Archive for the ‘accidents’ Category
Largest North American land rig topples while being relocated
Posted in accidents, Alaska, tagged Alaska, Doyon 26, largest, North Slope, rig topples on January 25, 2026| Leave a Comment »
Updated wind turbine incident data
Posted in accidents, energy policy, Offshore Wind, tagged Empire Wind, fatality, liftboat indicent, Russell Peterson, Scotland Against Spin, wind turbine incidents on January 9, 2026| Leave a Comment »
The diligent folks at Scotland Against Spin (SAS) have already updated their turbine incident data through the end of 2025. Their latest summary is attached, and their detailed historical table (342 pages) is linked.
The SAS data indicate that the number of wind turbine incidents has risen sharply in recent years (see chart below). The increased number of turbines worldwide, and perhaps better news coverage of incidents, presumably contributed to the sharp increase. Nonetheless, the growing number of incidents is disconcerting, as is the absence of industry and government summaries and reports.
SAS acknowledges that their list, which is dependent on publicly available reports, is merely the “tip of the iceberg.” For example, the list does not include the June 2, 2025, Empire Wind project fatality.
The SAS list does capture the 2008 collapse of the Russell Peterson liftboat, which was collecting data offshore Delaware for a wind project. One worker died and another was rescued. The Coast Guard never issued a report on this tragic incident. Serious questions remain about the positioning of a liftboat in the Mid-Atlantic for several months beginning in March when major storms are likely, the liftboat’s failure mechanisms, the operator’s authority to be conducting this research, and the actions that were taken in preparation for storm conditions.
Zero fatalities during oil and gas operations on the US OCS in 2025! Kudos to the offshore industry, BSEE, and the Coast Guard!
Posted in accidents, Offshore Energy - General, Offshore Wind, tagged BSEE, OCS oil and gas, offshore accidents, Offshore Wind, USCG, zero fatalities on January 6, 2026| Leave a Comment »
BOE is pleased to report that there were no occupational fatalities during oil and gas operations on the US OCS in 2025!
There were also zero fatalities in 2023. Two of the past three years were thus fatality free. One fatality occurred during decommissioning operations in 2024.
One fatality was associated with US offshore wind development in 2025. A crew member died while conducting vessel maintenance on a ship working for Equinor on the Empire Wind project.
Emergency landing and successful rescue offshore Brazil
Posted in accidents, Offshore Energy - General, tagged 4 fatalities, Airbus H160, Bill Gazdik, Brazil, emergency landing, helicopter incident, Jack Willock, offshore workers, sea landing, search and rescue on January 5, 2026| Leave a Comment »
An Airbus H160 helicopter carrying eight people made an emergency landing at sea off the coast of Cabo Frio, Brazil, on Friday (1/2), prompting a rapid search and rescue operation by the Brazilian Navy. All occupants were rescued safely, underscoring the importance of offshore aviation safety and emergency response readiness.
The incident involved an OMNI Táxi Aéreo helicopter operating in support of offshore production platforms. The aircraft landed approximately 74 kilometers south of Cabo Frio, Brazil. Six passengers and two crew members were on board at the time of the emergency landing.
Following the landing, a Search and Rescue (SAR) operation was immediately activated. A Navy helicopter was dispatched to the location, where the occupants had evacuated into two life rafts. All eight individuals were recovered and transported to the clinic at the Naval Air Base of São Pedro da Aldeia. Authorities confirmed that everyone was in good condition.
Fortunately, the weather was good and the sea conditions were calm.
A colleague of mine, Bill Gazdik, died in a helicopter crash while en route to the Western Pacesetter 1 drilling rig offshore New Jersey in 1978. Another colleague, Jack Willock, was seriously injured in that incident. Jack attributed his survival to the helicopter “dunker” training he had recently completed.
Although the number of events has decreased significantly over the years, helicopter incidents are still a leading safety concern. Four died on 12/29/2022 when a helicopter crashed at the West Delta 106 A platform the Gulf.
Picture of the Deepwater Horizon crew from 2001 <sigh>
Posted in well control incidents, Offshore Energy - General, drilling, Gulf of Mexico, tagged Deepwater Horizon, macondo, transocean, 2001 crew picture, Indian Ocean, victims on December 22, 2025| Leave a Comment »
This picture was posted on the “Rig Pigs” Facebook page by Huston Funk. Per Huston: “First crew photo from the Deepwater Horizon. Taken in the Indian Ocean after we had left Singapore.”
Commenters identified 3 Macondo victims in the photo: Jason Anderson, Don Clark, and Stephen Curtis 🙏
Tribute to the Deepwater Horizon victims
Is Nantucket’s agreement with Vineyard Wind really a step forward?
Posted in accidents, Offshore Wind, Regulation, energy policy, tagged Vineyard Wind, Nantucket, blade failure, MOU, penalties, accountability on December 16, 2025| Leave a Comment »
The attached Memorandum of Understanding between Vineyard Wind (VW) and the Town of Nantucket is long on bureaucratic procedures and short on risk mitigation and penalties.
The agreement details requirements for monthly reports, liaisons, written correspondence, plan reviews, and participation on incident management teams, but excludes any monetary penalties for past or future incidents. (With regard to penalties, should BSEE have assessed civil penalties for the 2024 turbine incident in accordance with 30 CFR § 285.400 (f)? This was a major pollution event.)
