Winch drum failure: Deep water operations
- Safety Flash
- Published on 6 February 2009
- Generated on 18 October 2025
- IMCA SF 02/09
- 1 minute read
Following an incident which involved the failure of the structure of a winch drum in a new lifting system with a load suspended at over 2,000 metres water depth on a recovery operation, a Member’s investigations have indicated that the loading model used in the design of the winch drum was potentially deficient.
The winch drum was designed according to the relevant classification society specification and was being tested with a load at depth for the first time.
There is an increasing need for lifting operations that involve recovery of loads from depths greater than 1,000 metres. A cross-industry workgroup is being established by IMCA to investigate issues arising from such operations, initially focused specifically on winch drum design.
If you are interested in participating in this workgroup, please contact Mark Ford.
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