Pierre Louis-Dreyfus who headed the Louis Dreyfus group and the diversified Paris based shipping group Louis Dreyfus Armateurs for many years died on Saturday at the grand age of 102.
The shipping business, Louis Dreyfus Armateurs, was founded almost 120 years ago but in recent years was bought out of the group by his family.
The heart of the Louis Dreyfus Armateurs business is the dry bulk fleet of about 20 handysize to capesize vessels but the business also has ro-ro ships and ferries as well as offshore construction craft.
Pierre Louis-Dreyfus was father to four children, including Philippe Louis-Dreyfus, president of Louis-Dreyfus Armateurs who described his father as “a reference to turn to and an example to follow.”
In World War II Louis-Dreyfus was a cavalry officer before the fall of France who went on to have an illustrious war in the French resistence before escaping occupied Europe via Spain and making his way to England to join the Free French Forces.
He was a Compagnon de la Liberation and Grand Officier de la Legion d’Honneur.
