On-the-loose ship which hit HKZ OSS foundation now under tow to Port of Rotterdam

After a day of adventure on the high seas off the Dutch coast, which included hitting a foundation of an offshore wind farm substation, the rudderless cargo vessel Julietta D has been salvaged by Boskalis, the company reported on 1 February, saying the out-of-control ship is now being towed to the Port of Rotterdam.

The vessel is expected to arrive in the Port of Rotterdam early in the afternoon today (1 February), after breaking loose yesterday off the coast of IJmuiden during Storm Corrie, colliding with an oil and chemicals tanker and then running into a jacket foundation of the offshore substation in the Hollandse Kust Zuid wind farm site.

On 31 January, Julietta D was anchored offshore IJmuiden but got into difficulty when its anchor chain broke during the storm, causing it to collide with the tanker and to subsequently start taking on water.

The crew members were evacuated by helicopter after which the ship drifted towards the coast of Scheveningen and collided with the offshore substation foundation.

Boskalis’s tug Sovereign arrived at the scene yesterday afternoon, followed by four salvors from Boskalis’ salvage division, SMIT Salvage, who were airlifted onto Julietta D by helicopter.

“At around 18:30 hours the first successful towing connection was made, preventing the vessel from running aground on the Dutch coast. The Julietta D was then pulled further out to sea as a precaution, waiting for an additional tug. At around 19:00 hours, the tug Multratug 18 of partner Multraship also made a towing connection, but due to the very rough conditions this connection unfortunately had to be severed”, Boskalis said.

Around 01:00 hours, Boskalis’s tug Manta, loaded with salvage equipment and an additional team of salvors, was on site and made a second towing connection after sunrise, securing the on-the-loose Julietta D, which is currently being towed to the port of Rotterdam.

“In addition to its own staff on board the tugs and Julietta D, Boskalis would also like to thank its partner Multraship, the Dutch Coast Guard and its helicopter crews, The Royal Netherlands Sea Rescue Institution and its crews of the search and rescue vessels, and the Port of Rotterdam”, Boskalis stated in a press release on 1 February.

The Hollandse Kust Zuid offshore wind farm will have two offshore substations, Hollandse Kust Zuid Alpha and Hollandse Kust Zuid Beta, with the Hollandse Kust Zuid Alpha already installed in December 2021.

The jacket foundation of the Hollandse Kust Zuid Beta substation was installed in June 2021, while the topside is scheduled to be installed later this year.

The 1.5 GW offshore wind farm, which will comprise 140 Siemens Gamesa 11 MW wind turbines, is owned by Vattenfall (50.5 per cent) and BASF (49.5 per cent), with Vattenfall in charge of the development of the wind farm.