Rotra-Vente

A large scale evacuation took place in the port of Esbjerg in the night of Apr 10, 2017, when the crew of the "Rotra Vente" following an engine failure just as the ship was heading out of the harbor. In the strong western wind with a strong inward tide the Siemens' vessel suffered a blackout and began to drift back to port. The ship dropped anchor, but the strong wind sent it on a collision course towards the two Maersk drilling rigs "Maersk Resolve" and "Maersk Resolute", and both had to be evacuated. The ship hit one of the rigs with low speed and got wedged in the rig's helipad. With the rising tide was important to get the ship quickly free again, so two tugs and a pilot boat were sent to get it under control. There was no major damage, but a mast and antennas that were entangled in the platform broke off. The draught of the vessel was increased by taking on ballast water in the stern, so the tugs managed to pull the ship to a berth at the Aries Quay where it is detained on Apr 11 for further inspection of the damage. Maersk Drilling was working with the Port of Esbjerg and relevant authorities. Danish report with photos: http://www.jv.dk/esbjerg/Motorstop-i-havnen-To-boreplatforme-maatte-evakueres/artikel/2496318

Container ship Rotra Vente has been rebuilt by Holland Shipyards in Hardinxveld-Giessendam to carry large nacelles for direct-drive offshore wind turbines.