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Vessel in deadly sinking after wind turbine collision ‘failed to keep lookout’
Credit: Cosmo Sanderson, Published 2 May 2025, rechargenews.com ~~
A fishing vessel that sank after crashing into an offshore wind turbine – sending 10 crew members overboard, with one confirmed dead and one never recovered – had failed to keep a proper lookout, finds a report into the incident.
The deadly incident occurred in August last year in the Yellow Sea, which is nestled between China and the Korean Peninsula.
The vessel, 36 metres in length, was returning to port around midnight when it struck a wind turbine, according to a report released this week by China’s Maritime Safety Administration.
The turbine in question is part of the Qidong H1 Offshore Wind Farm in China. The 252MW project was developed by Jiangsu HWFL Power Generation Co, which is a state-owned entity, according to the report. The wind farm employs 42 wind turbines, which Power Technology reports are 6MW machines manufactured by Shanghai Electric.
When the vessel hit the turbine it was travelling at around 10 knots. Although the captain was able to separate the vessel from the turbine, the report says it took on a lot of water and sank within minutes.
The wind turbine itself sustained only light damage from the collision.
Of the 10 crew members on board, all of whom were wearing life jackets, two were able to climb into the life raft. The others floated in the sea nearby.
The Chinese coast guard rescued the crew members from the life raft and six others nearby hours later. Two remained missing, however, even after a multi-day search involving aircraft. The body of one crew member was found the following month. The other has never been found.
The main cause of the accident, according to the report, is that the vessel failed to maintain a regular lookout and did not have its radar active. The report also noted that the vessel should have charted a course to avoid the wind farm.
A diagram of the wind farm in question. The fishing vessel struck the H1-40 wind turbine, which was not equipped with warning lights but sits in a row with others that do have them.
It recommended that the captain of the vessel bear primary responsibility and should be referred to judicial authorities.
The turbine the vessel struck, which sustained minor damage, is not equipped with warning lights, said the report, however it noted that regulations do not require all turbines in an offshore wind farm to have them. Two other nearby turbines did feature such lights.”,{“type”:92,”html”:274},”The report did find that a secondary cause of the incident was that the wind farm developer did not fully inform the public of the layout of the wind farm, which was commissioned in 2021.
“No contact details for Jiangsu HWFL Power Generation Co were immediately available online.
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| Tag: Accidents |
