Divers helmet struck and damaged subsea by crane hook

Description of Incident

During subsea spool tie-in operations, a crane hook unexpectedly struck a diver’s helmet.

During subsea spool tie-in operations, divers were working on the seabed in poor visibility. After landing the pipe handling frame (PHF) on the seabed, the Diving Supervisor instructed the crane operator to lower the crane hook to the seabed to allow the diver to disconnect rigging from crane. When the crane operator reported that there was ‘no weight’ on the crane wire, the Diving Supervisor assumed the hook had reached the seabed and instructed the diver to proceed with disconnecting the PHF from the crane.

Whilst the diver was positioned beneath the PHF and moving up to disconnect the rigging, the crane hook unexpectedly struck the diver’s helmet. The diver reported that they were unharmed and well, and returned immediately to the dive bell. The dive was aborted. Upon inspection, the diver’s reclaim helmet was found to be damaged beyond repair, including the side block. Despite the impact, the integrity of the helmet was maintained throughout, demonstrating the high quality and durability of the diving helmets. The diver was unharmed.

To view this safety alert published by IMCA in full, click the 'Download Alert' button above.