The swift action of the Dutch maritime authorities successfully averted a major incident involving a disabled fuel tanker that was drifting toward a large offshore wind farm in the North Sea. The following details outline the near-collision and the successful rescue operation.
Maritime Incident Details
A product tanker, a 145-meter-long vessel, lost main engine power while sailing approximately 37 kilometers west of IJmuiden on the evening of October 4. The vessel was carrying a cargo of fuel oil and had a crew of 21 people on board. Due to severe weather—including strong winds and waves up to five meters—the tanker was unable to drop anchor and began drifting toward the offshore wind facility. At the time of the power failure, the vessel was located dangerously close to the Hollandse Kust Zuid wind farm, a massive installation comprising 139 turbines with a total capacity of 1.5 gigawatts.
Rescue and Stabilization Efforts
The emergency response was immediately coordinated by the Netherlands Coast Guard. An emergency towing vessel (ETV), the “Protector,” which is strategically stationed near the wind farms, was deployed to the scene. Due to the challenging weather, it took the ETV over three hours to successfully attach a towline as the tanker continued to drift closer to the wind turbines. The connection was finally secured around 11:15 p.m., at which point the tanker was only about one kilometer from the offshore infrastructure. A lifeboat from the Royal Netherlands Sea Rescue Institution also provided crucial support, while two Coast Guard helicopters were on standby for a possible crew evacuation. Once secured, the vessel was towed to a safe position and held steady throughout the night.
Resolution and Subsequent Voyage
The tanker’s crew was able to repair the main engine while the vessel was held in a secure position. The towline was kept attached throughout the following day, Sunday, due to the rough seas making it unsafe to disconnect. By late Sunday afternoon, the situation was stabilized, and the towline was released. The vessel was able to proceed to the port of IJmuiden on Monday under its own power, with no injuries or damage reported to the wind farm or the tanker.
This successful intervention highlighted the effectiveness of coordinated emergency services in protecting critical infrastructure. The prompt response helped avert a potentially serious accident for the offshore wind farm, which had experienced a previous incident in 2022 when a different bulk carrier lost power and collided with a wind turbine foundation and a substation base. The incident also demonstrated the value of the Dutch Coast Guard’s new 24-hour monitoring service, launched only days before, which tracks vessel movements near offshore platforms and is designed to alert operators to drifting dangers.
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Source: Marine Insight
