This incident occurred in connection with a lifting operation from the Stril Mar supply ship to Deepsea Atlantic, which is operated by Odfjell Drilling. During a lift from ship to facility, the load dropped out of control before striking the Stril Mar’s bulkhead and landing on the seabed.
The PSA’s investigation shows that planning and execution of the lifting operation was inadequate. In addition to having the wrong settings, the crane was operated outside its design criteria.
Actual consequences
The lifting incident resulted in material damage to the offshore crane, the slip joint and the ship’s bulwark. After the incident, the starboard offshore crane was out of action for a time.
Potential consequences
Under slightly different circumstances, the load could have fallen with full force against the ship’s deck or the bulwark and caused greater material damage to the ship.
It is considered unlikely that the slip joint could have caused damage to subsea structures. Nor did the incident pose a potential for personal injury.
Nonconformities
The PSA has identified the following nonconformities in connection with the incident:
- inadequate safety clearance of activities
- safety system for offshore crane
- deficiencies in weight information for the slip joint
- use of offshore crane.
Improvement point
- design of the procedure for heavy lifting.
What happens now?
The PSA’s investigation has now been completed. It has asked Odfjell Drilling to explain by 28 October 2022 how the nonconformities will be dealt with.