At around 13:00 UK time on July 19, Wind Orca, a self-propelled jack-up wind turbine installation vessel (WTIV) owned by Danish offshore contractor Cadeler, collided with container ship BG Orange as it departed the dock at the Port of Tyne near Newcastle, UK. The crash also damaged a shore crane, leaving one worker hospitalized.

Cadeler issued an official statement confirming the injured party was the shore crane operator, whose vital signs remain stable after admission and is receiving treatment. All crew members aboard Wind Orca escaped unharmed. Following the incident, Cadeler activated its emergency response protocol and is coordinating with port and maritime authorities to handle the site and launch follow-up investigations.

The Port of Tyne stated the crane sustained substantial damage, and a full-scale accident probe has been initiated.

The port serves as a key operational hub for Ørsted’s 2.9GW Hornsea 3 offshore wind farm, where extensive turbine support work is underway. Ørsted said its top priority is safeguarding the well-being of all involved personnel. The developer is collaborating with the vessel operator and port authorities to reconstruct the full sequence of events and will release further verified details at an appropriate time.

This marks the second collision involving a wind installation vessel in recent months. Back in June, Brave Tern, a jack-up WTIV operated by Fred.Olsen Windcarrier, struck another vessel and the dock wall while leaving the Port of Esbjerg in Denmark, also sending one person to hospital.

The spate of repeated incidents has sounded a fresh alarm over safety management for offshore wind marine operations.