Piper Alpha: Fire in the night

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Discussion

GTIR

Original Poster:

24,741 posts

265 months

Tuesday 9th July 2013
quotequote all
On TV now.

Wow. Just wow.

Amazing bravery and heartache. frown

GG89

3,526 posts

185 months

Tuesday 9th July 2013
quotequote all
Unimaginable terror these chaps went through.

bexVN

14,682 posts

210 months

Tuesday 9th July 2013
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I'll never forget watching the news reports when it happened. Forgot this was on tonight, hope it'll be on catch up (watching something else at the mo) what channel is it on?)

R8Steve

4,150 posts

174 months

Tuesday 9th July 2013
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Crap, really wanted to watch this and just got in from work, anyone know if its repeated/on demand?

hyperblue

2,800 posts

179 months

Tuesday 9th July 2013
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R8Steve said:
Crap, really wanted to watch this and just got in from work, anyone know if its repeated/on demand?
I'm sure it'll be on iPlayer.

Harrowing viewing.

bexVN

14,682 posts

210 months

Tuesday 9th July 2013
quotequote all
It's bbc2 so high chance it'll be on iPlayer

R8Steve

4,150 posts

174 months

Tuesday 9th July 2013
quotequote all
hyperblue said:
R8Steve said:
Crap, really wanted to watch this and just got in from work, anyone know if its repeated/on demand?
I'm sure it'll be on iPlayer.

Harrowing viewing.
Thanks, will have a look and see if I can find it.

My dad was in a helicopter crash on the North Sea so it'll no doubt touch a nerve for sure.

GTIR

Original Poster:

24,741 posts

265 months

Tuesday 9th July 2013
quotequote all
I don't mind admitting I've shed a few years tonight.

Otispunkmeyer

12,557 posts

154 months

Tuesday 9th July 2013
quotequote all
Just reading that occidental top brass wouldn't let the sister rig claymore turn off its oil supply to piper alpha. Only doing so after the second explosion, because it would cost a lot of money for such a shut down. If I was the guy on that rig I wouldn't have listened I don't think.

The other rig, tartan, was supplying piper alpha with a 120 bar gas line!!!! When that burst it was funnelling 30 tons of gas into the fire per second!!! fking hell!

Glad my dad decide to work in the Middle East on das island. Though he did eventually go work for occidental on PS-1.

anonymous-user

53 months

Tuesday 9th July 2013
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A simple, moving and incredibly powerful documentary. Proof that the BBC can still make decent and sympathetic program content where the subject matter and people involved tell the story without embellishment.

Congratulations to the BBC, and RIP to those not so lucky that fateful night.

mitzy

13,857 posts

196 months

Tuesday 9th July 2013
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Just been out and come back and watching this

Brave Men
Really Sad

GTIR

Original Poster:

24,741 posts

265 months

Tuesday 9th July 2013
quotequote all
Otispunkmeyer said:
Just reading that occidental top brass wouldn't let the sister rig claymore turn off its oil supply to piper alpha. Only doing so after the second explosion, because it would cost a lot of money for such a shut down. If I was the guy on that rig I wouldn't have listened I don't think.

The other rig, tartan, was supplying piper alpha with a 120 bar gas line!!!! When that burst it was funnelling 30 tons of gas into the fire per second!!! fking hell!

Glad my dad decide to work in the Middle East on das island. Though he did eventually go work for occidental on PS-1.
Hang on.

So the fire was in full swing and the gas was still being pumped "through" Piper Alpha? eek

s.

Adrian W

13,848 posts

227 months

Tuesday 9th July 2013
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GTIR said:
Hang on.

So the fire was in full swing and the gas was still being pumped "through" Piper Alpha? eek

s.
Just imagine if it had happend in America

hyperblue

2,800 posts

179 months

Tuesday 9th July 2013
quotequote all
GTIR said:
Hang on.

So the fire was in full swing and the gas was still being pumped "through" Piper Alpha? eek

s.
Yep, the operators on the other rigs could see that it was on fire but weren't sure if they had the authority to turn off the supply frown

petop

2,135 posts

165 months

Tuesday 9th July 2013
quotequote all
GTIR said:
Hang on.

So the fire was in full swing and the gas was still being pumped "through" Piper Alpha? eek

s.
We covered this on my NEBOSH cse. They didnt cut the flow of gas as comms went pete tong pretty quickly and no one wanted to make a decision on those other rigs to shut down. It was all profit profit even though both rigs could see the fire from where they were.
My Uncle was on the DSV Uncle John which was a semi-submersible at the time and its was not long after this that he decided to go on-shore for work.

Hyperblue got before me, but like he said. Also have to say a very good program, must remember to dust in my room a little more

petop

2,135 posts

165 months

Tuesday 9th July 2013
quotequote all
Adrian W said:
Just imagine if it had happend in America
It was one of the reasons Occidental being American which caused problems convicting anyone over it.

jshell

11,006 posts

204 months

Tuesday 9th July 2013
quotequote all
Otispunkmeyer said:
The other rig, tartan, was supplying piper alpha with a 120 bar gas line!!!! When that burst it was funnelling 30 tons of gas into the fire per second!!! fking hell!
A gas line of a few miles long can't just be depressurised from 120 to 0 bar in a short time though, so I'm not sure it would have made that much difference. What was different was that in the wake of Piper, it was made mandatory to install seabed located shut-off valves to interfield gas pipelines.

oobster

7,065 posts

210 months

Tuesday 9th July 2013
quotequote all
Max_Torque said:
A simple, moving and incredibly powerful documentary. Proof that the BBC can still make decent and sympathetic program content where the subject matter and people involved tell the story without embellishment.

Congratulations to the BBC, and RIP to those not so lucky that fateful night.
Not sure the BBC had much of a hand in making Fire In The Night, but it was an excellent documentary. I was only 15 when it happened, it was very moving to see the men's accounts tonight.

GTIR

Original Poster:

24,741 posts

265 months

Tuesday 9th July 2013
quotequote all
jshell said:
Otispunkmeyer said:
The other rig, tartan, was supplying piper alpha with a 120 bar gas line!!!! When that burst it was funnelling 30 tons of gas into the fire per second!!! fking hell!
A gas line of a few miles long can't just be depressurised from 120 to 0 bar in a short time though, so I'm not sure it would have made that much difference. What was different was that in the wake of Piper, it was made mandatory to install seabed located shut-off valves to interfield gas pipelines.
(Just read the Wiki)
So basically it was a bad/flawed design (Ok for oil not for gas) coupled with human error and lack of procedures topped off with greed and arrogance from the owners, whoever "they" are I'd imagine it's not one person but a collective of spineless managers. frown

I imagine it's all very different now.

petop

2,135 posts

165 months

Tuesday 9th July 2013
quotequote all
GTIR said:
(Just read the Wiki)
So basically it was a bad/flawed design (Ok for oil not for gas) coupled with human error and lack of procedures topped off with greed and arrogance from the owners, whoever "they" are I'd imagine it's not one person but a collective of spineless managers. frown

I imagine it's all very different now.
you would like to think so.......
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deepwater_Horizon_oil...