A research ship previously owned by the Microsoft co-founder Paul G. Allen toppled onto its side while at dock in Edinburgh on Wednesday, leaving dozens of people injured.
The cause of the accident, which left the vessel tipped at a 45-degree angle, was under investigation, the police said. At least 33 people were injured, with 21 of them taken to hospitals, according to the Scottish Ambulance Service.
The 250-foot-long vessel, the Petrel, was bought by Mr. Allen in 2016 and underwent extensive refitting to take part in expeditions to explore shipwrecks around the globe. In 2017, the Petrel was involved in the discovery, 18,000 feet beneath the Philippine Sea, of the remains of the U.S.S. Indianapolis, a cruiser that was sunk during World War II in one of the worst disasters in American naval history.
After Mr. Allen’s death in 2018, his estate took control of the Petrel. The ship was placed in long-term moorage in Edinburgh in 2020 because of “operational challenges” during the pandemic and was ultimately sold last year to an undisclosed buyer, a spokesman for the Paul G. Allen Family Foundation said via email.
In a statement about the accident in Edinburgh on Wednesday, the police said, “A ship on dry dock has become dislodged from its holding,” without mentioning any cause. A spokesman added that an investigation had been opened.
After the ship toppled over, the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh, one of the city’s main hospitals, asked people to avoid attending its emergency room if possible because of the high number of injured people expected from what it described as a “major incident.” There was no immediate update about the condition of those injured by the ship’s dislodging.
