In 1988, explosions on the Piper Alpha oil platform in the British North Sea killed 167 people. Nearby rigs reported unusually large waves. The firm set up by their business associate Anthony Page is being sued for more than 130million by the Department for Health over gowns it claims could not be used in the NHS. Of these, 123 workers aged between 19 and 57 died when the floating hotel capsized. George Bartlett fell to his death while carrying out maintenance work on a lifeboat on the Harding platform, operated by Taqa, around 200 miles north east of Aberdeen back in February 2014. AN oil worker has died after falling from a North Sea platform. The 4,400t drillship was anchored 430km south of Bangkok, Thailand, to drill the Platong gas field. In 1988, explosions on the Piper Alpha oil platform in the British North Sea killed 167 people. T he death of Sarah Darnley in a helicopter crash last Friday, in which three other oil workers died, marked a sad milestone: she is believed to have been the first woman killed in a. Our sympathy goes out to his family and colleagues.". 17,029 pages were read in the last minute. AN oil worker has died after falling from a North Sea platform. US-based Occidental managed Piper Alpha, located 120 miles north-east of Aberdeen. See more of The Press and Journal on Facebook. In September 2003, oil workers Sean McCue, 22, from Kennoway, Fife, and Keith Moncrieff, 45, from Invergowrie, Tayside, died after a sudden escape of gas when they were working inside the same utility shaft. During the work, the open condensate pipe was temporarily sealed with two large metal caps, known as blind flanges. Norwegian oil and gas major Equinor is nearing a deal to buy the UK North Sea assets of Canada's Suncor Energy for around $1 billion, Reuters . We can confirm that the area control room in Aberdeen received a report at approximately 3am on of an incident on the Harding Platform in the North Sea, where a man had fallen from the platform into the sea. Four million barrels of oil spilled into the Gulf of Mexico, harming huge numbers of sea birds and damaging coastlines for hundreds of miles. Oil workers have been moved from a second platform and drilling rig in the North Sea because of safety concerns. When the maintenance crews shift ended, the work remained incomplete and the temporary covers remained in place. We are doing all we can to support the mans family in these difficult times., In an email sent to Offshore Energy Today, a Norfolk Police spokesperson said a joint investigation has been launched with the Health and Safety Executive following the death of a man on an offshore platform yesterday.. Or by navigating to the user icon in the top right. THE 62-year-old man fell from the Taqa-operated Harding platform during maintenance work in the early hours of Thursday morning. Napoleon, one of the greatest military strategists in history, seized control of the French state in 1800, and in 1804 was crowned read more, Following its ratification by the requisite three-fourths of the states, the 15th Amendment, granting African American men the right to vote, is formally adopted into the U.S. Constitution. Bachmann electronic, global automation experts with headquarters in Austria, has been optimizing customer productivity and profit for 50 years. 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See also: The two divers who died attempting to move the wreckage; A more detailed look at the response to the Ocean Ranger disaster. The cause of his death was immersion in water and descent from height. March 28, 1980. CMA clears Baker Hughes acquisition in wake of Archer deal, Flotation, Vrgrnn file plans for second INTOG floating wind site, Dolphin Drilling calls for windfall tax review amid rig speculation, South Africa power disaster triggers FCDO warnings, Energy services group Hunting posts good results as it launches 2030 growth plan, Japans Inpex buys into Moray East offshore wind farm, Woodside enters Namibia, on trend with Venus, Subsea 7 hails decade-high orders but income stays flat, UK energy suppliers must pass on benefit of falling costs Shapps. See also: US reaction when China disclosed the death toll the following year. The investigation also decided that a better command structure could have saved more lives in the 14 minutes after the first tilt. He fell from the Taqa platform Harding, which is situated about 200 miles north east of Aberdeen and about . U.S. production is still 800,000 bpd lower than the peak . Sabrina Faith and Leanne Maiden, who are still learning how to use their boat, will face sleep deprivation, salt sores and the psychological challenges of being on the ocean. For non-personal use or to order multiple copies, please contact The rigs anchor points were not fully secured, so the rig soon broke free and began oscillating with the seas. Engineers had removed the pressure safety valve of the corresponding condensate-injection pump as part of routine maintenance earlier in the day. Eventually, the boats supporting cables snapped and it fell 20m into the sea, killing 36 people. It was owned by a consortium of foreign companies including Texaco and operated by Los Angeles-based Occidental, which sold off its UK interests soon after the disaster to concentrate on the US and Middle East. 1980: North Sea platform collapses. The vessel drilled for ARCO in the Gulf of Mexico between 1975 and 1881, operating off the coast of California for some time before its arrival in the South China Sea in January 1983. The platform was completely destroyed and it took almost three weeks for the fire to be brought under control by famed American wild well controller, Red Adair. Perencos gas production in the North Sea is around 72.000 boepd. Energy Voice 2023. But this safety feature was diluted when the gas compression units were installed next to the central control room. Most of the Phillips Petroleum workers were from Norway, although a few were American and British. The vessel sank upside-down in the water after approximately 30 minutes. He proceeded to operate the lifeboat release gear. In total, only 89 people on the platform that night survived the disaster. Sustained Low Oil Prices Threaten the Development. It's another busy day at Parkhead as Ange Postecoglou prepares to return to Premiership action. This was the last time it was seen. Offshore platform and rig disasters make many people think of massive explosions and oil