However, the crew did not believe this to be serious. 1977: Hundreds dead in Tenerife plane crash. 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. Of the 81 crew, only 36 bodies were recovered. https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/oil-workers-drown-in-north-sea. Distribution and use of this material are governed by A response line for relatives has been set up on 01224 748118. Our immediate thoughts are with the family and friends of our colleague at this extremely sad time.. Baker Drilling Barge disaster in the Gulf of Mexico on 30 June 1964 resulted in the deaths of 21 people and injuries to 22 others. See also: Norway Petroleum Safety Authoritys reconstruction; The similar Norwegian flotel that suffered a similar fate just 10 days after the Kielland; The families calling for a new, public inquiry 40 years later. 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. He added: "I wish to offer the sincere condolences of the court to Mr Bartlett's family on his untimely death. When the vessels stern hit the rig, it ruptured one or more of the platforms gas export risers. Paper Subscription to the Daily Record and Sunday Mail, Paper Subscription to the Paisley Daily Express, 2023 Scottish Daily Record and Sunday Mail Ltd, Grieving family search for answers after gran suffered serious facial injuries at care home. He made a number of recommendations, including identifying any training necessary for staff. A bridge linked the flotel to the Edda 2/7C drilling platform, extracting on the Ekofisk field in the middle on the North Sea. 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. Sign up now to learn about This Day in History straight from your inbox. This disaster caused the death of 72 out of 76 people on board the Bohai 2 jack-up rig when it capsized. These nearby rigs later overheard radio chatter speaking of damage to the Ocean Ranger. An offshore worker has died in an accident aboard a North Sea platform, offshore UK. Stories From 27 Mar. This lifeboat was later seen during rescue operations, but again it could not be reached. http://www.wsj.com/articles/extreme-weather-kills-north-sea-oil-rig-worker-1451566465. According to available information, the worker employed aboard a Perenco-run platform died after an incident on Tuesday, December 5. The platform was stabilised for 14 minutes by the single remaining cable, which ultimately snapped, and the platform rolled over. After burning for 36 hours, the drilling rig capsized and sank on the morning of 22 April. This copy is for your personal, non-commercial use only. 'The deceased was part of a Cape team carrying out routine maintenance onboard BP's Unity platform. Police Scotland in Aberdeen said: The investigation is currently being treated as a work-related death. Some of the disasters below have relatively little reliably information available. Youth centre stripped of cash pens scathing letter to council boss who voted to defund group. The Royal Air Force of Great Britain and Norwegian military both immediately sent rescue helicopters, but the poor weather made it impossible for them to help. But this safety feature was diluted when the gas compression units were installed next to the central control room. . On the night of 20 April, a sudden rush of natural gas blasted through the concrete core of the well and caused the rig to explode. A subsequent investigation revealed that a previously undetected crack in one of main legs of the platform caused the structures collapse. 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.. 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. The company said the smell the men detected may have been a naturally occurring gas and it did not believe there had been a leak in the platform leg. Mr Burns, from Largs, who worked for the John Wood Group, collapsed and died. 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. Offshore Wind With over 50 years of experience in the construction, manufacturing, supply and assembly of steel structures, Smulders was the logical choice for offshore wind structures back in the pioneering days of wind energy almost 20 years ago. The Alexander Kielland sat in the water for three years before it was salvaged. All Rights Reserved. This killed 11 of the 126 on board, injuring several others. Shortly before 6.30pm, five of the platforms cables securing the platform to the sea floor snapped. BP is working with Police Scotland, the HSE, Cape and other relevant organisations to support those affected and ensure that the incident is fully investigated. In the early 1980s the offshore platform started producing gas, with three main gas transport risers and an oil export riser. Published. Strong ocean swells pushed the vessel towards the platform. The accident caused a large oil spill, negating production of 120,000 barrels of oil and 4.4 million cubic metres of gas per day. The fire led to massive damage topside, though all workers safely evacuated to a nearby floating accommodation ship without a single casualty. Absolutely reliable information on the disaster is hard to come by, but the capsizing was believed to have occurred too quickly to radio a distress signal or for crew to respond to the disaster. Indias state-owned Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) operated the Mumbai High North rig, one of the producing platforms on the Mumbai High field. Agnes Donnelly, known better as Nancy, passed away just months after the incident left the 89-year-old with a battered and bruised face at Broomfield Court Care Home in Glasgow. 