Bourbon Dolphin
Shetlopedia - The Shetland Encyclopaedia
The Bourbon Dolphin, a steel hulled anchor handling tug supply vessel (AHTS), A102 Ulstein Design AS. 2974 GRT/892 Nett Tons, 75.2 metres length overall, 17 metres beam. Four x 3000 kw engines developing 16,100 bhp, 194 metric ton bollard pull, 400 metric ton line pull, 8 metres depth main deck, 6.5 metres max. draft, trial speed 17 knots. Built 2006 by Ulstein Verft AS. (Norway), owner Bourbon Offshore Norway, (BON), Fosnavåg, Norway, a subsidiary of Bourbon Offshore, Marseille, France, registered in Norway, Captain Oddne Arve Remøy, fifteen crew.
At approx 4.20pm (BST) on April 12th 2007, while attempting to raise an anchor weighing approx 17-20 Tons, during anchor handling operations for the drilling rig Transocean Rather, at a position approx 75 nautical miles/80 miles NW of Eshaness in the vicinity of the Rosebank/Lochnagar/Clair oilfields, this vessel capsized. Three standby vessels, the Olympic Hercules, Viking Victory and Highland Valour, which were in the vicinity, launched inflatable rescue boats and between them quickly rescued seven survivors. Shetland Coastguard's standby rescue helicopter 'Lima Charlie' and the oil company BP's Bond chartered 'Jigsaw' rescue helicopter both took off from Sumburgh Airport and the Royal Air Force diverted a Nimrod aircraft from over the Irish Sea to assist. During a five hour search by both helicopters, the three standby vessels, plus a fourth ship, the diving support vessel Subsea Viking which had joined them, three bodies were located and recovered from the water, one each by either helicopter, and the third by one of the supply vessels.
At 9.30pm the Bond helicopter landed the first four survivors at Tingwall Airport, followed by 'Lima Charlie' with the remaining three at approx 10pm. A team of six or nine (the available reports are conflicting) Royal Navy divers were sent from Faslane, Scotland to work through the night searching the upturned, but still floating hull of the Bourbon Dolphin for the five crewmembers who were still missing, unfortunately without success. Seventy two non essential personnel from the Transocean Rather were also down-manned and flown to Sumburgh Airport due to fears that she could suffer damage from the upturned wreck which was still attached to her by the anchor chain.
The search by the Coastguard and Naval divers for the five missing crewmen continued on April 13th, three of whom were in the vessel's engine room, and two on the bridge when the vessel overturned, but was also unsuccessful. In view of the prevailing conditions, particularly the sea temperature, it was reluctantly concluded that the possibility of finding further survivors was by then, minimal. The contract to attempt to salvage the wreck was awared to Smit Salvage of The Netherlands, who quickly dispatched a seven man salvage crew for the scene, and who were transported to the area aboard the Coastguard rescue tug Anglian Sovereign, to assess whether cutting the anchor chain still attaching the floating wreck to the Transocean Rather was likely to cause it to sink. The salvage tug Zeus was also dispatched from Den Helder, The Netherlands for the scene, and the Highland Valour chartered to assist.
During the 14th, after discussions with all interested parties, the decision was taken to cut the anchor chain, due to the safety risk the attached wreck posed to the Transocean Rather, and the wreck was therafter held in position by the Olympic Hercules, awaiting the arrival of the full salvage team. The plan being to tow the upturned casualty to a sheltered Shetland voe to allow a full search etc to be undertaken.
On the morning of Sunday April 15th a Memorial Service for the victims, attended by approx thrity five relatives, friends survivors and owner's representatives was held at the waterside on the Sands of Sound beach, Lerwick. During the afternoon the weather in the vicinity of the wreck started to deteriorate, and by approx 6pm when the salvage master arrived on site the pervailing conditions were SW Force 5 wind with a 4 to 5 metre swell, and it was deemed unsafe in such conditions to attempt any towing operations or diving survey work. It also became apparent that the wreck had become unstable, and was steadily losing her bouyancy. By 9.15pm the wreck had become totally submerged, and the holding line to the Olympic Hercules had to be let go, the Bourbon Dolphin sank in approx 1100 metres of water at 61º 03.53N 003º 48.92 W.
Initially consideration was given to the possibility of raising the wreck after calls were made to do so, but it was decided not to proceed due to the logistics of working in such deep water, the exposed nature and strong currents of the site making it an operation of high danger risk, but of low chances of success.
Of the fifteen aboard the Bourbon Dolphin, fourteen were Norwegian nationals, mostly from a small area around Ålesund, and one Danish national. The three bodies recovered were those of the Captain, First and Second Officers. The five missing were, the Captain's 14 year old son, who was accompanying his father on this particular two week trip as work experience from school, the Chief Engineer, Second Engineer, Electrician, Bosun and a seaman.
The Norwegian flag was flown at half mast on the Lerwick Town Hall as a mark of respect, on Friday 20th April, the day of the Captain's funeral and memorial service for his missing son. The Bourbon Dolphin had left Lerwick Harbour in the company of two other vessels only two days prior to the tregedy,
An Inquest was opened at the court in Ålesund on April 25th, and a five member Norwegian Governmental Special Inquiry Commission was appointed on April 27th to investigate the incident. The report of this commission was originally due to be published on February 1st 2008, but at the request of the Judge in charge, the publishing date has been postponed until April 1st 2008.
