WE NEED ANSWERS
Victims injured when ship tipped in dry dock hit out.. one year on from incident
VICTIMS who suffered “catastrophic and lifechanging” injuries when a ship tipped over in dry dock say they are still waiting for answers a year on.
US Navy research vessel RV Petrel tipped to a 45-degree angle, injuring 35 people, 23 of whom were taken to hospital. The Health and Safety Executive said it was working with Police Scotland. But lawyers for some of the victims say they are yet to see any findings from the investigation into last March’s incident. A spokesman for law firm Digby Brown said: “As with any incident, it’s the not knowing that often causes upset and the lack of answers here continues to cause unrest and concern for surviviors. “We support 13 people from four different nations and while I cannot divulge details, some have suffered truly catastrophic, life-changing injuries.”
One of the workers hurt in the incident at Leith’s Imperial Dock was painter Constantin Pogor.
The 48-year-old, from Romania, was painting the 250ft-long ship’s command tower when he realised he was “flying from one side of the bridge to the other”. He hit a metal beam and was knocked unconscious, suffering a broken pelvis and dislocated elbow.
Constantin said: “I still don’t know what actually happened that day to cause the ship to fall.”
Texas-based engineering firm Oceaneering operated the vessel for the US Navy.
It had been moored in Leith since September 2020 due to “operational challenges” from the pandemic.
The Petrel was refloated six weeks after the incident.
An HSE spokesperson said: “A joint investigation into the incident between HSE and Police Scotland is ongoing.”
The lack of answers causes unrest and concern for survivors DIGBY BROWN SPOKESMAN