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The Crown Office has confirmed that no criminal proceedings are
to be taken over the capsizing of an offshore supply vessel off
Shetland which claimed the lives of eight on board.
The Bourbon Dolphin was carrying out an operation to shift the
anchor of a drilling rig during April 2007 when the anchor chain
slid across the side of the deck dragging the vessel over. The two
main engines stopped and the vessel soon capsized. It sank days
later.
The commission set up to investigate the incident had raised
concerns about the ability of the vessel and the crew to handle
such large anchors in deep water. Bourbon Offshore was fined
£500,000 in Norway as the ship's captain was given
insufficient time (only 90 minutes) to learn about the vessel, crew
and the operation.
An inquiry found safety failings but last night the Crown Office
confirmed that no one will face criminal charges due to
insufficient evidence. A Crown Office spokesperson stated
"after extensive investigation by our specialist health and
safety division, including interviews with key witnesses, and
careful consideration of all the facts and circumstances, Crown
Counsel has concluded there should be no proceedings against the
companies reported due to there being insufficient
evidence."
This article was written for Law-Now, CMS Cameron
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articles are not necessarily comprehensive and do not purport to
give professional or legal advice. All Law-Now information relates
to circumstances prevailing at the date of its original publication
and may not have been updated to reflect subsequent
developments.
The original publication date for this article was
11/06/2012.
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