Published by The Maritime Executive

Published by The Maritime Executive

Published by The Maritime Executive

Published by The Maritime Executive

Published Apr 14, 2022 1:44 PM by The Maritime Executive

A lifting accident with one of the world’s largest semisubmersible cranes caused tense moments in Norway as onlookers feared the vessel might be sinking. The Norwegian authorities are reporting that the Saipem 7000 has now been stabilized after having listed during an accident that caused the vessel to drop its load.

Built in 1987, the Saipem 7000 can lift up to 14,000 tons and can operate in waters with depths of over 6,500 feet, giving it “the capacity to handle the entire work scope of offshore construction," according to its Italian owners. In 2019, the Saipem 7000 set a new local heavy lift record of 11,100 tons for the Gulf of Mexico.

The vessel was positioned in a Norwegian fjord in Åmøyfjorden a center for Norway's offshore oil industry near the Port of Stavanger when the accident occurred. It is unclear what the vessel was lifting when bystanders reported hearing a loud noise, which police reports now indicate was the failure of one of the cables on the lifting crane. The authorities reported that the load was lost hitting the deck and a barge positioned alongside the crane ship. The barge capsized but remained afloat. Luckily it appears there was no crew on the barge.

Rescue at sea. Ongoing situation One of the biggest Crane vessels in the world, tilting after a sudden explosion 20 min's ago. 275 ppl on board #Stavanger #Åmøyfjorden #Norway #Saipem7000 #MaritimeSecurity pic.twitter.com/dM8LePv8Dd

The sudden loss of the load caused the crane ship to list to one side with onlookers calling police and rescue squads reporting that the vessel appeared to be sinking in the fjord. The rescue service HRS Sør-Norge responded and reported that “a lot of public resources were put on standby.” Helicopters were seen arriving at the crane ship and a tug was positioned alongside.

The Saipem 7000 had recently completed an overhaul in Rotterdam after operating at the Seagreen offshore wind farm that is currently under construction near Scotland and owned by SSE Renewables and TotalEnergies. Some reports indicate that the crane ship was preparing to return to the wind farm construction.

Local authorities reported that they were in contact with the crane ship, which had 275 crew aboard, and said that there were no injuries. By later on Thursday, they reported that the vessel had been stabilized and was back on an even keel. The safety authority was surveying the area to determine if there had been any environmental pollution and said they would investigate the cause of the accident.

Published Apr 21, 2022 12:19 AM by The Maritime Executive

On Tuesday morning, a floating drydock at the small port of Saka, Japan partially sank alongside a pier.  The dock is a 180 foot by 110 foot platform used for repairing smaller vessels and for scrapping. The Hiroshima Maritime Security Department said that it received a report about the sinking from a ship repair facility at about 0810 hours on Tuesday morning. No injuries were reported, and the floating dock released only a small quantity of fuel into the water. ...

Published Apr 20, 2022 11:47 PM by The Maritime Executive

After the loss of the cruiser Moskva to Ukrainian anti-ship missiles last week, the Russian Navy has assigned a destroyer from its Pacific Fleet to demonstrate Russia's naval air-defense capabilities - particularly for use in the defense of Russian merchant shipping. The Udalay-class destroyer Admiral Panteleev was selected to lead the mock exercise. "According to the plan of the exercise, the air defense crews of the ship covered the medium sea tanker Izhora . . . from a mock enemy...

Published Apr 20, 2022 9:08 PM by The Maritime Executive

The lost Russian cruiser Moskva may have gone down with a (purported) piece of the True Cross on board, according to Russian state media.  The 19th-century reliquary was donated to the Black Sea Fleet by an anonymous private collector in 2020, according to the archpriest of the Russian Orthodox Church's Sevastopol district, Sergiy Khalyuta. It was intended for the chapel aboard the Moskva.  The relic entered private hands when "European churches began to close and sell their property," state-owned outlet...

Published Apr 20, 2022 8:26 PM by The Maritime Executive

A week after the WWII-era destroyer the USS The Sullivans began taking on water, divers and drones were finally able to survey the extent of the hull breach. The U.S. Coast Guard joined the efforts to survey the vessel and begin to determine a plan to stabilize and salvage the destroyed turned museum ship.  Commissioned in 1943, the destroyer saw active duty in both the Second World War and the Korean War. It later was assigned to the U.S. 6th...

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