Dropfall incident pauses foundation work at Changhua offshore wind farm
EIR-1085Provisional entry. Published from first reports. This entry is rechecked automatically and updated when more sources appear. Next update: 20 September 2026.
On 15 June 2020 at 16:42 local time, Heerema Marine Contractors' heavy lift vessel Aegir experienced a dropfall incident off the coast of Taiwan. The vessel was installing jacket foundations at the 109.2 MW Changhua offshore wind project, about 8km offshore, where 21 jacket foundations were to be installed. Heerema said no one was injured and no environmental impact was reported, and that damage was limited to the piling frame and pin pile, described as minimal. Work had only just started, and foundation installation was temporarily paused pending an investigation. The exact cause was not known at the time of reporting.
Not reported. The exact cause of the dropfall was unknown at the time of reporting and was to be the subject of an investigation.
- Heavy lift and piling operations during offshore foundation installation carry an inherent dropped object risk that requires robust lifting equipment inspection and load handling procedures.
- Suspending operations after a dropped object event allows the cause to be established before work resumes, reducing the chance of a repeat.
- Reporting low consequence events such as this one, where damage was minimal and nobody was hurt, supports wider industry learning during offshore construction.
Published 2026-09-18. Written from public reporting. Descriptive, not investigative. See the data accuracy disclaimer.