AVALON SEA

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Crew member injured in lifeboat system test

A crew member of the 'Avalon Sea' was injured on Aug 20, 2021, during a routine lifeboat system test for Exxon's Hebron platform off the coast of Newfoundland, 190 nautical miles southeast of St. Johns, Nova Scotia. The vessel was supporting a series of lifeboat winch load tests for the platform, a routine maintenance activity. The platform's #3 lifeboat had been lowered to the deck of the OSV in preparation for a test. When the crew began to hoist up the test weight on the lifeboat winch, they spotted a twist in the rigging and stopped for safety reasons. While they attempted to unhook the rigging and remove the twist, the line came under tension because of the vessel's movement relative to the platform. When the rigging was released, it hit the crew member’s face resulting in injuries requiring treatment. The victim was transferred onto the platform for medical attention, then airlifted off to a shoreside facility. He was treated and released. The platform's operators imposed an immediate stand-down of load testing operations on the Avalon Sea after the incident, and ExxonMobil Canada has launched an investigation. The C-NLOPB was monitoring the company's inquiry.