1989: Millions of Russians go to the polls. Six years before the Seacrest disaster, the Glomar Java Sea Drillship overturned in the South China Sea on 25 October 1983. By Charles Kennedy - Mar 01, 2023, 10:30 AM CST. This became the deadliest offshore oil rig accident in history. 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. "Mr Bartlett was generally regarded by his colleagues as a man who took safety procedures in the course of his work seriously and who expected others to do likewise.". An inquiry has begun into his death on the platform, which is 116 miles north-east of Lerwick. 1980: North Sea platform collapses. Do not sell or share my personal information. 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. Youths face being slung back on the streets following threats to YMCA, Bellshill funding. The incident, which happened on the rig 100 miles. The controversy around it was heightened when a report into the disaster by Lord Cullen judged that the operator Occidental Petroleum had used inadequate maintenance and safety procedures. Relatives of our colleague have been informed and all relevant authorities have been alerted.. An oil worker has died on a platform in the North Sea. These fires were extinguished without any further loss of life and the well was brought back under control by the middle of December 2007. Petrobras currently operates the Enchova field, just as it did in 1984. While the Norwegian North Sea is always treacherous in the winter, fatal accidents are rare largely because of strict regulations and safety practices implemented over the decades that oil companies have been operating in the area. The views expressed in the contents above are those of our users and do not necessarily reflect the views of MailOnline. The man was recovered from the sea and airlifted to Shetlands Gilbert Bain Hospital in Lerwick but could not be saved.A Taqa spokesman said thoughts were with the family and friends of the man. At this time, there were 226 workers on the platform, though only 61 would survive the disaster. A company spokesman said: Taqa regrets to confirm there has been a fatality on the Harding platform.A Taqa employee fell overboard during maintenance activity. According to the report, the company had inadequate safety measures in place at the time, though Occidental never faced criminal charges. NEW ORLEANS An offshore worker died during routine work on a small oil platform off the central Louisiana coast Saturday, bringing the total number of . Four million barrels of oil spilled into the Gulf of Mexico, harming huge numbers of sea birds and damaging coastlines for hundreds of miles. Sign up for more in-depth articles and insights. 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. A Grampian Police spokesman said: "We can confirm that we have officers at Brent Bravo making inquiries into the death of a crew member on that installation. The original modules on the structure were carefully located, with the staff quarters kept well away from the most dangerous production parts of the platform. One of the UKs largest offshore oil platforms, Piper Alpha produced more than 300,000 barrels of crude oil per day at its peak. After a fatal accident inquiry, a sheriff has said there were a number of breaches of significant safety procedures by Mr Bartlett. 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. he 62-year-old, who has yet to be formally identified, fell from the Taqa platform Harding situated about 200 miles north-east of . The investigation also decided that a better command structure could have saved more lives in the 14 minutes after the first tilt. Sheriff Andrew Miller ruled Mr Bartlett had failed to ensure that both the forward and aft safety pendants provided for use in relation to the lifeboat were secured to the appropriate components on the lifeboat. AN oil worker has died after falling from a North Sea platform. All 84 workers aboard the Ocean Ranger died. Passed by Congress the year before, the amendment reads, the right of citizens of the read more. As tropical storm Lex as approached the drilling site from the east, operations ceased. A lack of communication at a shift change meant staff were not aware that they should not use a key piece of