Saipem 7000 Lists Heavily in Lifting Accident in Norway

Update: Video Shows Saipem 7000 Lifting Accident

The giant heavy-lift crane vessel Saipem 7000 was listing Thursday after suffering a lifting accident in a Norwegian fjord near Stavanger.

The Norwegian rescue services report the vessel listed in connecting with a lifting operation. A barge next to the crane vessel has capsized. All crew are reported safe.

There were some reports online of explosions. Photos and video shared online show the vessel listing heavily with its main deck nearly in the water.

An update from the Norwegian Coastal Administration indicated the situation was “under control” and the crane vessel may have been righted. “The incident seems to be under control. A lift of a larger barge smoke, and caused an imbalance in weight. The crane vessel is now straightened up, while the barge lies upside down next to the vessel. The Norwegian Coastal Administration has pilots on board,” the agency wrote on Twitter (translated from Norwegian).

A sheen has been located in the water in the vicinity of the barge, which contains a maximum of 2,000 liters of oil, the Norwegian Coastal Administration reported.

Built in 1987, Saipem 7000 is a dynamically-positioned semisubmersible crane vessel operated by Italian offshore contractor Saipem S.p.A. The vessel is one of the most capable ships of its kind in the world, with two twin 7,000 metric tons capacity cranes, allowing for tandem lifts up to 14,000 mt.

In 2019, the vessel set the Gulf of Mexico lifting record with an 11,100 mt lift of a gas compression topside module for a platform in the Ku Maloob Zaap oil field in Mexico’s Bay of Campeche.

AIS ship tracking data from ship tracking and maritime analytics provider MarineTraffic showed the Saipem 7000 departed Rotterdam on April 8, arriving in Stavenger on the evening of April 13.