Q TROUBLESPOT
As a result of the global decline in the offshore oil and gas markets, Maersk Supply Service announced adjustments to its organization in mid-2016, including plans to reduce its fleet by up to 20 ships within 18 months and reduce staff in the order of 400 jobs. As part of the company’s divestment plans, it was decided
that two anchor-handling supply tugs, Maersk Shipper and Maersk Searcher, were to be sold. Both vessels had been in cold lay-up — unmanned and not operative — in the Danish port of Fredericia since early 2016. They were sold to a shipyard in Aliaga, Turkey, where they would be recycled.
Towing set-up In early September 2016, a Management of Change (MoC) meeting was arranged for the
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planning of the Maersk Searcher and Maersk Shipper’s voyage. It had been predetermined that the transport of the ships was to be commenced as one tow by a third ship – the offshore tug Maersk Chancellor – and one of the topics for the MoC was to evaluate the different set-ups for carrying out this type of towing operation. At the MoC meeting, the participants
discussed two potential towing set-ups. The first, the double-tow, was
recommended by an external towing company, but required a specific winch
set-up, which was not available on Maersk Chancellor, and therefore not possible. The second towing set-up, with the ships
This night-time photo shows the capsized Maersk Searcher sinking and about to drag Maersk Shipper down into the water
Double capsize
towed to Turkey Words: The Danish Maritime Accident Investigation Board
During one night in December 2016, the Danish offshore supply ships Maersk Searcher and Maersk Shipper both capsized and sank in the Bay of Biscay while being
connected in series, required the middle ship to be manned and operational in order to control the winches with the connecting wire to the last ship. During the preparation of the towing
operation, it became evident that making one of the ships operational and the necessary extra crew made the serial tow an expensive solution. Therefore, the marine superintendent was encouraged by the ships’ operations manager to explore alternatives. The superintendent agreed with other superintendents, captains and operation managers who were involved in the planning of the towing operation to examine whether the side-by-side tow could be a possible solution. The side-by-side tow would fit the winch set-up on Maersk Chancellor and would allow for both ships to be unmanned. The marine superintendent set to work on a
draft towing procedure for the side-by-side towage in order to assess whether this solution was feasible.
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