High winds and poor weather conditions are being cited as the likely cause for an incident in the Port of Esbjerg, Denmark, on Wednesday morning, June 10. Blades for an offshore wind farm were damaged, and the vessels, pier, and a crane were still being inspected, while the wind turbine installation vessel (WTIV) Brave Tern has been detained.
Estimates in the local media are that more than $150,000 worth of damage resulted as blades for the Thor wind farm were damaged as a result of the allision. The Brave Tern struck another docked installation vessel, Wind Keeper, before hitting the crane and the pier.
Initial reports said that no one was injured. Later, they, however, said that one person had been sent to the hospital for a medical checkup.
According to the Danish Maritime Authority and RWE, which has chartered the Brave Tern, the vessel had completed the load out with nine blades for the installation at the Thor wind farm. The Brave Tern was attempting to maneuver in the harbor when it was pushed into the other ship. The blades were damaged as the vessel clipped the docked vessel and was pushed up against a shore crane. According to the media reports, the value of each of the blades is approximately 3.6 million euros. Pictures showed the blades broken and bent over.
Thor, which began turbine installation in March, is located approximately 13 miles offshore. It will be Denmark’s largest offshore wind farm, consisting of 72 Siemens Gamesa 15 MW turbines. Installation is scheduled to be completed this year.
The Brave Tern is a 15,300 gross ton WTIV owned by Fred Olsen Windcarrier. Built in 2012, it is 132 meters (433 feet) in length and able to carry up to 9,000 tons of material. The jack-up vessel is registered in Malta. It struck the Wind Keeper (22,500 gross tons), which is owned by Cadeler and registered in the Marshall Islands. The 196-meter (643-foot) vessel was docked.
The Danish Maritime Authority ordered the Brave Tern detained after the allision. Both vessels, as well as the port infrastructure, were being inspected for additional damage.
Source : The Maritime Executive
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