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Allision caused by lack of situational awareness
A lack of situational awareness caused the wind turbine blade-carrying ' Brave Tern' to allide with the ' Wind Keeper' in the Port of Esbjerg on June 10, Fred. Olsen Windcarrier’s parent company Bonheur has revealed. The 'Brave Tern' was transporting what appeared to be nine blades for Siemens Gamesa’s flagship 14MW turbines from the Port of Esbjerg. The blades were destined for the 1.1GW Thor offshore wind farm, which German power giant RWE is developing in Danish waters. As the vessel manoeuvred to exit the harbour, the blades crashed into the 'Wind Keeper', whixh in turn led to the 'Brave Tern' alliding with infrastructure on the quay side, further wrecking the blades.
Preliminary findings into allision in Esbjerg published
Preliminary findings from an initial investigation by the Danish Maritime Authority (DMA) provided new details about the sequence of events that led to the allision of the 'Brave Tern', while transporting nine wind turbine blades for RWE’s 1.1 GW Thor offshore wind farm, with the 'Wind Keeper' in the Port of Esbjerg on June 10. The DMA’s findings followed an unannounced survey conducted shortly after the incident and did not represent the conclusions of the investigation, which was still ongoing at the Danish Maritime Accident Investigation Board. DMA carried out the survey t on June 11. According to preliminary investigation documentation from the Danish Maritime Authority (DMA), the 'Brave Tern' had completed a 180-degree turn and was proceeding through the port at a speed of around three to four knots, when the incident occurred. A member of the 'Brave Tern' bridge team moved to the starboard side bridge wing during the manoeuvre to assess the clearance between the vessel’s blade cargo and the 'Wind Keeper', which was moored at the quay. Although the distance seemed close, the clearance was deemed to be sufficient at the time, according to the witness account included in the DMA report. Moments later, the crew was alerted that the blades were getting dangerously close before the cargo struck the 'Wind Keeper'‘s starboard crane at 07:41 a.m. LT. The vessel subsequently experienced difficulties maintaining its heading and made contact with the quayside about six minutes later. Control was regained by using the vessel’s dynamic positioning (DP) system, after which the 'Brave Tern' proceeded to a turning basin with tug assistance before returning to port. The DMA survey report noted that all vessel certificates were valid, no violations of crew rest-hour requirements were identified, and no equipment alarms had been reported before the collision. Investigators also recorded that all equipment appeared to be functioning normally at departure and stated that it remained unclear exactly what caused the incident. The DMA also stated that the windage effect of the cargo may have had a greater influence on the vessel’s maneuvering performance than originally expected, as the 'Brave Tern' was carrying vertically stowed tower sections on deck and turbine blades extending approximately 60 metres beyond the vessel’s starboard side. The survey identified hull damage on the vessel’s starboard side covering an area of approximately 12 square metres. Following the inspection, the DMA set a requirement for a safety meeting with bridge personnel before the vessel departs from Esbjerg to discuss the incident and measures to prevent similar occurrences. Meanwhile, cleanup operations in the Port of Esbjerg have been completed. Divers and specialist contractors have removed blade debris that fell into the water. The costs and damages following the collision are estimated to exceed DKK 1 billion (approximately EUR 134 million). Meawhile, the Port of Esbjerg was salvaing wing tips from the seabed, which broke off from the wind turbine blades.
Wind turbine blades damaged in allision
On the morning of June 10, 2026, the 'Brave Tern' was caught by strong winds during port maneuvres in Esbjerg, after which it hit the installation vessel 'Wind Keeper' (IMO: 9972749). Turbine components loaded onto the 'Brave Tern' struck the other vessel and the dockside. The authorities was informed of the allision, which occurred after the vessel had been loaded with parts for installation at the 1.1GW Thor wind farm off Jutland. No injuries have been reported, but one person was taken to a hospital for a medical check-up. The cause of the incident and the extent of any damage to the vessel and cargo were under investigation. The Danish Maritime Authority detained the ' Brave Tern'. The ship was moored in pos. 55° 27' N 008° 28' E at the Esbjerg Offshore Wind Marshalling Berth 02. The first Siemens Gamesa up to 15MW unit was put in place in March at the 72-turbine Thor array in an installation campaign that was slated to be concluded by the end of 2026. Reports with photos and video: https://jv.dk/esbjerg/tysk-gigant-bryder-tavsheden-efter-havnedrama-i-esbjerg https://presse-fotos.dk/milliardregning-truer-efter-havari-i-esbjerg-havn/
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