New video footage of the Orion crane incident has emerged on social media and it confirms that a failing hook was the cause for the accident aboard the offshore installation vessel. 

In the video, it is clearly visible that the hook breaks at its stem when the crane begins to lift the barge, as both Liebherr and Ropeblock, the designer of the hook and liftings block, have communicated.

The hook was designed to lift loads of up to 5,000 tonnes and on the day of the accident, the Orion was scheduled to perform an overload test by lifting a barge of 5,500 tonnes. However, for unknown reasons, the crane failed at around 2,600 tonnes causing the crane to swing back and ultimately collapse. Twelve people were injured in the accident and two of them had to be taken to a hospital for treatment.

In a statement, Ropeblock says the design was verified by the authorized notified body. Manufacturing of the hook was then purchased “from a certified supplier who is familiar with parts of similar and larger sizes.” The name of the company has not been made public.

Why the hook broke remains unclear for the moment. Both companies have said that the relevant authorities and independent experts are investigating the accident.

Meanwhile, Deme is looking for a replacement vessel to takeover Orion’s first project, the installation of 103 jackets for the Moray East offshore wind farm in the UK, which is planned to start in July.

Read our previous coverage on the accident here:

1. Hook designer Ropeblock “appalled” by Orion accident
2. Liebherr: third party hook caused the Orion accident
3. [VIDEO] 5,000-tonne crane of new DEME vessel collapses

Photo: Rostock Port GmbH