Dropfall incident during foundation installation at Changhua offshore wind project

On 15 June 2020 at approximately 16:42 local time, the heavy lift vessel Aegir, operated by Heerema Marine Contractors, experienced a dropfall incident while installing jacket foundations at the 109.2 MW Changhua offshore wind project, located around 8km off the coast of Taiwan. The piling frame and a pin pile suffered minimal damage as a result. No injuries were reported and no environmental impact was identified. Work had only just begun on the foundation installation phase when the incident occurred. Heerema Marine Contractors stated that the exact cause was not yet known and would be subject to a formal investigation. As a precaution, foundation installation activities were temporarily paused pending the outcome of that investigation.

The exact cause of the dropfall was not known at the time of reporting and was to be determined through an investigation; no specific contributing factors were disclosed.

1. Heavy lift and piling operations for offshore foundation installation carry inherent dropped object risks that require robust load monitoring and control procedures.
2. Pausing operations immediately following an anomaly allows for proper investigation before resuming work, reducing risk of repeat incidents.
3. Prompt public disclosure of incident details, even when minor, supports industry-wide learning and transparency in offshore construction safety.

News report via Google News