Research vessel tips over in Scotland, 35 people injured

35 people were injured when a research vessel tipped over at a dockyard in Edinburgh, Scotland, on Wednesday, the BBC reported.

23 people were treated at a hospital and 12 were treated at the scene at Imperial Dock, Leith, according to the National Health Service branch for the Lothian region.

The Scottish Ambulance Service sent 12 ambulances, an air ambulance, three trauma teams and other resources, and the fire service was called, according to The Telegraph.

"Our staff are working tirelessly to ensure patients get the best care and our thoughts are with everyone affected by this incident," said Jacquie Campbell, chief officer of acute services for NHS Lothian.

There were 50 refurbishment workers on board the ship at the time of the incident and US citizens were involved, according to STV.

What caused the ship to tip over?

The incident occurred when the ship, Petrel, became dislodged from its holding on a dry dock during high winds.

The 3,000-ton, 250-foot ship was acquired by the United States Naval Facilities Engineering and Expeditionary Warfare Center in October 2022 and has since been operated by Oceaneering International.

The ship was previously owned by the estate of Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen and before that, it was used to conduct deep sea searches for shipwrecks and war graves at sea, including the World War II heavy cruiser USS Indianapolis, according to the BBC report.

The vessel was moored in 2020 due to operational difficulties during the COVID-19 pandemic.

"The staff that had been on the vessel shared with me their shock, their complete disbelief that this had happened, but also the fact that they had got off that vessel as walking wounded because many of their colleagues and other staff that were on it didn't and had to go to [the] hospital for medical treatment." Pauline Robertson, the Chaplain of the port from the Sailors’ Society, told Sky News.