The UK Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB) has started a full investigation into the Port of Tyne collision involving Cadeler’s jack-up vessel Wind Orca and the stationary container ship BG Orange.
The contact between the two vessels resulted in the collapse of a shoreside crane and damage to BG Orange. One man was taken to hospital with injuries that were not considered life-threatening.
The MAIB decided to proceed with the investigation after assessing evidence gathered following the incident. The agency plans to issue its report within one year of the accident.
Cadeler said it is cooperating with the MAIB while also examining the collision and the damage sustained by Wind Orca. The company said it would not release further information while the official investigation remains underway.
Before the incident, Wind Orca had been assigned to Orsted’s 2.9GW Hornsea 3 offshore wind farm off eastern England. The vessel has been installing secondary steel components, marshalled at the Port of Tyne, onto monopiles at the project.
Orsted said the installation programme had not been affected. Wind Orca returned to the wind farm area earlier this month, with project operations remaining on track.
BG Orange sailed to Teesside on 12 August to discharge cargo before undergoing unspecified repairs. Marine traffic data later placed the vessel in Rotterdam.
A clean-up operation has also been carried out in the River Tyne after plastic pellets escaped from containers aboard BG Orange that were damaged in the collision.
