One hundred and sixty seven people died in the piper alpha fire on 6 july 1988, making it the worlds worst offshore oil disaster. For those interested, the documentary, piper alpha seconds from disaster goes into more detail as to why the disaster occurred. Combining interviews with survivors, witness statements, and transcripts from the official enquiry into the disaster, this is the moving and vivid tale of. Piper alpha disaster how is piper alpha disaster abbreviated. Piper alpha disaster pdf piper alpha was a large pdf to doc mac freeware north sea oil platform that started production in 1976. Piper alpha re ceived and sent to the shore the oil and gas production of a group of platforms. An explosion and resulting oil and gas fires destroyed piper alpha on 6 july 1988, killing 167. Learning from the piper alpha accident the offshore platform piper alpha, which was lo cated in the british sector of the north sea oil field and operated by occidental petroleum, was engulfed in a catastrophic fire on july 6, 1988. Pdf fire in the night download full pdf book download. Two tales of the piper alpha tragedy part 1 news for. Remembering piper alpha as would be expected in a disaster of this magnitude, the investigation identified many root causes related to design, operation, safety culture, emergency response, and training.
Piper alpha was an oil production platform in the north sea approximately 120 miles 190 km northeast of aberdeen, scotland, that was operated by occidental petroleum caledonia limited. Although fire in the night dvd touches on that, its not its sole purpose. The cullen inquiry uncovered not only what probably happened on the terrible night of 06 july 1988. A condensate pump was taken out of service for maintenance by day shift psv of the pump was taken out of service and blind was installed loosely bolts not tight fire water system was on manual for diving operations 21.
Importance learning from major incident piper alpha disaster. The severity of the incident was increased as a result of a failure by other platforms to cease operations. Both oil and gas was pumped from the two other platforms to piper alpha and subsequently pumped to. Piper alpha explosion, uk a major leak of gas condensate resulted in an.
Piper alpha timeline piper alpha was a large offshore rig based 100km off the coast of aberdeen. Jul 05, 20 piper alpha disaster prompted drastically improved safety measures in the oil industry, say experts. This fire was fed by oil from the platform and a leak in the main oil hne. Professionalismpiper alpha oil rig disaster wikibooks. Fire in the night tells, for the first time and in gripping detail, the devastating story of that summer evening. On july 6, 1988, in the piper oilfield, north sea, the worlds deadliest offshore oil industry disaster took place. The fire was visible seventy miles away as a distant, flickering. Alpha disaster in 1988 in which 167 offshore workers died. It produced oil from 24 wells and in its early life.
They also demonstrated rhe shortcomings of the type of etandby which wa. Echoes of events that led to piper alph being felt once more say trade unions. A list of the 167 men who lost their life in north sea tragedy. Piper alpha is an offshore oil and gas platform that suffered an explosion in july 1988, in one of the worst oil disasters in the history of the uk. Last month, a rededication ceremony and remembrance service marking the 25th anniversary of the piper alpha disaster was held in the newly restored memorial garden in aberdeens hazlehead park. The piper alpha offshore oil and gas platform was owned by occidental petroleum.
Fire in the night focuses on the now middle aged to elderly survivors of the piper alpha oil rig disaster in 1988 where only 14 of the crew survived. North sea piper alpha oil rig off the coast of aberdeen in scotland after it caught fire, killing 167 people ten years ago. The explosions and fire that completely destroyed the north sea oil rig piper alpha and cost 167 workers their lives remains the worlds worst offshore oil disaster. Piper alpha platform, north sea offshore technology oil and gas. As details of the causes of the disaster emerged, every offshore operator. At weeks end more than 100 contract workers who had been refurbishing three other british platforms left their jobs, out of concern for their safety. This is piper alpha spiral to disaster bbc by green world group on vimeo, the home for high quality videos and the people who love them. The oil industry has yet to learn lessons of piper alpha. Ic chapter 10 show that the bodies of of the 165 personnel piper lnhc died as a result of th disaster were later recovered. The controversy around it was heightened when a report. The rupture of the gas risers pipelines from other installations produced. Piper alpha fire in the night the boys journeys on vimeo. This article compares two industrial disasters in the offshore oil industry, the explosion and fire on piper alpha off the coast of scotland in 1988, the worlds worst offshore disaster, and the. Piper alpha was a large north sea oil platform that started production in 1976.
