Major offshore firms could face legal action over the deaths of eight people after the official inquiry into the loss of the Bourbon Dolphin identified a catalogue of catastrophic blunders which led to the boat capsizing.
The commission set up to investigate the accident 75 miles off Shetland nearly a year ago said the anchor-handling operation the crew was trying to carry out should never have gone ahead.
The inquiry found it was not possible to show that an individual technical or human error was to blame.
But it identified a number of safety failings which contributed to the vessel’s loss, including her stability, the inexperience of her crew and the planning of the operation she was carrying out.
Among the commission’s findings, which were made public yesterday, are:
There were weaknesses in the design of the vessel, which was delivered by the Ulstein Group.
The boat was not suitable for the job she was doing.
Failures in the handling of safety systems by the company (Bourbon Offshore), by the operator (Chevron) and on the rig (the Transocean Rather) were major contributory factors to the accident.
The rig boss did nothing to keep himself informed of what was happening in the final phase of the operation.
Bourbon Offshore should have evaluated the vessel’s limitations more critically.
And it failed to look into unexpected problems with the vessel's stability two months before the tragedy.
Captain Oddne Arve Remoy, 44, and his son, David, 14, were among the eight people who died when the vessel turned turtle.
The Bourbon Dolphin was on contract to the oil company Chevron as one of several vessels carrying out anchor handling to move the Transocean Rather drilling rig in the Rosebank oil field.
The operation was planned and overseen by maritime consultancy firm Trident.
The rig is moored with eight anchors and on April 12, the Bourbon Dolphin was sent out to deploy anchor number two – despite a larger vessel having struggled to cope with the weather conditions and currents earlier that day while moving another anchor.
The boat had been working with the Highland Valour to move the anchor and chain when she began drifting considerably from her position.
Despite using full thrust to try to get back into position, the Bourbon Dolphin drifted so far east she was at the location of the third mooring anchor.
The boat was inches from colliding with the Highland Valour which was trying to help get her back on course when the starboard engines stopped. And when the chain on the vessel came out of position in high winds, the Bourbon Dolphin overturned.
The commission regards its report as a “sufficient basis” for authorities and private parties to consider errors and negligence in order to decide whether it should trigger legal action.
Last night, Graeme Tran of Amicus, now part of the Unite union, said the report “pulled no punches” and was “embarrassing” for the industry.
He added: “This is a very damning report and it is clear there had been problems with this vessel from day one, even in the shipyard.”
The commission recommends that stability calculations for anchor handling are made in future and that operating procedures for moving rigs are specific for every operation.