As shifts changed and the night crew aboard piper alpha assumed duties for the evening, one of the platforms two condensate pumps failed. Sweeping changes needed in the way that safety in the offshore industry is assessed. It was connected by an oil pipeline to flotta and by gas pipelines to two other installations. Copyright jim thomson 20 safety in engineering ltd piper alpha. It began production in 1976, but on july 6, 1988 it was the site of the worlds. Piper alpha fire in the night the boys journeys on vimeo. If you have time, its absolutely worth 90 minutes of your time. It won the audience award at the 20 edinburgh international film festival. The death toll includes two crewmen of a rescue vessel. Hero pilot kevin sullivans quick thinking saves 315 people sunday night. Jul 15, 20 it is 25 years since tragedy struck in the north sea.
Hero diver fled to australia to escape his piper alpha. It produced oil from 24 wells and in its early life it had also produced gas from two wells. On wednesday, july 6, 1988 the piper alpha platform in the uk part of the north sea was struck by an explosion which set the facility on fire, killing 167 men on board. This program utilizes a case study of the explosion and fire at the piper alpha oil platform in the north sea which resulted in the loss of 167 lives. Piper alphas main accommodation module is lifted from the north sea depths 101 days after the disaster.
Piper alpha 25 years on have we learned the lessons. Piper alpha s design made no allowances for the destruction of the control room, and the platforms organisation disintegrated. 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. That fire impinged on a gas riser from anotherplatform, which fueled an extremely intense fire under the deck of piper alpha. A blend of prescriptive and objective regulation is recommended. On 6 july 1988 a series of explosions and fires aboard the piper alpha oil and gas production. Hero pilot kevin sullivans quick thinking saves 315 people sunday night duration. A mayday call was signalled via radio by the radio operator david kinrade.
Selbyblast and fire engineering project for topside structuresphase 2. The controversy around it was heightened when a report. Since drilling began in the north sea in the 1970s there have been 300 deaths on britains 123 oil installations, often in accidents caused by bad weather. There was a half inch wide bore through the middle of it and the rest of.
Combining interviews with survivors, witness statements and transcripts from the official inquiry into the disaster, this is the moving and vivid tale. In the boom of the 70s and early 80s, piper was the worlds most productive. One of the causes includes miscommunication among its worker. Pdf in 1998, the explosion of the piper alpha platform claimed 167 lives, making it the worlds worst offshore. On july 6, 1988, in the piper oilfield, north sea, the worlds deadliest offshore oil industry disaster took place. It led to a series of fires that eventually melted the platform into the waters of the north sea, killing a hundred and sixty seven men, and resulting in insurance losses of u. Piper alpha rewrites the rules on offshore safety new. Truly immense documentary about the 1988 piper alpha offshore oilplatform disaster that killed 167 men. 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. An explosion and resulting oil and gas fires destroyed piper alpha on 6 july 1988, killing 167 people, including two crewmen of a rescue vessel. The rig produced oil, gas and condensate primarily propane and was linked to two other drilling platforms via large undersea pipelines. As diving was such a regular part of normal operation, in practice the pumps remained on manual most of the time.
Stvs bafta winning feature documentary about the piper alpha north sea oil disaster. Fire in the night tells, for the first time and in gripping detail, the devastating story of that summer evening. Unaware of the maintenance being carried out on one of the pumps, a night crew turned. 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. Public inquiry into the piper alpha disaster the lord cullen report. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading fire in the night. The change in safety management for offshore oil and gas. The investigation into the piper alpha disaster has much to teach us thirty years on. A series of explosions and fires on piper alpha resulted in the deaths of 165 crew. An explosion and resulting oil and gas fires destroyed piper alpha on 6 july. Fire in the night documentary chronicling the tragic events that occurred on board the piper alpha rig in july 1988, when 167 men were killed in the worlds deadliest offshore oil.
The oil industry has yet to learn lessons of piper alpha. This is the conclusion of the cullen report into the explosion on the oil rig piper alpha that killed 167 men. It began production in 1976, initially as an oilonly platform but later converted to add gas production. Piper alpha was a large north sea oil platform that started production in 1976. One hundred and sixty seven people died in the piper alpha fire on 6 july 1988, making it the worlds worst offshore oil disaster. The piper alpha disaster on the morning 6 th july 1988, as part of a maintenance program, a gas pump pressure safety valve was removed from the processing area and, as the work could not be completed that day, a blanking plat was fitted over the end of. It is 25 years since tragedy struck in the north sea. Piper alpha was a north sea oil production platform operated by occidental petroleum caledonia ltd. 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.
