The Danish Maritime Authority has detained the wind turbine installation vessel (WTIV) Brave Tern following a collision in the Port of Esbjerg that damaged turbine components destined for the Thor offshore wind farm.
Incident Overview
According to the authority, the incident occurred during a harbour manoeuvre on 10 June when the Fred. Olsen Windcarrier-owned WTIV was caught by strong winds and drifted into the WTIV Wind Keeper, owned by Cadeler, which was moored alongside the quay.
RWE, the owner and developer of the Thor offshore wind farm, confirmed that components onboard Brave Tern struck another vessel and the dockside at the Port of Esbjerg.
No injuries or serious damage on board either WTIV have been reported. RWE said there were no injuries resulting from the collision, although one person was subsequently transported to hospital for a medical check-up.
Damage and Investigation
The vessel was carrying nine turbine blades at the time of the incident, according to local media reports. The collision resulted in damage to some of the blades onboard Brave Tern.
“The cause of the incident and the extent of any damage to the vessel and cargo are currently under investigation,” RWE said in a statement.
The Danish Maritime Authority said Brave Tern has been detained while inspections are carried out onboard and the extent of any damage is assessed as part of the investigation.
South and South Jutland Police attended the scene and said the incident was related to wind and weather conditions.
According to local newspaper JydskeVestkysten, the total value of the direct and indirect costs arising from the incident may exceed DKK1 billion (US$150 million).
Any potential impact on the construction schedule for the Thor offshore wind farm has not been disclosed.
Brave Tern installed the first wind turbine at the Thor project site, located some 22 kilometres off the west coast of Jutland, in March this year. The wind farm produced first power shortly afterwards.
Separately, Brave Tern was involved in an earlier incident on 23 November 2024, when it accidentally struck a 25-tonne mobile quayside crane at a shipyard in Spain. The crane fell onto a nearby barge, although its cab and base remained above the water. No injuries were reported in that incident.
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