Skip to main contentSkip to navigationSkip to navigation
Transocean Winner
The Transocean Winner ran aground on the Isle of Lewis a fortnight ago. Photograph: Andrew Milligan/PA
The Transocean Winner ran aground on the Isle of Lewis a fortnight ago. Photograph: Andrew Milligan/PA

Oil rig towed off rocks in Outer Hebrides

This article is more than 7 years old

Two tug boats towed the 17,000-tonne Transocean Winner drilling rig back out to sea, after it ran aground during bad weather on 8 August

A 17,000-tonne oil rig that ran aground in the Outer Hebrides has been safely towed off the rocks by two tug boats.

A Stornoway coastguard spokesman confirmed to the Press Association that the Transocean Winner drilling rig was “safely off the rocks and now under tow” at 10.10pm on Monday.

This was a fortnight after the semi-submersible structure was blown ashore in bad weather at Dalmore Bay, near Carloway on the Isle of Lewis, during a towing operation.

The tugboats are towing the rig to the east side of Lewis in Broad Bay, where experts will assess the condition of the rig. The salvage team agreed the latest plan, which relied on high water on Monday night.

The towline between the rig and its tug was lost en route from Norway to Malta during high winds and heavy seas in the early hours of Monday 8 August. The rig grounded with 280 tonnes of diesel on board and two of its four fuel tanks were damaged in the incident. It resulted in the loss of up to 53,000 litres of fuel, most of which is thought to have evaporated.

The remaining 200 tonnes of hydrocarbons, mainly diesel oil with small amounts of base oil and brine, were transferred from the rig to the supply vessel Olympic Orion at the weekend. An exclusion zone around the rig will remain in place while the salvage work continues.

There will also be a 1km exclusion zone around the Transocean Winner while it makes the 54 mile (87km) journey to Broad Bay.

Most viewed

Most viewed