pipework which had been sealed with a temporary cover and no safety valve. Sections of this page. 1994: Maiden flight for future fighter jet. March 28, 1980. .css-16c7pto-SnippetSignInLink{-webkit-text-decoration:underline;text-decoration:underline;cursor:pointer;}Sign In, Copyright 2023 Dow Jones & Company, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Real fears for future of Lanarkshire youth organisation after council funding cut, Volunteers were left devastated after receiving confirmation from the education committee, Couple renovating home find hidden 1971 note from previous owner who paid only 3k for house. Early in the morning of 15 February 1982, 84 crew members died in the Ocean Ranger disaster. Only six of the crew were rescued by fishing boats and the Thai Navy. Offshore Energy Today has reached out to Perenco, UKs Health and Safety Executive, and Norfolk Police. A mayday call soon followed. Investigations that followed reported a failure to correctly stow deck equipment prior to towing. The capsizing happened very quickly, within 15 minutes of the collapse, so that many of the workers were unable to make it to the lifeboats. The damaged well was finally capped with a 40-ton plug on 15 July, with the oil slick lasting 87 days. The pair were in a leg when they smelled gas at 0230 GMT. After staying afloat for 1.5 hours, the rig sank between 3:07am and 3:13am, leaving at least 20 crew in the water. 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 . During the work, the open condensate pipe was temporarily sealed with two large metal caps, known as blind flanges. An oil worker has died after falling ill and being airlifted from a North Sea platform. A HSE communication manager has confirmed the investigation is underway. Somehow, this message was lost. The semi-submersible mobile oil drilling could operate 1,500ft underwater, drilling up to 25,000ft below the seabed. "One of their portable gas detectors registered the presence of gas but none of the 11 gas detectors in the shaft registered gas. An oil platform HSE professional will be responsible for managing risks around the use of heavy and electrical equipment, structural stability, flammable materials, and more. The rigs anchor points were not fully secured, so the rig soon broke free and began oscillating with the seas. A public enquiry made 106 recommendations to help prevent future incidents, including greater clarity over work permits, more robust fire suppression systems, and forming a single regulator for offshore safety. Hyundai Heavy Industries built the rig in South Korea in 2001, at a cost of $350m. The Usumacinta Jack-up also suffered two more fire breakouts in the following month, during well control operations. At the time, this represented approximately 10% of the countrys total crude oil production. Piper Alphas oil extraction design could not withstand gas explosions, leaving crew vulnerable and preventing them from attempting to control the fire. A North Sea oil worker plunged 2,000ft to his death after opening the emergency exit of a helicopter and jumping out. he 62-year-old, who has yet to be formally identified, fell from the Taqa platform Harding situated about 200 miles north-east of Aberdeen. Dow Jones Reprints at 1-800-843-0008 or visit www.djreprints.com. See more of The Press and Journal on Facebook. The platform is located 115miles north-east of Aberdeen. Explosions on the platform began just after 10pm. However, crew members could not seal the valves completely and the leaks continued. During work to convert the platform from oil production to gas production, on one of its 21 wells blew out before igniting. Today, Smulders is an established market leader that offers a full range of services from engineering []. Farm Heroes Saga, the #4 Game on iTunes. Some governments work with the seas to wash away what happened, but often the chaos of an emergency is enough to obscure the truth. Two rescuers also died in their attempt to help, and bringing the fire under control took three weeks. The Statfjord A platform, left, and the loading buoy, right, in the North Sea. "Obviously it is too early to speculate on the circumstances surrounding the death. In many of the worst disasters, these elements claimed the most lives, helped by bad equipment design, fumbled emergency procedures, and poor enforcement of protocols. He had been employed on Marathon Oils Brae Alpha platform, about 155 miles north-east of Aberdeen, a spokesman for the US firm confirmed today. The death of an oil industry worker in the North Sea late Wednesday, after a giant wave swamped a drilling rig, was the first fatality on the Norwegian continental shelf since 2009. killing one contractor and injuring two others, Receive 15% Off DIY Online Tax Filing Products with H&R Block. Or by navigating to the user icon in the top right. The accident cost the Lloyd's insurance marketmore than 1bn, making