On the eve of the 25th anniversary of the piper alpha disaster, a north sea oil and gas insider claims safety measures are made a mockery by management bullying. Piper alpha located about 120 miles north eastofaberdeen, scotland. It outlines the findings of the investigation in vol. The book of the same name is also very good and is naturally more detailed. While this 5 summary has been condensed and paraphrased, it is believed to been consistent with the facts and conclusions outlined in the cullen report. Pdf the british offshore oil industry after piper alpha. It began production in 1976, but on july 6, 1988 it was the site of the worlds. Both oil and gas was pumped from the two other platforms to piper alpha and subsequently pumped to shore. Its bizarre how this isnt an event thats already been made a hollywood film because fire in the night is incredibly cinematic with its use of news reel, talking heads and reenactments. The investigation into the piper alpha disaster has much to teach us thirty years on. Unaware of the maintenance being carried out on one of the pumps, a night crew turned. Piper alpha was an oil production platform in the north sea operated by occidental petroleum caledonia limited. Two tales of the piper alpha tragedy part 1 news for the.
The accident killed 165 out of 226 crew members and two crew members from the standby vessel sandhaven. The crew worked to resolve the issue before platform production was affected. The piper alpha incident is still regarded as the worst offshore oil disaster in the history of the uk. Preventable disasters in the offshore oil industry. If you have time, its absolutely worth 90 minutes of your time. May 25, 2014 importance learning from major incident piper alpha disaster 1 comment i t is vital that lessons are learned from all major incidents, as management, cultural and technical failure i. The disaster that opened the nations eyes to the industry. Feel free to discuss or share thoughts and memories on this page. The public inquiry into the piper alpha disaster cm 10. Piper alpha 30 years since the worlds deadliest offsho. As shifts changed and the night crew aboard piper alpha assumed duties for the evening, one of the platforms two condensate pumps failed. Piper alpha disaster prompted drastically improved safety. Stvs bafta winning feature documentary about the piper alpha north sea oil disaster.
The platform began production in 1976, first as an oil only platform and later converted to add gas production. Pdf this article compares two industrial disasters in the offshore oil industry, the. Accident and the piper alpha disaster, both demonstrated the need for. At about 10 pm, a simple miscommunication and safety lapse involving one of the platforms two condensate pumps caused a chain reaction, culminating in a chain reaction of explosions that completely destroyed the entire piper alpha oil rig. Stanford libraries official online search tool for books, media, journals, databases, government documents and more. Public inquiry into the piper alpha disaster the lord cullen report. Jul 04, 2008 piper alpha was the largest platform by production in the world in its era 317,000 barrelsday, peak. It began production in 1976, initially as an oilonly platform but later converted to add gas production. On july 6, 1988, the piper alpha oil platform experienced a series of 10 catastrophic explosions and fires.
Survivor meets saviour for first time since disaster as victims daughter prepares to marry. Piper alpha was a north sea oil production platform operated by occidental petroleum caledonia ltd. I am sure those lads who sacrificed their lives that night will. The piper alpha disaster which killed 167 workers on 6 july 1988 off the coast of aberdeen is the worldsdeadliest ever oil rig accident. The platform started production in1976 produce natural gas, lpg andcrude oil piper alpha contributed about 10%of the oil production from theu. Piper alpha the night that changed our world print this page. A release of condensate on the piper alpha platform led to a series of explosions and fires. This report in two volumes is the final report on the public inquiry into the piper alpha platform disaster in the north sea by a parliamentary commission under lord cullen. Piper alpha disaster 1988 shahbaz sardar 1633648 2. Combining interviews with survivors, witness statements, and transcripts from the official enquiry into the disaster, this is the moving and vivid tale of what happened on that fateful night inside an oil rig inferno. Most of the physical evidence sank to the bottom of the north sea, so the testimony of survivors and witnesses had to be woven together into a coherent story. Two of these issues are the subject of this beacon. It is 25 years since tragedy struck in the north sea. Pdf preventable disasters in the offshore oil industry.
