Crew safe after rig rescue effort

Crew members were lifted to safety from the rig

Almost 40 crew members had to abandon their rig after it began listing in strong winds in the Solway Firth.

The jack-up rig Lisa A was being used to work on a wind farm development between Scotland and England.

However, a rescue operation was launched after fears that the vessel was in danger of overturning in gale force winds on Sunday night.

Coastguard teams and helicopters from both sides of the Solway Firth took part in the rescue.

It is thought that the crew sent out a mayday at about 1950 BST on Sunday.

We are going to find out precisely what happened and ensure it does not happen again E.ON spokesman

All 38 crew members escaped without injury.

During the operation, two of the vessel's legs bent, causing it to list at over 30 degrees.

The rig was being used in construction of the £325m Robin Rigg wind farm development half way between the Cumbrian and Galloway coasts.

Coastguard officers have praised the vessel's crane operator who played a key role in the rescue.

It was decided the best way to transport the crew to safety was to use the Lisa A's own winch.

"I have got to say the crane driver of the barge Lisa A was superb," said coastguard officer Davey Thomson.

The wind farm site is about six miles off the Scottish coast

"He stayed on the barge to the very end and lifted every single member of the barge off to the safety vessels."

The crane operator was eventually lifted from the rig by helicopter.

A spokesman for the company behind the development, E.ON, said it would be carrying out a full investigation of the incident.

"It is very early days and we have launched an investigation to find out what precisely went on," he said.

However, he said the first indications were that one of the rig's legs had pierced the sea bed causing it to list.

"We are going to find out precisely what happened and ensure it does not happen again," he added.

Work on the Robin Rigg scheme was delayed earlier this year by the late arrival of the jack-up barge.

The Rotterdam-based barge needed to undergo vital maintenance work.

The E.ON spokesman said they did not believe there was a connection between that work and the incident on Sunday night.