it the largest insured man-made catastrophe. While the pound has slipped against currencies in popular holiday destinations, there are still places where holidaymakers can get more out of their money. The baby of aristocrat Constance Marten and her rapist boyfriend, Mark Gordon, was found dead in a woodland area on Wednesday, two days after the couple were arrested in Brighton. The Alexander Kielland platform housed 208 men who worked on the nearby Edda oil rig in the Ekofisk field, 235 miles east of Dundee, Scotland. Only one lifeboat with 36 crew members inside could successfully launch. By 1980 the steel platform was modified to also take gas and was connected by pipeline to the Orkney Islands. Oil and gas then ignited, and the 73 crew moved to evacuate in two lifeboats. 1963: Railways to be slashed by a quarter. US-based Occidental managed Piper Alpha, located 120 miles north-east of Aberdeen. The cause of his death was immersion in water and descent from height. The evacuation was as a result of illness and not a work related incident. The Seacrest Drillship disaster in the South China Sea killed 91 crew members on 3 November 1989. A 'startling' 1.7million debt is still to be settled after almost 200 criminals were hit with confiscation orders in one year. The worker was employed by Archer. One lifeboats bow hook lowering mechanism malfunctioned during the evacuation, leaving it hanging vertically. Petrobras eventually drilled two relief wells to control the blowout, before declaring the platform a total loss. SNP leadership candidates must show impatience to achieve independence if they want to win. An oil worker has died after falling ill and . The worker reported feeling unwell on Thursday morning and was flown to Aberdeen Royal Infirmary. Our sympathy goes out to his family and colleagues.". Oil was discovered at the Piper field in 1973 and was brought on stream three years later. Rain pounded the platform on the day of the incident, with strong winds creating waves up to 12m high. Most of the 123 victims drowned. AN oil worker has died after falling from a North Sea platform. Countries have improved their offshore regulations and created better equipment as a result of the disasters below, but these come as a result of hundreds of deaths. This became the deadliest offshore oil rig accident in history. A spokesman said: "Mr Burns and a colleague were working in the utility shaft when they smelled a minor amount of gas. He proceeded to operate the lifeboat release gear. An extensive search operation followed, though Chinese, US, and Vietnamese rescuers found no survivors. An offshore worker died today after falling into the sea from a North Sea oil platform. George Bartlett, 62, from Shotts, North Lanarkshire, fell during maintenance work on the Taqa-operated Harding platform, about 198 miles north-east of Aberdeen, on February 27. Lifeboats and helicopters evacuated most of the platforms workers. Its understood the tragedy happened during maintenance activity. A large wave overturned the other lifeboat, which reached the shore upside-down the next day with 12 survivors on top. A helicopter, an aeroplane, and two oil supply vessels form part of the search for the man who fell off the rig in freezing conditions. It was also reported that standard tow procedures for bad weather conditions were not followed, possibly because operating instructions for the Japanese-made rig were not translated into Chinese until after the incident. The drillship, also known as The Scan Queen, had operated in the Gulf of Thailand since 1981 for US-based Unocal. This ruptured the oil riser from the seabed, leaving 1,000 barrels of oil spilling into the Gulf every day. In 1988 a total of 167 oil workers were confirmed dead after a series of explosions on the oil rig Piper Alpha. Despite the peril, it was the evacuation that caused the deaths of 42 people. The message found in a home in Devizes, Wiltshire, was signed by a man named E.C. On 27 July 2005, 22 people died in the Mumbai High North rig disaster in the Arabian Sea, around 160km west of Mumbai. When the maintenance crews shift ended, the work remained incomplete and the temporary covers remained in place. It's another busy day at Parkhead as Ange Postecoglou prepares to return to Premiership action. 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. The gas then ignited, and while automatic fire control measures would usually dampen the flames, crews had disabled these during maintenance. However, because of its location, timing, and the ensuing oil slick, it remains the most well-known offshore disaster to date. Create new account. Celtic news latest as Liel Abada pitched transfer dream while flop Vasilis Barkas turns super agent. When the platform blew 167 out of 228 workers either on the rig or one of the safety standby vessels patrolling it died. 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