Capsized: the Bourbon Dolphin
Three dead, five missing as tug capsizes
Three crew members died and five were missing after the Norwegian-based rig support vessel Bourbon Dolphin capsized while handling an anchor in the UK North Sea.
Ten crew were rescued from the scene but three of these died of their injuries. The five missing crew were feared trapped inside the overturned hull.
The remaining rescued personnel were airlifted to hospital in the Shetland Islands, the Associated Press reported. All the ship's crew were Norwegian nationals.
The accident happened at about1750 BST on the Rosebank field, about 120 kilometres north-west of the Shetland Islands, where the vessel had been handling an anchor for the semi-submersible rig Transocean Rather.
Two coast guard helicopters and an RAF Nimrod aircraft were scrambled to the scene.
Six royal Navy rescue divers had been flown to the site from the Faslane naval base in the UK, but aerial search activities were called off until first light, the UK Marine & Coastguard Agency said.
"Shetland Coastguard have now stood down the rescue helicopters," an agency spokesman said. "They will resume the search for the remaining five crewmen again at first light, however the Search and Rescue operation will be changed to a Search and Recovery operation."
The spokesman said the divers would continue to assist in the search overnight.
He said all non-essential staff had been evacuated from the Transocean Rather as there was some risk the overturned vessel could strike the rig. Weather conditions in the area were earlier reported to be calm.
The Bourbon Dolphin is owned by French marine services group Bourbon Offshore and is operated from the Norwegian port of Fosnavaag by its Norway unit. The vessel was launched in October.
Bourbon confirmed the incident last night. It said its Norwegian emergency team was responding to the incident.
US-based rig operator Transocean also confirmed that the accident had happened during anchor-handling operations at the Transocean Rather. It said its emergency response team was supporting the rig's crew.