Bourbon Dolphin capsizes

[Crag Cay]

On the evening news just now, was a report that at 1600 GMT this evening (12th April) , the rig support vessel 'Bourbon Dolphin' capsized in the North Sea about 75 miles west of the northern tip of the Shetland Isles.

The weather was calm and seas slight and HM Coastguard say that they have rescued 8 of the 14 crew. The others are thought to be trapped in the hull. Divers are enroute.

[Guillermo]

Wow! What could have gone wrong....?

From several fountains:
The 75 metre BOURBON DOLPHIN was only completed last year. She is owned by Bourbon Offshore Norway and was built by Ulstein Verft AS in Norway. She was fitted with 1 Fast rescue craft, 6 Life rafts for 20 persons each, with equipment, along with lifebuoys and life jackets.

The Bourbon Dolphin, had been working in the vicinity of the Rosebank oilfield.

A statement from rig operators Transocean said: "At 5.20pm today, the Bourbon Dolphin, an anchor handling tug supply vessel owned by Bourbon Offshore, capsized while handling anchor two of the semisubmersible drilling rig Transocean Rather.

"Five are believed to be still inside the upturned hull,"

Note: Interesting to see the two relatively close but different posisitions given by two different media.

[TerryKing]

Originally Posted by Guillermo

Wow! What could have gone wrong....?

Not much more info on BBC this AM (700UTC) except rescue attempts.

Seas were calm, little wind. My guesses:

- Incredible rogue wave? Highly Unlikely
- This anchor-handling boat was (possibly inadvertently) attached to a huge anchor, got underway, and tripped on the anchor line.

The force to overcome stability HAD to come from somewhere!

----(update)------
All non essential personnel were down-manned from the Transocean Rather platform as there was a minimal risk that the capsized vessel could potentially damage the platform. This would seem to suggest that the AHTS was handling an anchor an attached to it via an anchor chain at the time that the capsize took place, although this has not been confirmed.
----( also )-------
The ship capsized close to the Transocean Rather oil platform. Eyewitnesses say the incident happened as she turned away from the platform.
-----( Shipping Times article including ship's specifications )-------------
http://www.shippingtimes.co.uk/item432_bourbon2.htm
-----( Detail )------------------
The coastguard confirmed that the ship was still attached to Transocean Rather rig by an anchor chain.


Sad.. Unexpected tragedy.

[colinstone]

Girded by the weight of mooring???

[Bergalia]

Too early to pass judgement - but most likely fouled on a cable and capsized making a turn. Not an infrequent occurance among trawlers when snagged by a 'passing' sub. And with that massive superstructure she looks 'designedly' unstable for work in those seas.

[Guillermo]

Originally Posted by Bergalia

'designedly' unstable

Probably you want to mean little reserve of stability over the compulsory code...

[Bergalia]

I probably do Guillermo. As an experienced naval engineer your judgement is without doubt based upon a more sound knowledge than mine. I am simply going on her topside profile. My experience was gained in the North Sea on fishing trawlers - and I certainly wouldn't want to trust that unweildy looking structure (though no doubt based on scientific principles) in the type of waters we met up there. Iced rigging was bad enough in a stiff blow, or with the unexpected Atlantic rollers which frequently cruised in from the north.

[TerryKing]

The boat is reportedly in "Stable 2" inverted, right?

What would the options be to recover a boat this size, far from shore? Can it be righted somehow??

----( UPDATE: BBC )----
Dutch salvage contactors Smit Salvage are at the boat's location and hope to recover the anchor chain which still attaches the Bourbon Dolphin to the Transocean Rather rig it was working on.

Once that has been completed, the firm intends to tow the upturned vessel inshore.
------------------------------

[alan white]

Maybe two large vessels could do it, weld plates on opposite sides amidships to secure cables, one wrapped under, one wrapped over, pull from opposite sides. Explosive charges carefully timed to sever cables at just the right moment in case of release problem.
Knowing nothing about the subject, I'm only pondering, of course.

A.

[smartbight]

As a designer of OSVs for the last 30 years ; I have been amazed at the size and height of the fore 'castle' some of those boats are 'sporting'. With the anchor pulling one way, the nozzles the other, and the boat turning? Still surprising for a boat that size!
It will have to be towed inland and a combination of ballast and floating cranes used to right it (slowly).

[Guillermo]

Originally Posted by smartbight

As a designer of OSVs for the last 30 years ; I have been amazed at the size and height of the fore 'castle' some of those boats are 'sporting'. With the anchor pulling one way, the nozzles the other, and the boat turning? Still surprising for a boat that size!
It will have to be towed inland and a combination of ballast and floating cranes used to right it (slowly).

Surprising, indeed.
I rather agree with your upturning solution.

[timgoz]

She sure did look "top heavy'. I have no advanced deisign knowledge, but have been on alot of boats in trying locals.

Some vessels just don't look right, as this one. She probably had one hell of a roll in a beam sea.

Take care.

TGoz

[colinstone]

Looking at the news witnesses said it was pulling straight with cable out over stern, it then turned for some reason and cable was now across quarter/beam under weight/strain.
Classic girding conditions.

[Guillermo]

snartbight,
I do not have expertise with this kind of vessels (although some with offshore tugs) and I'm not at the office, where I have all info. Are OSV's conceived for transverse pull, as tugs are? If so, are stability exigencies the same?

[colinstone]

Not all tugs are capable of transverse pull - I think only those with voight schneider drives. Prop/nozzle drives are more liable to girding. It was a common theme at entering and leaving harbour briefs when taking tugs to watch for girding and react appropriately by slipping tug.