slicks. By 1980 the steel platform was modified to also take gas and was connected by pipeline to the Orkney Islands. Piper Alpha was once Britain's biggest single oil and gas producing platform, bringing more than 300,000 barrels of crude a day 10% of the country's total from below the seabed 125 miles north-east of Aberdeen. Further dangers arose when Occidental decided to keep the platform producing oil and gas as it set about a series of construction, maintenance and upgrade works. Humza Yousaf has dig at Kate Forbes over gay marriage in SNP leadership hustings. The investigation is currently being treated as a work-related death and Police Scotland are working with partners, carrying out a joint investigation with the Health and Safety Executive and under the direction of the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service to determine the full circumstances.. Over 30,000 Wagner fighters injured or killed - US. Thankfully, greater emphasis on safety and better knowledge of risks have made offshore disaster less common and less severe. Next of kin have been informed. The incident was reported to police at around 4.40am and the Health and Safety Executive said it was liaising with police, who confirmed they had been made aware of a death offshore. The pair were in a leg when they smelled gas at 0230 GMT. He made more than 100 recommendations about how safety should be improved in the North Sea. According to available information, the worker employed aboard a Perenco-run platform died after an incident on Tuesday, December 5. Oil rig workers have died, been stranded for days, and face grueling conditions to maintain energy needs and record profits for oil companies. The worker was employed by Archer. Play it now! This lifeboat was later seen during rescue operations, but again it could not be reached. Norways Statoil ASA said a wave hit a drilling rig in one of its offshore fields late Wednesday, .css-1h1us5y-StyledLink{color:var(--interactive-text-color);-webkit-text-decoration:underline;text-decoration:underline;}.css-1h1us5y-StyledLink:hover{-webkit-text-decoration:none;text-decoration:none;}killing one contractor and injuring two others. Weather conditions were rainy and there was mist. 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Today, Smulders is an established market leader that offers a full range of services from engineering []. No one was made personally liable in the courts either. or. Fierce winds broke the ventilator pump of the platform, causing a puncture hole in the deck and extensive flooding. 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Scots dad 'lucky to be alive' after firework blows up his leg. Some governments work with the seas to wash away what happened, but often the chaos of an emergency is enough to obscure the truth. Officers were called at 12.55pm to reports that a man had been flown to the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital with serious injuries but sadly died later. The day before the disaster, a strong storm developed, producing winds of 190km/h and waves up to 20m high. The Piper Alpha disaster began on 6 July 1988, following a gas leak from one of the platforms condensate pipes. "They donned breathing equipment and began to evacuate the shaft. Of the 81 crew, only 36 bodies were recovered. The message found in a home in Devizes, Wiltshire, was signed by a man named E.C. An emergency stop quickly halted all extraction, but the initial explosion devastated the platforms control room. It also paid $6.67bn through the Gulf Coast Claims Facility, a trust fund established by BP to settle claims from the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. As a result of the incident a 62 year old man was flown to hospital in Lerwick but has subsequently died. The crew member is understood to have died of natural causes on Thursday on Repsol Sinopec Resources UK's Tartan Alpha rig. The accident cost the Lloyd's insurance marketmore than 1bn, making it the largest insured man-made catastrophe. See also: A transcribed news article from the time. GRAPHIC IMAGE WARNING: Johnpaul Garvie was struck on the leg by a stray pyrotechnic and spent more than a week in hospital having skin grafted onto the severely-burned area. 'The deceased's co-workers are obviously shocked and saddened and we are working alongside BP to ensure they receive the support they need.'. Celtic news latest as Liel Abada pitched transfer dream while flop Vasilis Barkas turns super agent. One of the UKs largest offshore oil platforms, Piper Alpha produced more than 300,000 barrels of crude oil per day at its peak. Pearce who bought the property in 1971 for 3k on a 5 mortgage while earning 65p an hour. 2023 BBC. Eventually, harsh weather wore away at this and tore the leg off. Shortly before 6.30pm, five of the platforms cables securing the platform to the sea floor snapped. According to the report, the company had inadequate safety measures in place at the time, though Occidental never faced criminal charges. The Piper Alpha disaster which killed 167 workers on 6 July 1988 off the coast of Aberdeen is the world'sdeadliest ever oil rig accident. He fell from the Taqa platform Harding, which is situated about 200 miles north east of Aberdeen and about . During evacuation, 21 people died. In the early 1980s the offshore platform started producing gas, with three main gas transport risers and an oil export riser. Despite the bargain price of roughly two cents an acre, the Alaskan purchase was ridiculed in Congress and in the press as Sewards Folly, Sewards icebox, and read more, Of his many enormous hits in the 1970s, none captured the essence of John Denver better than his first #1 song, Sunshine On My Shoulders, which reached the top of the pop charts on March 30, 1974. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. The gas then ignited, and while automatic fire control measures would usually dampen the flames, crews had disabled these during maintenance. However, crew members could not seal the valves completely and the leaks continued. Married dad-of-three Crawford pled guilty yesterday to assaulting Daniel to his severe injury and permanent disfigurement on April 3, 2022. We use your sign-up to provide content in the ways you've consented to and improve our understanding of you. Of Aberdeen work remained incomplete and the loading buoy, right, in the British Sea. 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