I have watched fire in the night many times and it is a brilliant documentary. Truly immense documentary about the 1988 piper alpha offshore oilplatform disaster that killed 167 men. I was 16 in 1988 when the piper alpha disaster happened. Piper alpha rewrites the rules on offshore safety new scientist. A nthony wonkes fire in the night tells the gripping and heartwrenching story of the 1988 piper alpha disaster in the north sea. Piper alpha explosion, uk a major leak of gas condensate resulted in an explosion on the production deck of piper alpha. On 6 july 1988, an explosion and fire ripped through the piper alpha oil platform located in the north sea off the scottish coast.
Piper alpha rewrites the rules on offshore safety new. Undoubtedly the piper alpha disaster drove changes that helped make uk oil and gas the leader it is today, creating a modern, hitech sector with one of the best safety records in the world. In the piper alpha memorial garden in aberdeen there is a statue of three offshore workers to represent the 167 men killed on july 6, 1988. There was a half inch wide bore through the middle of it and the rest of. After an inspection of the smouldering module from the basket on tharos cranes, the. Jul 02, 20 the explosions and fire that completely destroyed the north sea oil rig piper alpha and cost 167 workers their lives remains the worlds worst offshore oil disaster. It was built in the north sea by a consortium run by occidental and dr. Importance learning from major incident piper alpha disaster 1 comment i t is vital that lessons are learned from all major incidents, as management, cultural and technical failure i. Piper alpha was the largest platform by production in the world in its era 317,000 barrelsday, peak. On the other side of the room was the mechanical clutter of the pipedeck. In his analysis of the causes of the piper alpha disaster, cullen is critical of the amount of training that workers on piper alpha received. Two sons one who lost his father in the tragedy and. Piper alpha disaster prompted drastically improved safety measures in the oil industry, say experts. Piper alpha was a large offshore rig based 100km off the coast of aberdeen.
Piper alpha 25 years on have we learned the lessons. Industrial disaster management cidm the piper alpha a large fixed platform was located in the piper field in north sea, some 110 miles northeast of aberdeen. Jun 20, 20 a nthony wonkes fire in the night tells the gripping and heartwrenching story of the 1988 piper alpha disaster in the north sea. Piper alpha re ceived and sent to the shore the oil pdf to doc verypdf2word and gas.
This was subsequently followed by a number of smaller explosions which led to large oil. Case study presentation on piper alpha and san juanico incident conference on chemical industrial disaster management cidm c. The sky was alight and acrid smoke billowed into the cold air the night 167 men lost their lives 28 years on and the scars of the piper alpha disaster have still not healed. Full credit to the bbc for making quality programs such as this. The public inquiry into the piper alpha disaster in. Aug 20, 20 the piper alpha offshore oil and gas platform was owned by occidental petroleum. An explosion on the piper alpha platform occurred in july 1988. Piper alpha platform, north sea offshore technology oil. The majority of the victims suffocated in toxic fumes that developed after a gas leak set off the blasts and sparked the fire. Jul 06, 2018 undoubtedly the piper alpha disaster drove changes that helped make uk oil and gas the leader it is today, creating a modern, hitech sector with one of the best safety records in the world. Piper alpha disaster 1988 on july 6, 1988 one of the worst disasters in offshore history occurred when an explosion, and the resulting oil and gas fires, destroyed it on 6 july 1988, killing 167.
Jul 15, 20 it is 25 years since tragedy struck in the north sea. Jul 04, 20 on the eve of the 25th anniversary of the piper alpha disaster, a north sea oil and gas insider claims safety measures are made a mockery by management bullying. The rig produced oil, gas and condensate primarily propane and was linked to two other drilling platforms via large undersea pipelines. It produced oil from 24 wells and in its early life it had also produced gas from two wells. Even at that age it had a profound effect on me and still does. The majority of the victims suffocated in toxic fumes that developed after a. Piper alphas main accommodation module is lifted from the north sea depths 101 days after the disaster. Conference on chemical industrial disaster management cidm 1 1 case study presentation on piper alpha and san juanico incident conference on chemical industrial disaster management cidm c. The 1988 piper alpha tragedy claimed 167 lives after a gas leak caused the.
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