Conducted at Moray East Offshore Wind Farm, ‘Exercise Blyth’ brought together Ocean Winds (operator), Police Scotland, HM Coastguard, vessel operator Esvagt, turbine manufacturer Vestas, and others to test coordinated emergency response systems and protocols—strengthening preparedness across the renewables sector, government, and emergency services for a major offshore incident.
The two-day exercise, held earlier this year, revolved around a fictional scenario involving two injured persons—one fatally—and missing personnel after a vessel struck a wind turbine following a machinery failure. Real-life resources, such as a search and rescue helicopter and actors onshore, were deployed to ensure the exercise felt as realistic as possible.
Teams coordinated on response protocols, information flows, and an emergency media conference scenario. The exercise helped streamline individual actions and refine the broader multi-agency response to an emergency.
Evaluators highlighted the strong performance of individual teams during the exercise and the need for greater inter-agency coordination during these complex multi-stakeholder incidents to ensure continuous improvement.
Gemma McDonald, Senior Health and Safety Manager at Ocean Winds, said: “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.
“Safety remains our top priority at Ocean Winds, and we’re grateful to our partners and the multi-agency teams for making this possible.”
Sarah Bray, Chair of OREEF (Offshore Renewable Energy Emergency Forum), said: “As a part of the TRIREX series of exercises organized through OREEF, Exercise Blyth’s value lies both in the collaboration of industry stakeholders working together to bring it to life, and in the real-world application of the important lessons learned from it.
“Exercise Blyth represents a significant contribution to the continuous improvement of emergency preparedness and response in the renewables sector, aligning fully with the aims of OREEF itself.”
Pete Lowson, Head of Operational Procedures and Information Management at HM Coastguard, said: “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.”
