Tanker Drifts Dangerously Close To Netherlands’ Largest Offshore Wind Farm, Collision Averted

The Dutch Coast Guard successfully prevented a potential collision late on Saturday, 4 October, after a fuel tanker lost propulsion and drifted dangerously close to the Hollandse Kust Zuid offshore wind farm in the North Sea.

The Singapore-registered product tanker Eva Schulte, operated by Bernhard Schulte Shipmanagement, reported engine trouble at around 7:30 p.m. while sailing approximately 37 kilometres west of IJmuiden.

The 145-metre vessel, carrying a cargo of fuel oil from Sweden, had experienced a failure in its main engine, leaving it adrift in heavy weather.

At the time of the breakdown, strong winds of Force 7 to 8, with gusts exceeding 50 mph, and waves of up to five metres were reported in the area. The rough sea conditions made it impossible for the tanker to drop anchor, and it began drifting towards Vattenfall’s Hollandse Kust Zuid wind farm, which comprises 139 turbines with a total capacity of 1.5 gigawatts.

The Multraship Protector, an emergency towing vessel operated under the Netherlands Coast Guard, was already stationed near the wind farm and was immediately deployed to assist.

A lifeboat from the Royal Netherlands Sea Rescue Institution (KNRM) also responded, while two Coast Guard helicopters were placed on standby in case the 21 crew members needed to be evacuated.

The severe weather hampered efforts to establish a towline. For more than three hours, the tug attempted to secure a connection as the disabled tanker drifted closer to the wind turbines.

At around 11:15 p.m., the Multraship Protector, supported by the KNRM lifeboat Kitty Roosmale Nepveu, successfully managed to attach a towline when the vessel was just about one kilometre from the wind farm.

The tanker was then towed to a safe position and held steady through the night while its crew worked to repair the main engine. The towline remained in place throughout Sunday, as the rough weather made it unsafe to disconnect earlier.

By late Sunday afternoon, the situation stabilised, and the tanker was later released. On Monday, Eva Schulte proceeded to the port of IJmuiden under its own power.

The incident took place only days after the Dutch Coast Guard launched a new 24-hour monitoring service for wind farms and offshore platforms.

The system, operated from the Vessel Traffic Monitoring Centre, is designed to track vessel movements near offshore installations and alert both ship operators and asset managers when a vessel appears to be drifting into danger.

This was not the first time the Hollandse Kust Zuid site had faced such a situation. In 2022, the bulk carrier Julietta D lost power during a storm and drifted into the same area, damaging one of the wind farm’s monopiles and the base of a substation.

The Coast Guard stated that the quick coordination between its centre, emergency tugs, and rescue services helped avert another potentially serious accident involving one of the Netherlands’ most important renewable energy projects.

Reference: swzmaritime

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