Classification
- Incident Type: Capsize girding
- Severity: High
Vessel Details
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Vessel Name | Bourbon Dolphin |
| Vessel Type | Tug |
| Flag State | |
| IMO Number | 9351983 |
| MMSI | 258456000 |
| Call Sign | LNUW |
| Gross Tonnage | 2985 |
| LOA (m) | 75.2 |
| Breadth (m) | 17 |
| Bollard Pull (t) | 180 continuous |
| Power (kW) | 12000 |
| Owner/Operator | |
| TEU | |
| Year Built | 2006 |
| Crew Size |
Incident Details
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Date | 2007-04-12 |
| Location | Rosebank field area, west of Shetland |
| Coordinates | 56.0027, 2.8145 |
| Region | North Sea |
| Fatalities | 8 |
| Injuries | |
| Missing | |
| Vessels Lost | 1 |
| Direct Damage | |
| Economic Damage | |
| Outcome | Bourbon Dolphin capsized and sank; seven people were rescued, three were found dead and five remained missing in the reported casualty account. |
Key facts
- Bourbon Dolphin was an anchor-handling tug supply vessel working for Chevron at the Rosebank field west of Shetland.
- On 12 April 2007, the vessel developed a severe port heel while handling the final anchor for the drilling rig Transocean Rather.
- The official commission report records 14 crew members plus the captain's 14-year-old son aboard: seven were rescued, three were found dead and five remained missing.
- The commission found interacting factors rather than a single technical or human error.
Narrative
The Norwegian government-appointed investigation commission report states that Bourbon Dolphin was a DP2 anchor-handling tug supply vessel delivered in October 2006. It worked for Chevron on anchor-handling operations for the semi-submersible drilling rig Transocean Rather at the Rosebank field west of Shetland.
On 12 April 2007, while working on the final anchor, Bourbon Dolphin developed significant drift from the anchor line and requested assistance. During westward manoeuvring, the chain lead was shifted from the inner starboard towing pin to the outer port towing pin. The vessel then developed a severe port heel. The starboard engines stopped, the vessel briefly righted, heeled again and capsized to port at about 17:08.
The report says 14 crew members and the captain's 14-year-old son were aboard. Seven people were rescued, three were found dead in the sea and five remained missing in the reported account. The page records eight fatalities from the three recovered dead and five missing, while leaving the final missing-person field unresolved.
The commission concluded that no single technical or human error explained the loss. It identified interacting factors including weather and current, the vessel's stability characteristics, loading condition, use of the anti-roll tank, initial port heel, heading relative to external forces, the changed chain lead, severe port heel, reduced manoeuvrability after the starboard-side blackout and misunderstanding of how quickly the chain could be released.
Sequence of events
| Date/time | Event |
|---|---|
| 2007-04-12 | Bourbon Dolphin was handling anchors for Transocean Rather at the Rosebank field. |
| 2007-04-12 | During work on the final anchor, the vessel developed drift from the anchor line and requested assistance. |
| 2007-04-12 | The chain lead was shifted from the inner starboard towing pin to the outer port towing pin, followed by a severe port heel. |
| 2007-04-12 about 17:08 | The starboard engines stopped, the vessel briefly righted, then heeled again and capsized to port. |
Contributing factors
| Factor | Evidence status | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Stability and loading condition | Confirmed finding | The commission identified the vessel's stability characteristics and loading condition as interacting factors in the loss. |
| External forces | Confirmed finding | Weather, current, initial heel and the vessel's heading affected the forces acting during anchor handling. |
| Changed chain lead | Confirmed finding | The chain lead was shifted between towing pins before the severe port heel developed. |
| Starboard-side blackout | Confirmed finding | Loss of manoeuvrability after the starboard engines stopped contributed to the casualty sequence. |
| Chain-release response | Confirmed finding | The report identified a misunderstanding of how quickly the chain could be released. |
Investigation
Norway's government-appointed investigation commission published report NOU 2008:8 on 28 March 2008. It found that the capsize resulted from interacting operational, stability, loading, environmental and equipment factors, rather than one isolated error. The report is the primary investigation source for the casualty.
References
- Source URL: https://novatug.nl/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/2007-04-12-bourbon-dolphin-imo-9351983-capsize-girding-trouw-source-capture.pdf
- Report URL: https://novatug.nl/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/2007-04-12-bourbon-dolphin-imo-9351983-capsize-girding-investigation-report.pdf
- Local official report PDF:
output/pdf-upload/uploaded-pdfs/2007-04-12-bourbon-dolphin-imo-9351983-capsize-girding-investigation-report.pdf - Media URL: https://novatug.nl/20070412-bourbon-dolphin-imo-9351983-sinking/
References
- Norwegian commission report record
- Norwegian commission report, NOU 2008:8
Related
- Bourbon Dolphin
- North Sea
- Girding
- Capsize Girding
- Tug Incident Classification
- Norwegian government-appointed investigation commission