Damage to Wireline Unit During Supply Boat Operations

Description of Incident

Whilst backloading a container to a supply vessel using the platform crane, it touched down to the supply vessel deck, a secured door unexpectedly opened on the container and then the stern deck of the supply vessel immediately dropped. When the vessel came back up, the door impacted an adjacent pipe carrier basket on the vessel and damaged the hinges on the door. The unit was recovered back to the platform so it could be examined and made safe.

Findings:

• The unit had passed a thorough inspection against EN 12079 1999 which requires the design standard to be headed on the container nameplate and double doors to have at least one locking device on each door, that locks directly to the top and to the bottom frame​. Neither requirement was met.

• The door locking device was in the closed position prior to landing, with a single tie wire used as secondary retention. However, the locking device moved into the open position under the force of the landing. Weather conditions and sea state were within the acceptable limits.

• The landing area on the supply vessel was too small to land the unit with the open door. With the information the crane operator had at the time; they made the split decision to recover the container to the platform as they deemed it the safest option to take.