The company said the incident took place at approximately 0200 hours GMT on 13 November 2023, whilst the vessel was transiting in the North Sea.
Seaway 7 said the vessel is now operating on reduced power and a tow vessel has been mobilised to assist it.
“There have been no injuries to personnel as a result of this incident and there is no threat to the environment,” said the company.
In a second statement issued to OWJ, Seaway 7 said, “There was smoke reported, but no actual fire and no extinguishing needed.”
Asked to confirm the nature of the incident and how badly the ship was affected, the company said, “The vessel is operating on reduced power due to the fault. We will know more once the vessel arrives in port for fault finding and repairs.”
Asked about where the incident occurred, the company said, “Seaway Alfa Lift had just completed the first transition piece (TP) installations on Dogger Bank A and was returning to Rotterdam to shelter from heavy weather and load additional TPs when the fault occurred.”
The vessel is now returning to the Port of Rotterdam.
Seaway Alfa Lift is a purpose-designed semi-submersible unit that is customised for foundation installation for the offshore wind market. It has a ‘smart deck’ capable of carrying and installing up to 10 XL monopiles or eight jackets per voyage.
The incident is one of a number to have affected the vessel, which was originally ordered by OHT, prior to it becoming part of Subsea 7 and Seaway 7.
Problems encountered during construction of the vessel had a significant financial effect for Seaway 7.
The design and fabrication of mission equipment led to an overrun of the schedule and budget, with a knock-on impact on the Dogger Bank A and B projects, for which a provision was taken by the company in 2022.
In 2021, Seaway 7 confirmed an incident had taken place involving the folding A-frame on the main crane on Seaway Alfa Lift, whilst the semi-submersible offshore installation vessel was under construction in China.
Seaway Alfa Lift was floated out from the drydock at China Merchants Heavy Industry (CMHI) shipyard in Jiangsu in March 2021.
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