A crane failure on Ithaca Energy’s wellhead protector platform in the North Sea has led to serious concerns among workers about potential food shortages during the Christmas period.
The incident, which occurred on Ithaca’s Captain field, has resulted in the evacuation of drilling crews and disrupted normal operations on the platform.
Workers have expressed worries about running out of food and water supplies as the crane, crucial for transferring goods to the platform, remains out of service.
Ithaca Energy, the platform operator, has stated that efforts are underway to repair the crane “as soon as possible.” However, the company has not provided a specific timeline for when the repairs will be completed.
It is understood that a “300m” hose has been hooked up to supply water to the platform for the time being.
Ithaca said: “The platform is well supplied. But we will set up alternative ways to get essential supplies such that we can continue operation in case the current situation lasts for longer.”
Unite the Union claims that this is a more serious issue than the North Sea firm is letting on and that the situation is representative of a wider maintenance issue.
The union member aboard Captain wrote: “Lack of maintenance is now biting them at a time of the year when the crew should be looked after and appreciated.”
Safety-critical maintenance backlog has been flagged as a major issue in the North Sea following the COVID pandemic, however, Unite claims that the UK’s safety watchdog isn’t doing enough to combat the issue.
Regional officer for the union, John Boland, pointed to recent notices served to North Sea operators Repsol and Apache, who operate aging assets, as examples of this:
“We’re obviously concerned about this situation that is happening with the Captain WPP but we’re also concerned about the wider industry.”
As Christmas approaches, the incident raises questions about contingency planning and the resilience of offshore operations in the face of unexpected equipment failures.
The situation also highlights the unique challenges faced by offshore workers, particularly during the holiday season. With limited access to resources and reliance on regular supply deliveries, a technical failure like this can have significant impacts on daily life and morale.
