Mishaps 'caused Dolphin tragedy'

A STRING of mishaps and misunderstandings may have caused the Bourbon Dolphin to capsize off Shetland with the loss of eight of its 15 crew, a survivor testified yesterday.

An inquiry into the accident on 12 April aboard the oilrig support vessel, which was owned by Bourbon Offshore, opened yesterday in its home port of Aalesund in Norway.

Geir Syvertsen, 32, the first mate of the Norwegian ship, said the vessel was working with the British vessel Highland Valour in a routine operation to move an oilrig's anchor and chain weighing an estimated 330 tonnes.

Mr Syvertsen said the boats had nearly collided while struggling with the anchor in strong winds.

He said the Highland Valour repeatedly tried to hook on to the chain to assist the Bourbon Dolphin in hauling the weight on to its rear platform, without success.

Mr Syvertsen said there may have been a misunderstanding between the two vessels, leading the Highland Valour to pull the chain the wrong way, which increased the pull on the port side of the Bourbon Dolphin.

"After the listing started, the chain went in the wrong direction," he was quoted as saying by the Norwegian news agency NTB.

"We pumped ballast water into the starboard side to straighten up the ship."

Mr Syvertsen said that this did not work and the ship listed even more. "The captain asked me to hit a button for the emergency release mechanism for the chain and wires. That was done to save the ship. I thought it would go fast, but it didn't. The system only released 12 metres per minute."

He said he climbed up the starboard side of the boat, and saw other crewmen being thrown around. He was thrown into the water without a lifejacket, but swam to another crewman who had one. They spotted a liferaft, climbed aboard it and picked another crewman from the water.

The Bourbon Dolphin had been undertaking a routine operation at the drilling rig Transocean Rather when it capsized about 75 miles north-west of Shetland.

Among the dead were the captain, Oddne Remoy, and his son David, 14, who was on work experience. It is not known when the hearing's conclusions will be announced.

Last night, Oystein Hovdkinn, Norway's consul-general in Scotland, said: "Everyone understands the inquiry is important to the families of the deceased. It's important for the ship-owning company, and it's important for the Norwegian offshore communities who feel strong solidarity for the community affected by this accident.

"It is also important to Norway to have a description and explanation of how this happened."