A jackup wind turbine installation vessel (WTIV) accidentally hit a moored container vessel and caused a gantry crane to be knocked over at the Port of Tyne in the UK on Sunday, July 19.
The Cadeler-operated WTIV Wind Orca was headed out of the port when she allided with the feeder ship BG Orange while the latter was moored pierside at around 13:00 local time on Sunday. A gantry crane collapsed shortly afterwards and its boom landed onto the feeder ship's wheelhouse.
One individual suffered non-life-threatening injuries from the accident and has since been evacuated to hospital.
The WTIV returned to her assigned berth at the port and was still there as of Sunday evening. An investigation into the incident has begun while emergency response operations are ongoing.
Sunday's mishap occurred a little over a month after another jackup WTIV had accidentally struck a similar vessel at the Port of Esbjerg in Denmark.
On June 10, the WTIV Brave Tern got caught in strong winds while manoeuvring at the port. The vessel then ended up hitting the berthed WTIV Wind Keeper (ex-Boqiang 3060).
No injuries or serious damage on board either WTIV has been reported, though the incident resulted in damage to some of the wind turbine blades that Brave Tern was carrying at the time.
