Vertical lay system dropped during quayside mobilisation
- Safety Flash
- Published on 1 February 2005
- Generated on 20 May 2026
- IMCA SF 02/05
- 1 minute read
A Member has reported a high potential incident (HIPO) which occurred during the recent mobilisation of a vertical lay system (VLS) at the quayside.
Fortunately, no one was injured. However, the VLS was damaged and some less serious damage was sustained to the vessel.
It is understood that the bottom section of the VLS, weighing approximately 265 tonnes, had been made ready for loading onto the vessel, using a permanent quayside crane. A fifteen minute test, with the load suspended on the crane had been successfully completed and loading operations commenced. As the load was in the process of being lifted onto the vessel, the load was seen to drop. It struck the starboard wing wall of the vessel and fell outboard onto the quayside.
The incident is currently subject of a comprehensive investigation and at this early stage it is impossible to state with any certainty what the causes of the incident were. However, key lessons learned will be shared with members through a further IMCA safety flash when the investigation has been concluded.
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