Vattenfall shows damage caused by cargo ship adrift at Hollandse Kust Zuid offshore wind farm

Julietta D, the bulk carrier that had drifted in the Hollandse Kust Zuid wind farm offshore the Netherlands for several hours on Monday, 31 January, collided with one of the wind turbine monopile foundations at the 1.5 GW wind farm.

A reconnaissance flight carried out on Tuesday, 1 February, has revealed the damage, although further inspections are required to determine the extent of the damages, Vattenfall, the wind farm’s majority owner and developer, said.

On Monday, the bulk carrier Julietta D became adrift in an anchorage area north of the Hollandse Kust Zuid wind farm. The Julietta D suffered a hull breach after colliding with another vessel.

The Julietta D took on water in the engine room, and it was decided to evacuate the entire 18-person crew by helicopter.

After the crew of the Julietta D had been safely evacuated, the vessel drifted rudderless through the wind farm site for several hours.

An initial aerial inspection commissioned by Vattenfall indicates that, as the vessel was drifting through the wind farm, it damaged one of the thirty-four foundations already installed. Further inspections will be carried out when weather conditions improve, Vattenfall said.

In addition to damaging one of the foundations for Hollandse Kust Zuid, the Julietta D collided with the jacket of a TenneT transformer platform, according to Vattenfall. In the late afternoon, the Julietta D left the area where Hollandse Kust Zuid is being constructed and has since been safely towed to the port of Rotterdam.

Unfortunately, a number of people on board a tugboat and rescue boat that were involved in the operations suffered minor injuries, Vattenfall said.

The developer and its contractors had no personnel or vessels in the Hollandse Kust Zuid area at the time of the incident.