-door hearing on Wednesday, March 25th, the court announced its intention to grant the Hermione-La Fayette association a further three-month reprieve. The frigate, which had already been granted a two-month extension last January , now has until early July to submit a recovery plan. Three takeover bids will be examined.
Since 2021, when fungi were discovered devouring its wooden hull, the three-masted ship has been in dry dock at the port of Bayonne, in Anglet. Due to insufficient funds, the ship’s restoration work has been halted for several months. Five million euros would allow the project to be completed and the ship to return to sea. While donations currently cover only daily maintenance, the association is seeking support from the French and American governments, as well as from private donors.
As part of the receivership proceedings, three takeover bids have been submitted to the La Rochelle court. The first project is led by the Jaouen brothers, owners of a maritime transport company in Brittany. The Hermione would be used for both sailing and port calls throughout the year. The second, led by Christophe Degnero, CEO of Presence Group, is centered on cleaning up microplastic pollution in the ocean. The debt and employees would be the responsibility of the buyer. The possibility of converting the ship into a museum at the dock has also been raised by the International Maritime Center (CIM) in Rochefort, headed by Olivier Poivre d’Arvor.
source : mediabask