Piper alpha rewrites the rules on offshore safety new scientist. This was subsequently followed by a number of smaller explosions which led to large oil. Full credit to the bbc for making quality programs such as this. Late in the evening of 06 july 1988, a series of explosions ripped. B this article has been rated as bclass on the projects quality scale. It was first shown on television on 9 july 20 on bbc two, three days after.
Alpha disaster in 1988 in which 167 offshore workers died. An explosion and the resulting oil and gas fires destroyed it on 6 july 1988, killing 167 men, with only 61 survivors. Survivor meets saviour for first time since disaster as victims daughter prepares to marry. 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 and gas production of a group of platforms. 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. The piper alpha disaster kindle edition by mcginty, stephen. The majority of the victims suffocated in toxic fumes that developed after a gas leak set off the blasts and sparked the fire. Possible risk associated with the hazards piper alpha disaster was one of the worst offshore accidents to date which drew the attention of many investigators to study the very cause of the disaster in order to prevent similar accident to happen in the future. The rupture of the gas risers pipelines from other installations produced. Professionalismpiper alpha oil rig disaster wikibooks. One of the flying panels ruptured a small condensate pipe, creating another fire. Engulfed in fire, over the next few hours most of the oil rig topside modules collapsed into the sea.
The piper alpha disaster which killed 167 workers on 6 july 1988 off the coast of aberdeen is the worldsdeadliest ever oil rig accident. Both oil and gas was pumped from the two other platforms to piper alpha and subsequently pumped to. Piper alpha platform, north sea offshore technology oil and gas. Piper alpha was an oil production platform in the north sea approximately 120 miles northeast of aberdeen, scotland, that was operated by occidental petroleum limited. After an inspection of the smouldering module from the basket on tharos cranes, the. He returned in 1988 to help put out the fire on the piper alpha oil platform after. Piper alpha is part of wikiproject fire service, which collaborates on fire servicerelated subjects on wikipedia. 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. Reexamining the events that led to the drilling platform, at the time the largest and oldest in the north sea oilfield, exploding on the night of the 6th july 1988, killing 167 men, the film includes testimonies from rescuers and some of the 61 survivors, many of whom were forced to jump. Fire in the night is the first doc on the piper ive seen, and it far surpasses the docs on the other oil rigs. I was aware of the disaster and loss of the pa, and also of the ocean ranger which was lost in feb. This was the worst offshore oil disaster in history and it was named piper alpha.
About piper alpha placed at north sea, the platform began production in 1976, first as an oil platform and then later converted to gas oil production started in 1976 with about 250,000 barrels 40,000 m3 of oil per day increasing to 300,000 barrels 48,000 m3 a gas recovery m. The piper alpha platform is the largest and oldest platform in the north sea oilfield. 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 platform started production in1976 produce natural gas, lpg andcrude oil piper alpha contributed about 10%of the oil production from theu. Fire in the night is a 20 british documentary film about the piper alpha disaster directed by anthony wonke. The piper alpha disaster in 1988 shocked the world, and changed offshore. The piper oil field engineering essay uk essays ukessays. Piper alpha was the largest platform by production in the world in its era 317,000 barrelsday, peak. Piper alpha was a large offshore rig based 100km off the coast of aberdeen. On the night of june the 6th, 1988, an explosion took place on the piper alpha oil and gas production platform. Combining interviews with survivors, witness statements and transcripts from the.
Piper alpha was an oil production platform in the north sea approximately 120 miles 190 km. Combining interviews with survivors, witness statements, and transcripts from the official enquiry into the disaster, this is the moving and vivid tale of. Dec 12, 2011 that fire impinged on a gas riser from anotherplatform, which fueled an extremely intense fire under the deck of piper alpha. Fire in the night is rare and riveting, among the classics of scottish.
Leaking gas on the occidental oil drilling platform ignited late in the evening of 6 july 1988, causing a devastating blaze in which 167 of the 226 men on board perished. Piper alpha was a north sea oil production platform operated by occidental petroleum caledonia ltd, and this platform began production in 1976, first as an oil platform and then later converted to gas production. Piper alpha was no accident, it was a disaster waiting to happen. Late in the evening of 06 july 1988, a series of explosions ripped through the piper alpha platform in the north sea. In addition, two people in the sandhaven fast rescue craft were also killed. Download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets. Since drilling began in the north sea in the 1970s there have been 300 deaths on britains 123 oil installations, often in. Piper alpha located about 120 miles north eastofaberdeen, scotland. This workshop utilizes a case study of the tragic event of the explosion and fire at the piper alpha oil platform in the north sea which resulted in the loss of 167 lives. 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.
