Transport supervisor unveils the cause of Kolskaya rig disaster
The Commission of the Federal Service for Transport Supervision has named the cause of sinking of Kolskaya jack-up drilling rig with 67 workers onboard on December 18, 2011 in the Okhotsk Sea, Rostransnadzor said.
The causes are of this accident are as follows:
the decision of rig owner JSC Arcticmorneftegasrazvedka (AMNGR) to tow the Kolskaya rig during the seasonal ban on towing operations;
the violation of the requirements by the owner, which define the order and the tests of the rig for a one-time sailing in the winter zone and time;
improper management of safety during towing the jack-up rig by AMNGR;
the delayed decision of AMNGR officials to stop the rig towing, poor handling of salvage operation to rescue the crew from Kolskaya jack-up rig.
"The immediate cause of sinking of the jack-up rig was the effect of significant wind and wave hydrodynamic forces to the hull and superstructure of the vessel, which entailed seal failure, leading to sinking of tanks and quarters. As a result the Kolskaya rig keeled to its side… capsized and sank," the report said.
The ad hoc commission for investigation of the Kolskaya rig disaster, which killed more than 50 people, included representatives from the Ministry of Transportation, Federal Service for Transport Supervision, the Federal Agency of Maritime and River Transport, Russian Maritime Register of Shipping and several scientific organizations. The commission took into account the views of independent experts among retired navigators, and other individuals and organizations.
The results of the probe will be handed over to the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation.