Work has been stopped at the Green Yard Kleven recycling and conversion yard after the death of a Norwegian employee in a crane accident.
Hans Jorgen Fedog, chairman and general manager of Ulsteinvik-based Green Yard Kleven, and other officials were unavailable for immediate comment. One official declined to comment on work that was happening at the time of the accident.
But a person familiar with the yard and its operations told TradeWinds that the victim was a long-time manager at the specialist shipyard.
Local and national media have not reported the name or job title of the victim, who died on Thursday, describing him as a local employee in his 60s.
Fedog told journalists the man was well liked by his colleagues, and the yard is in shock. Employees are being offered psychological counselling.
Police and labour safety investigators were said to be present on Friday to inspect the yard.
State broadcaster NRK cited local police as saying the accident happened at 11.30am local time during a lifting operation.
“What we know is there was a lifting operation on a mobile crane that stands on a quay at the shipyard,” police operations leader Jens Dahl of the More & Romsdal police told NRK. “An object fell and is said to have struck the person. The result was that he died at the place of the accident.”
Green Yard Kleven specialises in dismantling or converting mostly smaller vessels, in some cases the same ships built at the former Kleven Verft.
It is not known what ship undergoing conversion or recycling was involved in the fatality.
An offshore broker who has recently visited Green Yard Kleven said at least five offshore vessels are under conversion there, three for Brazil’s Oceanical Engenharia, one for fish farm specialist Froy, and one for Alesund-based single-ship owner Sea Shipping.
Of ships currently at the yard, the 3,200-dwt CF Aurora (ex-Havila Aurora, built 2009) and Oceanicasub VIII (ex-Havila Fortune, built 2009), and the 3,600-dwt Oceanicasub IX (ex-Normand Sira, built 2008) are all understood to be undergoing conversion for Brazil’s Oceanica Engenharia. The 3,500-dwt Froy Challenger (ex-Skandi Texel, built 2006) is being converted from a platform supply vessel to a fish delousing ship, and one PSV, the 3,500-dwt Bergen (built 2006), is undergoing maintenance pending a sale by investors.
