Major Offshore Renewables Emergency Exercise Tests Industry Response

(Credit: Ocean Winds)

The UK offshore renewables sector has been put through its paces in a major emergency response exercise designed to test coordination among industry, government, and emergency services during a large-scale offshore incident.

Organized by the Offshore Renewable Energy Emergency Forum (OREEF), the triennial TRIREX exercise — titled Exercise Blyth — brought together Ocean Winds, Police Scotland, HM Coastguard, Esvagt, Vestas, and other stakeholders at the Moray East Offshore Wind Farm to conduct realistic emergency response drills.

The two-day exercise, held earlier this year, simulated a serious offshore accident involving two injured persons, one fatally, and missing personnel after a vessel struck a wind turbine following machinery failure. Real search and rescue resources, including a helicopter and onshore actors, were used to make the scenario as realistic as possible.

Authorities, operators, and emergency services coordinated on response procedures, communication flows, and a mock media briefing to test crisis-management protocols. Evaluators noted strong performance from individual teams but highlighted the need for further improvement in inter-agency coordination during complex multi-stakeholder incidents.

“Participating in Exercise Blyth gave us a valuable opportunity to truly test our emergency procedures and identify practical improvements – from communications flow and decision-making to handovers between command and on-scene teams and managing an evacuation reception center.

“It also enabled government and emergency services to better understand how our industry operates in an emergency, strengthening joint protocols, terminology, and lines of coordination – so it’s a genuine learning opportunity for everyone involved,” said Gemma McDonald, Senior Health and Safety Manager at Ocean Winds.

“Following the success of Exercise Sancho, it was a pleasure and a privilege to once again lead a fantastic team in the development and delivery of Exercise Blyth.

“Thank you to everyone involved – from planning, evaluation, and command teams to those who role-played, observed, supported and participated. I hope this exercise leaves a lasting legacy for the industry and was a positive experience for all involved,” added Pete Lowson, Head of Operational Procedures and Information Management at HM Coastguard.