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. On july 6, 1988, the piper alpha oil platform experienced a series of 10 catastrophic explosions and fires. The piper alpha incident is still regarded as the worst offshore oil disaster in the history of the uk. An explosion on the piper alpha platform occurred in july 1988. If you would like to participate, you can edit the article attached to this page, or visit the project page, where you can join the project andor contribute to the discussion. Piper alpha timeline piper alpha was a large offshore rig based 100km off the coast of aberdeen. Saturday, july 6, 20 marked the 25th anniversary of the largest disaster in the history of offshore oil and gas industry. The accident killed 165 out of 226 crew members and two crew members from the standby vessel sandhaven. Piper alpha explosion, uk a major leak of gas condensate resulted in an explosion on the production deck of piper alpha. It was last inspected two weeks ago but last week there was a small fire on the rig. 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 platform began production in 1976, first as an oil platform and then later converted to gas production. 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. Combining interviews with survivors, witness statements and transcripts from the official inquiry into the disaster, this is the moving and vivid tale of what remains the.
The illmaintained and overloaded north sea oil rig piper alpha was destroyed in a fire which also killed scores of workers. Pdf the british offshore oil industry after piper alpha. Twentyfive years ago the piper alpha disaster changed the oil and gas landscape but have the safety lessons been learnt. The crew worked to resolve the issue before platform production was affected.
Piper alpha was an oil production platform in the north sea operated by occidental petroleum caledonia limited. Thenintense impinged jet fire under the platform and mcp01 gas risers failed was lead to thethird violent explosion and makes the whole platform engulfed by fire. Accident and the piper alpha disaster, both demonstrated the need for. Fire in the night relives the tragic events that occurred on the piper alpha rig on 6th july 1988. It was a disaster that never should have happenedbut bosses disregard for safety. Documentary chronicling the tragic events that occurred on board the piper alpha rig in july 1988, when 167 men were killed in the worlds deadliest offshore oil disaster. For many years, the practice on piper alpha was to switch the fire pumps from automatic to manual when divers were in the sea. 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. They also demonstrated rhe shortcomings of the type of etandby which wa.
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 fire was visible seventy miles away as a distant, flickering. Copyright jim thomson 20 safety in engineering ltd piper. It was first shown on television on 9 july 20 on bbc two, three days after the 25th anniversary of the disaster. Jul 04, 2008 piper alpha was the largest platform by production in the world in its era 317,000 barrelsday, peak. It outlines the findings of the investigation in vol.
Its 25 years since the piper alpha oil platform was engulfed in flames, claiming the lives of 167 people. The 20 documentary film fire in the night is about the disaster. Anthony wonke directs this documentary marking the 25th anniversary of the piper alpha oil rig disaster. Both oil and gas was pumped from the two other platforms to piper alpha and subsequently pumped to shore. 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. 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. Jul 07, 2018 documentary chronicling the tragic events that occurred in the north sea on board the piper alpha rig in july 1988, in what was the worlds deadliest offshore oil disaster. It was built in the north sea by a consortium run by occidental and dr. Feel free to discuss or share thoughts and memories on this page. The piper alpha disaster reprints by stephen mcginty. Importance learning from major incident piper alpha disaster. It was a catastrophe that killed 167 men and left only 61 survivors, each of whom had to fight for their lives to escape the huge, labyrinthine structure and the flames that were consuming it. Piper alpha platform, north sea offshore technology oil.
The public inquiry into the piper alpha disaster cm 10. Newly updated for the thirtieth year since the tragedy, fire in the night by journalist stephen mcginty tells in gripping detail the devastating story of that summer evening. Check below for episodes and series from the same categories and more. A disaster which could have been, if not totally adverted, dramatically changed in course without the horrible loss of human life. This paper examines the following aspects of offshore safety in oil and gas production systems before and after the piper alpha disaster.
1260 1188 444 1060 494 1388 484 1139 486 1046 199 1454 664 1389 678 1178 577 931 986 371 1588 746 1413 773 1238 1430 953 320 1091 1054 272 862 797 353 146 137 182