Injured worker recalls dramatic moment ship toppled in dry dock as legal firm launches probe

A worker who was injured when a ship tipped over in a dry dock has recounted the dramatic moment he was thrown around the vessel.

Constantin Pogor suffered a dislocated elbow and fractured pelvis after RV Petrel became dislodged from its holding at Imperial Dock in Leith, Edinburgh, last month.

Some 35 people were hurt – with 23 taken to hospital and 12 others treated at the scene – when the 3,371-tonne ship fell to a 45-degree angle.

Mr Pogor, a Romanian working on the US Navy-owned boat, was recently released from hospital.

The 48-year-old said: “I heard a loud noise, felt movement and I just had this reflex reaction to try and hold onto something but I didn’t get to grab onto anything.

“I flew from one side of the bridge to the other and landed on my right side and hit my ribs on a metal beam.

“I must have passed out because I remember just sort of coming round – that’s when I realised my elbow was dislodged.

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“A colleague then tried to move me. It was really painful and that’s when I realised that although I could move my legs, something was wrong in my hip.”

A major incident was declared after the ship toppled on 22 March, which included an emergency response from trauma teams, an air ambulance and the coastguard.

Earlier this month, specialist cranes were spotted on site as inquiries continue into how it became dislodged.

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE), which is working alongside Police Scotland, said inspectors have been assessing the technical aspects of the structural collapse.

RV Petrel has been moored at the Imperial Dock – operated by Dales Marine Services – since September 2020 due to “operational challenges” from the pandemic.

In a previous statement, Dales Marine Services said it “continues to liaise with the emergency services and relevant authorities in dealing with the incident” and at this time it “cannot comment any further”.

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Mr Pogor said: “I still don’t even know what actually happened that day to cause the ship to fall.

“I know Dales and HSE are involved in some kind of investigation and I’ve now sought my own lawyers to investigate independently on my behalf too and I think there’s a lot of other people onboard who’ve done the same.

“But I want to shed light on what happened to me just so people back home know I’m relatively okay.

“It was scary at the time – especially when you’re not able to speak the same language.

“But I’m being looked after now, have a translator and I’m focused on my recovery.”

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A spokesperson for Digby Brown confirmed the legal firm was “assisting a number of injured people” affected by the incident.

They added: “Our enquiries are at an early stage so we cannot comment further on the specifics however we will continue to support and advise all affected people.”

The 76 metre-long Petrel was once owned and outfitted by the late Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen but was sold by his estate in 2022.

Mr Allen bought the ship to locate historically significant shipwrecks and it discovered around 30 sunken warships, including the Japanese Imperial Navy’s IJN Musashi.

In 2022, the Isle of Man-registered vessel was sold to the US Navy, and is now operated by American-owned firm Oceaneering International.

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