TRANSOCEAN WINNER

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Report: ALP Forward too close to shore when rig grounded

The tug which was towing the "Transocean Winner" when she ran aground at Dalmore Beach on Lewis during a fierce storm on Aug 8, 2016, was sailing too close to land and the line that broke off was in poor condition, an official report has found. It was incapable of controlling the tow in the high winds and seas experienced. The master had chosen a route that was too close to land and did not allow room for the vessels to drift once the line had broken. The rig was being towed from Norway to Malta from where it was to be moved to a yard in Turkey for scrapping, when it broke free from a tug in a storm and was blown on to the shore. The rig grounded with 280 tonnes of diesel on board and two of its four fuel tanks were damaged in the incident, resulting in the loss of up to 53,000 litres of fuel into the sea. The remaining 200 tonnes of hydrocarbons, mainly diesel oil with small amounts of base oil and brine, were eventually transferred from the rig to a supply vessel. The Marine Accident Investigation Branch report said the "ALP Forward" struggled with the conditions it encountered and it criticised the route chosen because it was so close to land. Planning a passage so close to the coastline left limited sea room for the tug and tow to drift in bad conditions. The voyage planning concentrated on significant wave heights and did not consider the effect of high winds on the "Transocean Winner". By the time the master of the "ALP Forward" realised that the tug and tow would not pass clear of the worsening weather, he had insufficient sea room to wait for it to pass. In his attempts to maintain control of the tow the master placed sufficient strain on the tow line to cause damage, which ultimately led to its failure. It is possible waves reached more than 55 feet with winds gusting up to 59 knots. At the height of the conditions - and the length of the tow line at time - the tension on the line may have been increased three times leading to the tug and tow being taken backwards at up to 4.7kts. In the prevailing conditions, once the tow line had parted there was no possible recovery of the rig, and the grounding was inevitable. The report also ruled out that the Coastguard Emergency tug "Herakles" would have made any difference if it had been positioned closer to the scene. It was situated in Kirkwall, Orkney which is 12 hours from Lewis, and local politicians have been calling for the re-instatement of a second ETV in the Minch, which was previously axed by the UK Government. But the report found that it could not have prevented the rig grounding even it was on the scene within minutes as it has a weaker tow strength than the "ALP Forward". Had the "Herakles" been on scene from the point at which the "ALP Forward" began to be pulled astern, it seemed very unlikely that it would have been able to provide any practical assistance in maintaining control of Transocean Winner, given the severe weather conditions and the nature of the emergency towage arrangements. The Maritime and Coastguard Agency was recently paid around £400,000 of its bill for the operation. Its costs come on top of almost £17m known to be spent so far recovering the "Transocean Winner". The likely final bill for accident was expected to be more than £20m.

Recovery costs were coming on top of almost £17 million

The Maritime and Coastguard Agency's costs were coming on top of almost £17 million spent so far recovering the "Transocean Winner". The final bill was expected to be about £30m. The massive rig grounded on Lewis during a storm on Aug 8, 2016, and remained there for two weeks before it was refloated and taken to GEbze for scrap. The MCA said its bill covered such costs as the use of helicopters, planes, salvage advice and staff. It did not include the services of the police and other public services involved in responding to the grounding. The operation to recover the rig has already cost Transocean $21m. It was deemed likely the bill would soar because the rig only arrived in Turkey on Nov 1 - more than one month after the end of the third quarter reporting period by Transocean. Transocean has already paid compensation to local fishermen affected by the incident and donated £120,000 to the community. The firm was splitting the cash in two ways - £60,000 were earmarked to help the Dalmore and Carloway community where the rig grounded. The rig was being towed from Norway to Malta when it broke free from the tugboat and crashed into the shore at Dalmore Bay, near Carloway. Two of its four fuel tanks ruptured in the collision and spilled about 53,000 litres of diesel into the sea. Most of the pollution was believed to have dispersed harmlessly but the damage suffered by the rig when it grounded meant it was too hazardous to attempt a second tow.

UK government will question rig owner and tug operator about grounding

Tug operator ALP Maritime Services and rig owner Transocean will be questioned by the UK government about the grounding of the "Transocean Winner". Members of parliament on the Transport Select Committee will ask why semi-submersible drilling rig grounded on the Isle of Lewis. The committee met on Nov 21 to consider whether there is enough emergency towage capacity in Scotland. It will also set questions about the salvage of Transocean Winner, which was hampered by poor weather, and how well the risks of environmental damage were managed. ALP fleet and operations chief operating officer Leo Leusink and Transocean operations director Dave Walls will be questioned by the committee. Other witnesses to be questioned by the Transport Select Committee include Aqualis Offshore chief executive David Wells, the Maritime and Coastguard Agency chief executive Sir Alan Massey and the secretary of state’s representative for maritime salvage and intervention, Hugh Shaw. MPs will consider any implications of the grounding and salvage for the Department for Transport and Maritime and Coastguard Agency policy and will consider the provision of emergency towing vessels (ETVs) in Scottish waters. This will include the extent to which ETVs are necessary and whether they should be provided by the public or private sector. There were two ETVs stationed in Scotland until 2010, but only one remains, stationed in Orkney, so the west coast has remained without one for six years. Separately, the Marine Accident Investigation Branch is gathering evidence for its investigation into the grounding of the "Transocean Winner". Its report on the incident is not expected to be published until the third quarter of 2017.