Drifting oil tanker almost hits North Sea wind farm in 'near disaster'
Tanker incident was third collision scenario wind farm has faced in recent years
Swedish energy developer Vattenfall stared disaster in the face over the weekend when an oil tanker was dramatically diverted from a collision course with one of its North Sea wind farms after suffering an engine failure during a storm.
A failed anchoring attempt left the vessel just one kilometre from the wind turbines, with its crew members still on board, according to a LinkedIn post by strategic communication advisor at Vattenfall, Martin ter Braak.
“The situation was tense,” ter Braak posted. “Thanks to the swift and courageous response of the (Netherlands Coastguard and the Royal Netherlands Sea Rescue Institution), a towing connection was successfully established around 23h15, stabilising the vessel and preventing a potential disaster.”
He described the incident as is a stark reminder of the growing complexity and risks on the North Sea.
"With increasing maritime traffic, expanding offshore infrastructure, and more frequent extreme weather events, the margin for error is shrinking," according to ter Braak.
Repeated dramas
The 1.5GW Hollandse Kust Zuid wind farm has had more than its fair share of maritime drama.
The wind farm suffered a major incident in January 2022.
On that occasion the 18-man crew was taken to safety by the Dutch rescue services.
(Copyright)