Two officers aboard the heavy-lift vessel UHL Freedom were evacuated by helicopter after suffering injuries during severe rolling in a North Sea storm, Maritime Executive reported. The Portuguese-registered ship subsequently reached Emden, Germany, after its crew regained a heading into the seas and completed the operation to raise its anchor.
The incident occurred on Sunday afternoon, 25 October, about 18 miles off the Dutch coast near Schiermonnikoog. According to owner United Heavy Lift’s account, the vessel was trying to weigh anchor and turn into the seas when it swung broadside to the waves. The resulting heavy rolling generated high acceleration forces, causing the master and second officer to lose their footing and sustain injuries.
The chief officer sent a Mayday, with waves reported at five metres. Dutch lifeboats and a rescue tug were sent to assist, while a German rescue tug also headed towards the ship. A Dutch rescue helicopter lifted the two officers from the vessel and took them to hospital. Maritime Executive said the master was receiving treatment for injuries that were not specified, while the second officer had been treated and discharged.
Dutch authorities initially reported five injured crew members but subsequently reduced that figure to three. The third injured person did not need evacuation. United Heavy Lift also challenged the Dutch rescue service’s account that the vessel had experienced engine problems, stating that there had been no engine failure or machinery damage at any point.
UHL Freedom is a 14,000-dwt heavy-lift ship measuring 150 metres, with a crew of 25. It was reportedly carrying material for offshore wind farms. After the crew brought the bow back into the seas and raised the anchor, the vessel sailed for Emden with the Dutch rescue tug Guardian remaining nearby. The rescue took place during a weekend of heavy storms, with some areas recording sustained winds of 50–60 mph and gusts of 70–80 mph, according to Maritime Executive.