Crew transfer vessel collides with turbine at Borkum Riffgrund 1, injuring three

What happened

A crew transfer vessel, the Njord Forseti, allided with a wind turbine at the Borkum Riffgrund 1 offshore wind farm, operated and owned by Orsted, in the German North Sea, approximately 45 kilometres north of the island of Borkum. Three people on board were injured, one seriously. The vessel also sustained a half-metre crack in its bow and began taking on water. Nearby vessels, including the multi-purpose offshore vessel Siem Baracuda, responded to provide initial medical care.

A rescue helicopter airlifted the seriously injured person to a hospital in the Netherlands, while the other two injured were taken to medical facilities by helicopter and vessel. The crew of the damaged CTV managed to control the water ingress using onboard equipment and the vessel was escorted to port in the Netherlands by a sea rescue cruiser.

Contributing factors

The source does not state the cause of the collision between the crew transfer vessel and the wind turbine.

Lessons learned

1. Crew transfer vessels near turbines must have collision avoidance protocols, as the Njord Forseti struck a turbine at Borkum Riffgrund 1.
2. Damaged vessels need onboard means to control water ingress until escorted to port, as the CTV did after the half-metre crack.
3. Remote offshore sites require rapid coordination with nearby vessels and helicopters for medical response, as shown by the Siem Baracuda and airlifts.

More lessons on worker safety and safe systems of work, from every incident on the register.

Not yet known

• Cause of the collision
• Downtime at the wind farm
• Cost of repairs and medical response

This entry is updated when these are reported. Get an alert for the next one like it.

Source

offshoreWIND.biz (offshorewind.biz)