North Sea collisions: Safety watchdog warns of vessels hitting energy infrastructure

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North Sea collisions: Safety watchdog warns of vessels hitting energy infrastructure

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has warned of a rise in the number of collision incidents between attendant vessels and energy structures. In a safety notice, HSE said that failures in watch processes and systems are resulting in collisions or risk of collisions with oil and gas and renewable assets. This includes watchkeeping personnel […]

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has warned of a rise in the number of collision incidents between attendant vessels and energy structures.

In a safety notice, HSE said that failures in watch processes and systems are resulting in collisions or risk of collisions with oil and gas and renewable assets.

This includes watchkeeping personnel and navigators being distracted with non-navigational tasks, such as administrative tasks, or a lack of situational awareness at all times.

The HSE also warned that insufficient communication between all members of a bridge team also increases the risk of collisions.

HSE’s guidance comes against the background of a major oil tanker collision in the North Sea, where the cargo vessel Solong struck the Stena Immaculate oil tanker near Hull.

The crash sparked a blaze that raged into Tuesday, 11 March, and prompted a rescue attempt that saw more than 30 casualties brought ashore, with one person missing and presumed dead.

The tanker was carrying jet fuel for the US military, dispelling rumours that the cargo ship was carrying sodium cyanide, which sparked major concerns about its environmental impact.

A statement from Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) chief executive Virginia McVea said: “There have been no further reports of pollution to the sea from either vessel beyond what was observed during the initial incident.”

Dr. Paul Johnston from Greenpeace Research Laboratories added that an “environmental disaster may have been narrowly averted,” due to the risks of both jet fuel and the ships’ bunker fuels leaking into the sea.

The North Sea tanker collision is not the first incident to strike the region’s energy sector. Last year, over 50 personnel from Harbour Energy were evacuated from a rig after it was hit by a nearby supply vessel.

And another ship crashed into the Rough Bravo installation in April 2023 while it was on standby for the nearby Valaris Norway drilling rig.

Attention is now turned to working out the cause of the Stena Immaculate crash – experts have suggested that the Solong may have been operating under autopilot without personnel paying due attention.

HSE called on duty holders and vessel operators to ensure they have proper processes and systems in place to minimise the risk of collisions while working around offshore oil and gas installations and wind farms.

This includes ensuring clear watchkeeping instructions are provided, reviewing bridge resource management and the use of bridge alarms.

Operators should also be sure to monitor attendant vessels and consider sailing audits for marine assurance.

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The scene of the blaze in the North Sea following a collision between the Stena Immaculate and the Solong cargo vessel.

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