Ship Incident Injures 35 at Edinburgh Dock
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Iman SadeghiShip Incident Injures 35 at Edinburgh Dock
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Iman SadeghiMultiple injuries after ship tips
over at Edinburgh dockyard
22 March 2023
Petrel began to tip to one side at Imperial Dock
Thirty-five people have been injured after a ship tipped over
at an Edinburgh dockyard.
NHS Lothian said 23 people had been treated in hospital and 12
people at the scene of the incident at Imperial Dock, Leith.
A major incident was declared after the research vessel Petrel
became dislodged from its holding on a dry dock.
People have been asked not to attend A&E at Edinburgh Royal
Infirmary (ERI) unless it is an emergency.
Pictures posted on social media showed the 3,000-tonne vessel,
which is owned by the US Navy, leaning at a 45-degree angle.
The US Consulate in Edinburgh said it was monitoring the
situation and offering support to US citizens who were involved.
"We thank the emergency services for their prompt response. Our
thoughts are with all those affected by this incident," it added.
@Tomafc83
Images on social media showed the vessel at a 45-degree angle
The Scottish Ambulance Service said it was called at 08:30.
Five ambulances, an air ambulance, three trauma teams, a special
operations team, three paramedic response units and a patient
transport vehicle were sent to the scene.
NHS Lothian said 15 patients were taken to Edinburgh Royal
Infirmary by ambulance with another two attending themselves,
four to Western General Hospital and two to Victoria Hospital in
Kirkcaldy.
Another 12 people were treated and discharged at the scene.
A spokesperson for NHS Lothian said eight were still in the Royal
Infirmary, some with "serious injuries", and outpatient
appointments, endoscopies and planned surgeries had been
cancelled to "free-up our surgical staff".
Jacquie Campbell, chief officer of acute services at NHS Lothian,
said: "There are no plans at this time to postpone appointments
or elective procedures tomorrow, but assessments continue and
patients will be contacted directly if the situation changes."
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NHS Lothian has advised other people who require urgent care to
contact their GP or call NHS 24.
Police Scotland urged the public to avoid the area to allow access
for emergency services.
Supt Mark Rennie said all casualties had been accounted for by
13:20.
He explained: "There is no risk to the wider public and inquiries
are ongoing to establish the full circumstances of what has
happened.
"I would also like to thank the public for their patience while the
emergency services undertook a very difficult job aiding
casualties."
HM coastguard sent teams from Fisherrow, South Queensferry
and Kinghorn to the scene as part of the multi-agency response.
Scottish Fire and Rescue Service said it had sent four fire engines
and "a number of specialist resources".
The Health and Safety Executive said it was aware of the incident
and was making inquiries.
Sailors' Society Chaplain Pauline Robertson told BBC Radio
Scotland's Drivetime she had been listening to port staff who had
witnessed the incident or were dealing with the aftermath.
She said: "I think like everybody that has witnessed it or heard
about it today, we're all just in shock and horror at the tragedy
that just unfolded in front of us.
"There is shock, horror, pain - every emotion you can imagine is
being shown by staff. "
The Sailors' Society also said it was supporting people affected
by the incident.
"Our thoughts and prayers are with everyone affected by this
morning's accident in Leith. Sadly many are seriously injured. We
are supporting those we can."
James Welsh hear a loud noise as the ship fell in the dry dock
James Welsh, 39, a scaffold foreman at Leith docks who was
working near the Petrel as it fell, said he heard a loud noise but
"not as noisy as you would think".
He said one worker he sees every morning had put down his bag
to "nip to the toilet", and when he came back the ship was over
and he didn't know where his work mates were.
"It's very scary - it just makes you evaluate everything," he said.
"No one goes to work to be involved in any kind of accident.
"We all want to go home for our mince and tatties to our wife and
kids so I feel for anyone who is injured, and their family."
Cammy Day, the leader of City of Edinburgh Council, said he was
"deeply concerned" to hear of the incident, adding that
emergency services were being supported to carry out their work.
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Leith councillor Adam McVey described the incident as
"terrifying" for those on board.
He said on Twitter: "Emergency services are responding to a
major incident at Leith docks - a ship has been dislodged from its
holding in strong winds.
"My thoughts are with those who've been injured and hope
everyone recovers quickly. Please avoid area."
A spokesperson from Forth Ports said the incident happened at
the facility of its tenant, Dales Marine Services.
They said: "We are providing Dales with any support we can
today. We cannot comment any further as the incident response
is being led by the emergency services.
"Our thoughts are with everyone involved in this incident."
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Dales Marine Services, which runs the dry dock, said the incident
with the Petrel began at about 08:00 and the emergency services
were called shortly after.
A spokesperson said: "We can confirm that all those on board and
at the facility have been accounted for and our priority is to
ensure the wellbeing of all who have been affected."
A US Navy spokeswoman said: "We continue to communicate
with our contacts at the scene in order to understand what
occurred, the actions being taken, and the long-term impacts.
"Our thoughts and prayers are with those injured and their
families, with hopes for a quick and full recovery."
The weather was windy overnight with gusts of up to 38mph
(61km/h) recorded inland at Gogarbank at 08:00, according to
Met Office data.
Iraklis Lazakis, from the department of marine architecture and
engineering at the University of Strathclyde, said it was a "very,
very unusual" incident.
He told BBC Scotland's The Nine he believed the strong winds
were unlikely to be the root cause of the incident.
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The Petrel was pictured in an neighbouring berth in January, before being moved into the dry dock
Leith dock, in the north east of Edinburgh, has a maritime history
going back many centuries and is now home to the
decommissioned Royal Yacht Britannia.
The privatised Forth Ports has the largest enclosed deep water
port in Scotland and has been selected to develop one of
Scotland's first green freeports.
The 76m (250ft) ship has been owned by the United States Naval
Facilities Engineering and Expeditionary Warfare Center since
October 2022, and operated by Oceaneering International.
The vessel was previously owned by the estate of Microsoft co-
founder Paul Allen.
It was placed into long-term moorage in 2020 as a result of
"operation challenges" during the Covid pandemic, and has not
been used since.
Before this, it had been used for deep water searches for
shipwrecks and war graves at sea, including the lost World War
Two heavy cruiser USS Indianapolis, which was discovered
18,000 feet (5.5km) beneath the surface.
The RV Petrel was fitted out for the specialist searches before
billionaire Mr Allen died in 2018, having already pledged to
commit most of his fortune to philanthropy and non-profit
scientific research.