Press release -
’Esvagt Echo’ in the storm ‘Gorm’
Media storm: Storm in the North Sea made the ’Esvagt Echo’ famous.
You might not want to be on duty with Captain Michael Dam Bysted from the ’Esvagt Echo’.
He has the dubious honour of having worked during hurricanes Allan and Bodil. When the storm, Gorm, struck in December, it brought with it hefty winds around the offshore platforms in the Danish sector and on standby duty again was Michael Dam Bysted and the ’Esvagt Echo’ – right in the thick of the action.
“I have been dealt quite a few unlucky hands,” says Michael Dam Bysted with a smile.
You can get a taste of how it was to be in the storm by watching the footage that Michael Dam Bysted recorded from the bridge of the ’Esvagt Echo’. It is on ESVAGT’s facebook page and has been shared widely through Youtube, facebook and twitter.
“Svend Bech Poulsen from the ’Esvagt Charlie’ and I are members of a closed facebook group on TV2 Vejret (television channel, TV2 Weather). We post pictures there if we have been out in particularly hefty weather. Though during this storm, it was TV2 News that contacted ESVAGT to hear whether we had vessels out, and if so if they could have a status report. Jesper Nielsen from the HSEQ department passed them on to me,” says Michael Dam Bysted.
He recorded footage from the bridge and sent it home. Shortly after sending it, he was contacted by a journalist.
“There was an 8 or 9 metre high wave, which looked pretty wild on the film – especially when the swell hit the windows. But it was no worse than anything else we have experienced before. It’s still a pain, though! You can’t sleep or move around very easily because everything is rocking. The poor man in the galley has to work really hard because everything is sailing all over the place,” says Michael Dam Bysted.
The footage went global via TV2 News and Michael Dam Bysted has spoken to the Washington Post, Ritzau London, Sveriges TV (Swedish television) and more.
“We don’t get nervous out in the storm. The vessel is very seaworthy and we have tried it many times before. But I did get nervous talking to a journalist from TV2 News when he said that I would be live on air in two minutes!”
Facts
During the storm and the days that followed, the footage from the ’Esvagt Echo’ was seen by many: 622,857 views on TV2 Vejret’s (TV2 Weather) facebook group, 3,193 shares and 6,640 ’likes’.
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ESVAGT is a dedicated provider of safety and support at sea, founded on an experienced and well-trained offshore crew and unmatched rescue capabilities.
We support the offshore Oil & Gas industries with a wide range of specialized services: Standby, Emergency Response and Resque Vessels (ERRV), Oil spill response, Firefighting, Tanker assists, Rig moves, Supply services and Interfield transfer of cargo and personnel.
In 2010, ESVAGT brought the dedicated offshore wind Service Operation Vessels (SOV) to the market. The SOVs provide accommodation for up to 40 technicians, storage for small turbine parts and a workshop, plus personnel and equipment transfer capabilities by either Walk-to-Work gangway system or Safe Transfer Boats.
ESVAGT was founded in 1981 and has a fleet of more than 40 vessels and more than 900 employees on- and offshore.