This MOU provision gives the impression that the Town is subordinate to VW:
“The Town will provide Vineyard Wind 1 up to 4 business days, if required, to identify and correct errors in the Town’s intended public communications about the Project.”
The responsible party should not be exercising oversight over the communications of an affected local government. Can you imagine Santa Barbara County reaching such an agreement with Sable Offshore?
Finally, the MOU further establishes the Town as a de facto partner in the project. VW, not the Town, is the responsible party and must be held fully accountable for project performance.
BSEE Safety Alert addresses recent Emergency Disconnect incidents
Posted in accidents, drilling, Gulf of Mexico, Offshore Energy - General, Regulation, tagged BSEE, Deepwater Horizon, EDS, Emergency Disconnect Sequence, riser disconnect, Safety Alert on December 9, 2025| Leave a Comment »
Several BSEE Safety Alerts have just been released. Of particular importance to those interested in deepwater drilling is the attached alert describing two separate Emergency Disconnect Sequence (EDS) incidents.
The EDS (see the diagram above) is a critically important safety protocol that ensures that a well is sealed and the riser and rig are disconnected from the blowout preventer in the event of a well control emergency, unforeseen weather/ocean conditions, loss of power, or positioning system malfunction. Note that the Macondo blowout could have been prevented if the Deepwater Horizon crew had activated the EDS in a timely manner.
The two EDS events cited in the Safety Alert were presumably the March 28, 2025 and March 5, 2024 incidents investigated by BSEE district offices. The drillships were the Stanley Lafosse and the Deepwater Poseidon The investigation reports provide detailed information on these incidents.
Unintended riser disconnects not associated with EDS activations are a related safety and pollution concern that necessitated the issuance of a 2000 Notices to Lessees that was subsequently updated:
Sable wants Federal regulators to have jurisdiction over their onshore pipeline
Posted in accidents, California, Regulation, tagged California, consent decree, Fire Marshal, jurisdiction, PHMSA, pipeline, Refugio pipeline spill, Sable Offshore on December 5, 2025| Leave a Comment »
Sable Offshore oil believes the federal Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) , not the California Fire Marshal, should have jurisdiction over the company’s onshore pipeline.
I once had the same opinion as Sable. Their pipeline is, by definition, an interstate line because it carries OCS production. Then I read Appendix D of the court approved Consent Decree that was executed following the 2015 Refugio pipeline spill. That Decree is quite clear regarding regulatory jurisdiction, and would have to be overturned to transfer authority to PHMSA.
The full Consent Decree is attached. Pasted below is an excerpt from Appendix D:
New Bedford Light: “Seventeen months on, Vineyard Wind blade break investigation isn’t done”
Posted in accidents, Offshore Wind, Regulation, tagged blade failure, BSEE, investigation, New Bedford Light, panel reports, publication delays, Vineyard Wind on December 4, 2025| Leave a Comment »
Excellent New Bedford Light piece on the unacceptable delay in completing the blade failure investigation report.
The Town of Nantucket’s attorney, Greg Werkheiser of Cultural Heritage Partners, told The Light last month that “it’s taken far too long” to get a final report on the blade failure.
It’s noteworthy that there have also been unacceptable delays in issuing panel reports for serious offshore oil and gas incidents:
| ncident date | report date | elapsed time (months) | incident type |
| 5/15/2021 | 10/31/2023 | 29.5 | fatality |
| 1/24/2021 | 7/24/2023 | 30 | fatality |
| 8/23/2020 | 2/15/2023 | 30 | fatality |
| 7/25/2020 | 2/15/2023 | 31 | spill |
Improved wind safety? Not so fast says former Ørsted safety chief!
Posted in accidents, energy policy, Offshore Energy - General, Offshore Wind, tagged Eskild Lund Sorensen, G+ incident report, Offshore Wind, wind safety on November 25, 2025| Leave a Comment »
“So, the safety culture is fine because we don’t report when people die.” Former Ørsted safety head, Eskild Lund Sørensen, accuses offshore wind body G+ of cherry picking data. The 2024 G+ incident data report is attached.
Member companies, which include major players such as Ørsted, Equinor, Vattenfall, RWE, and CIP, report quarterly data on accidents, near-misses, hazardous observations, and equipment damage. As is the case with most industry reporting schemes, anonymity is prioritized over transparency.
Sørensen asserts that the G+ wind industry data are incomplete: ”It shows that what is reported under the guidelines has gone down, and also that there is a cut off on what is being reported that does not include the full value chain on the industry.” He notes that a contractor to Northland Power from Canada, a member of G+, was involved in a 2024 workplace accident in Taiwan that resulted in three fatalities. (It’s also noteworthy that Equinor’s 2024 Empire Wind fatality was not included.)
Sørensen: ”There have been no significant improvements in the last 10 years. Safety in offshore wind is neither getting worse nor better. There are no signs of that.”
”I’m speaking up because we owe people the truth. If we’re not honest about the actual safety conditions in offshore wind, we can’t change them. Misinformation about workplace safety creates a dangerous illusion that everything is “under control”, while too many people are getting hurt. But when we dare to speak about reality as it is, we create the foundation for a safer, faster, and truly sustainable energy transition,” Sørensen says.
”And then it becomes difficult to learn if you have to wait for something to go through 57 gates and down past legal,” he says. (Sound familiar?)
In the U.S., both industry and govt need to do a better job of sharing complete incident data in a timely manner.
Bud's Offshore Energy (BOE) 