Drill ship breaks moorings at Hunterston in North Ayrshire
It has sparked a major response from emergency services.
Last updated 3rd Feb 2021
Tug boats and a lifeboat crew are still standing by after a giant drilling ship broke free of its moorings in Firth of Clyde.
The Valaris DS4 began drifting from the jetty at Hunterston in gale force winds at 7pm on Tuesday night.
Jackie Pearson from Fairlie saw what happened. He told Clyde 1 "I noticed it was moving and I could see that it was no longer at the jetty. It was about half way from the jetty towards Cumbrae. There were various blue lights starting to appear.
"These boats are ocean drillships in excess of 50,000 tonnes. They have a huge drill platform in the centre of the ship and that's obviously part of the problem because there is huge windage on these vessels.
The coastguard released an updated statement on Wednesday morning: "HM Coastguard received a mayday call just after 19:20 2nd February after a drill ship, with 8 crew on board, broke from its mooring at Hunterston Terminal and started to drift without power.
"The vessel is now at anchor off Hunterston.
"Another drill ship moored at the terminal has also required assistance in the worsening weather and is currently being helped to hold its position by three tugs."
A spokesperson for harbour authority Clydeport Operations Limited said, "Our team was monitoring the situation due to the high winds, which were gusting to over 90mph, and immediately dispatched three tugs, a Clyde Estuary Pilot and a response team to manage the situation, alongside the Maritime & Coastguard Agency.
“The vessel remains at anchor with a tug nearby and the other vessel remains secured at its berth. Wind speeds are forecast to drop considerably during the day and we are working closely with the Maritime & Coastguard Agency and the ship’s owners to make it secure.”
The vessel is one of two Valaris ships being held at Hunterston Port as the American company goes through restructuring.
Mr Pearson added, "To be quite honest, I wasn't that surprised it broke away. The length of the two ships was greater than the length of the jetty head. The DS4 was sticking out quite well beyond the end of the jetty."
Former coastguard crew members say the vessel managed to start its thrusters to hold steady.
Lifeboat teams, tugs and the rescue helicopter were on scene as a precaution.
A spokesperson from EDF Energy which runs the Hunterston nuclear site says, "The station is aware and monitoring the situation but operations haven't been affected."
We have also contacted Peel Ports for a statement on the incident.