Bourbon Dolphin owner fined £500,000

Published on Monday 5 January 2009 21:05

A NORWEGIAN firm was yesterday fined almost £500,000 after one of its vessels capsized off the coast of Shetland with the loss of eight lives.

The Bourbon Dolphin, an offshore oil-rig support tug, sank around 85 miles west of Shetland in April 2007.

The new captain of the six-month old vessel and his 14-year-old son were among those who died when the vessel turned turtle as an anchor-handling operation involving a drilling rig went wrong.

Norway's national prosecutor yesterday said Bourbon Offshore Norway had not given the captain enough time to learn about the crew and ship, as he only had 90 minutes to take over.

Bourbon Offshore Norway, which was ordered to pay five million kroner, can appeal against the fine, but has not yet commented on the punishment.

The Bourbon Dolphin was involved in an anchor-handling operation for the Transocean Rather drilling rig, which was on charter to oil giant Chevron.

It was pulling a heavy anchor chain that suddenly slid across the side of the deck and started to drag the vessel over. The two main engines stopped and seconds later the Bourbon Dolphin capsized.

The wreck sank three days after the incident. Just seven of the crew survived. In reports presented to a commission of inquiry set up by the Norwegian government, doubts were raised about the ability of both the vessel and its crew to handle large anchors in such deep water.