A Valaris drillship allided with a Greek supramax near the VT Halter Shipyards and Chevron docks in Pascagoula, Mississippi on Saturday morning.
Minor damage was reported to the 51,500-gt Valaris DS-16 (built 2014) and the 58,000-dwt Akti (built 2014), operated by Z&G Halcoussis of Piraeus. There were no injuries.
The US Coast Guard (USCG) responded to the incident after receiving a report from the National Response Center of a collision between two vessels.
TradeWinds’ sister newspaper Upstream said the drillship, the former Rowan Resolute, was in Pascagoula ahead of a two-year Gulf of Mexico drilling campaign for Occidental Petroleum that is due to start in May.
The accident happened at 01:30 local time when the Valaris DS-16 broke free of its moorings in high winds.
It is reported to have about 580,000 gallons (2.19m litres) of diesel on board, the USCG said on Saturday.
The USCG sent three pollution prevention team members to monitor the situation, but no fuel leaks have been reported.
“The drillship is currently still up against the Akti and is anchored while being held in place by three tug vessels. Both vessels reportedly have minor damage, with some damage to the pier,” it added.
The channel in the port had previously been closed due to the bad weather, and was set to stay closed until the vessels were separated.
Both vessels remained moored on Monday morning, AIS data showed.
Valaris has been contacted for an update.
