Bourbon Dolphin
Encyclopedia
Bourbon Dolphin was an anchor handling tug supply vessel
(AHTS) of Bourbon Offshore Norway
. On April 12, 2007, the ship capsize
d off the coast of Shetland, and sank three days later while preparations were being made to tow her to shore.
On February 21, 2007 Bourbon Dolphin succeeded in pulling the German mine hunter Grömitz
to sea again after it had run aground near Florø
.
Less than two months later, on April 12, she capsized with 15 Norwegian sailors aboard. Eight were picked up by vessels already on scene and two were found by Her Majesty's Coastguard
, while five are still missing. Three of the ten recovered were reported dead.
The incident happened while Bourbon Dolphin was anchoring the semi-submersible drilling platform Transocean Rather
. The 99-man crew of the Rather was evacuated by the RAF
.
On Sunday 15 April, Bourbon Dolphin sank in 1,100 meters of water off the coast of Shetland, Scotland
.
In January 2009 Bourbon Offshore Norway was fined 5 million Norwegian kroner (€530,000 at the time) after a Norwegian government Commission of Inquiry raised doubts about the ability of both the vessel and its crew to handle large anchors in such deep water. Norway's national prosecutor said the new captain, who died with his son in the sinking, had not been given enough time to learn about the crew and ship, as he only had 90 minutes to take over.
Anchor handling tug supply vessel
Anchor Handling Tug Supply vessels are mainly built to handle anchors for oil rigs, tow them to location, anchor them up and, in a few cases, serve as an Emergency Rescue and Recovery Vessel ....
(AHTS) of Bourbon Offshore Norway
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
. On April 12, 2007, the ship capsize
Capsize
Capsizing is an act of tipping over a boat or ship to disable it. The act of reversing a capsized vessel is called righting.If a capsized vessel has sufficient flotation to prevent sinking, it may recover on its own if the stability is such that it is not stable inverted...
d off the coast of Shetland, and sank three days later while preparations were being made to tow her to shore.
History
Bourbon Dolphin was built at the Ulstein Verft in 2006, the "Ulstein A102" design. She was part of a three-ship contract with Bourbon, the two others being the Bourbon Orca and Bourbon Mistral.On February 21, 2007 Bourbon Dolphin succeeded in pulling the German mine hunter Grömitz
Frankenthal class mine hunter
The Type 332 Frankenthal class mine hunter is a class of German mine hunters. The ships are built of non-magnetic steel. Hull, machinery and superstructure of this class is similar to the original Type 343 Hameln class minesweeper, but the equipment differs....
to sea again after it had run aground near Florø
Florø
is a town and the administrative centre of Flora municipality in the county of Sogn og Fjordane, Norway. It is also a former municipality that existed for just over 100 years. The town was founded on the Florelandet island between the Botnafjorden and Solheimsfjorden by royal decree in 1860. In...
.
Less than two months later, on April 12, she capsized with 15 Norwegian sailors aboard. Eight were picked up by vessels already on scene and two were found by Her Majesty's Coastguard
Her Majesty's Coastguard
Her Majesty's Coastguard is the service of the government of the United Kingdom concerned with co-ordinating air-sea rescue.HM Coastguard is a section of the Maritime and Coastguard Agency responsible for the initiation and co-ordination of all civilian maritime Search and Rescue within the UK...
, while five are still missing. Three of the ten recovered were reported dead.
The incident happened while Bourbon Dolphin was anchoring the semi-submersible drilling platform Transocean Rather
Transocean
Transocean Ltd. is one of the world's largest offshore drilling contractors. The company rents floating mobile drill rigs, along with the equipment and personnel for operations, to oil and gas companies at an average daily rate of US$282,700...
. The 99-man crew of the Rather was evacuated by the RAF
Royal Air Force
The Royal Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Formed on 1 April 1918, it is the oldest independent air force in the world...
.
On Sunday 15 April, Bourbon Dolphin sank in 1,100 meters of water off the coast of Shetland, Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
.
In January 2009 Bourbon Offshore Norway was fined 5 million Norwegian kroner (€530,000 at the time) after a Norwegian government Commission of Inquiry raised doubts about the ability of both the vessel and its crew to handle large anchors in such deep water. Norway's national prosecutor said the new captain, who died with his son in the sinking, had not been given enough time to learn about the crew and ship, as he only had 90 minutes to take over.