Piper Alpha: Fire in the night

[JoeBolt]

Rick_1138 said:

This is why I laugh at the deepwater horizon thing and the americans going mental that the 'British' have caused this explosion. It was a BP owned field but the rig and most on it were Halliburton and a couple of smaller US firms based people.

Deepwater Horizon was a Transocean rig and most of the personnel on it were Transocean staff.
Halliburton were the 3rd party company who carried out the casing cement job.

[jshell]

JoeBolt said:

Rick_1138 said:

This is why I laugh at the deepwater horizon thing and the americans going mental that the 'British' have caused this explosion. It was a BP owned field but the rig and most on it were Halliburton and a couple of smaller US firms based people.

Deepwater Horizon was a Transocean rig and most of the personnel on it were Transocean staff.
Halliburton were the 3rd party company who carried out the casing cement job.

Having spent many years offshore on various rigs, platforms, ships and FPSO's, the worst of all was a US run drilling rig. Filthy, unsafe, poor comms, Yee-Haw mentality, just fking 'orrible! Never before had I felt really unsafe on an installation.

[RizzoTheRat]

Missed the start of the program and turned on just before the first explosion. I remember watching it on the news at the time (at Sennybridge on a cadet camp, strange how you always remember where you were for stuff like this) but had forgotten quite how bad it was, and how much was a build up of errors/issues. Very good documentary. Really felt for the guy who was in the control room and hurt his hip in the initial explosion, 2 guys went in to do what should have been his job if he wasn't injured, and never came back out, he still feels guilty about it.

[Rick_1138]

To address a few of the points folk have quoted me on.

The PTW system was in use on PA and you are quite correct it was the tightening of the communicating procedures and checks before work commenced that tightened up, I didn't explain myself very well.

Also in regards to the deepwater horizon, I had my ill head on the other day and got mixed up, yes Halliburton was doing the concrete pouring, Transocean was indeed the owning rig!

Regarding the massive investment in updating older installations in the north sea that's good to hear, as I had been hearing a lot of rumour and dissent that it was all becoming a rusthole.

So I am glad to be proved wrong

[Pete102]

Rick_1138 said:

To address a few of the points folk have quoted me on.

The PTW system was in use on PA and you are quite correct it was the tightening of the communicating procedures and checks before work commenced that tightened up, I didn't explain myself very well.

Also in regards to the deepwater horizon, I had my ill head on the other day and got mixed up, yes Halliburton was doing the concrete pouring, Transocean was indeed the owning rig!

Regarding the massive investment in updating older installations in the north sea that's good to hear, as I had been hearing a lot of rumour and dissent that it was all becoming a rusthole.

So I am glad to be proved wrong

Rick, your not totally wrong. I know of a number of assets in the Southern North Sea (SNS) that are rust holes with very little investment (I used to work in SNS projects).

[AMD87]

The interview with one of the rescuers is so true when he said your problems don't end when your in the water they only start!

I've been in a capsized boat as it flooded with water and it is true that when you start to drown it is "peaceful" to an extent.

[GTIR]

The guy who burnt his head was saying he'd given up and didn't want to burn do just let go and then remembered his daughter and his promise to give her a wedding like her sisters so he decided to live!

The reconstruction they happily created at that point got a bit icky and cringey what with his "daughter", wearing a wedding dress, floating under the sea with him and them both kicking to reach the surface!

[RizzoTheRat]

I liked his next bit though, which was along the lines of...

Luckily there was a medical conference for all the top burns specialists on in Birmingham so they dropped everything and came straight up, which was nice.

[jshell]

A friend of mine was on duty at ARI the night of Piper Alpha. They positioned someone outside of A&E to tell all of the usual shysters who tended to rock up to A&E with a 'sore leg' or 'headache' or some other 'get me out of next day's work' non-malady to 'fk Right Off'! Nice!

[entropy]

I applaud the production of the documentary. It probably could easily have been a 1 hour job but this was like a documentary that you would find in a small independent cinema.

[fathomfive]

Just finished watching this on BBC iPlayer.

It's a very moving piece indeed and I agree with the post above - the 90 minutes allowed the programme not to feel rushed or compressed.

[AdeTuono]

Pete102 said:

Rick, your not totally wrong. I know of a number of assets in the Southern North Sea (SNS) that are rust holes with very little investment (I used to work in SNS projects).

Owned and operated by a company beginning with P, by any chance?

[theironduke]

Just watched it on iplayer.

That was possibly the best documentary I've ever seen. I can't believe it was 1.5 hours long, it just felt so perfectly paced. Really good to have everything from people who were there, no narration from a random (no matter how famous) voice.

Tragic topic but very well executed.

[fathomfive]

theironduke said:

Just watched it on iplayer.

That was possibly the best documentary I've ever seen. I can't believe it was 1.5 hours long, it just felt so perfectly paced. Really good to have everything from people who were there, no narration from a random (no matter how famous) voice.

Tragic topic but very well executed.

My sentiments exactly.

Every now and then a programme comes along which holds your attention to such a degree that you don't notice the passage of time.

[Prawo Jazdy]

It was a very good documentary, and reminded me of Touching the Void in its style, i.e. the story is told by the people involved - no narration.

[The Black Flash]

Finally watched it myself, and can only agree with the comments above. Harrowing, moving, and very well made.

[buggalugs]

Watched this last night after reading this thread, very moving. I would have been about 10 when it happened but still remember the imagery from that time.

[Crafty_]

I can remember it being on the news but didn't really appreciate it. I could remember the accommodation block had ended up in the sea and many lost their lives in it, god only knows what it must have been like to try and find a way off, knowing that the whole thing was going to explode at any minute - you can't really imagine it.

Amazed that the guys who jumped from the helipad were not injured when they hit the water.

[theironduke]

Crafty_ said:

Amazed that the guys who jumped from the helipad were not injured when they hit the water.

What a choice; stay and be burned alive or jump 175 feet into the sea. Horrendous.

[Rollcage]

theironduke said:

Crafty_ said:

Amazed that the guys who jumped from the helipad were not injured when they hit the water.

What a choice; stay and be burned alive or jump 175 feet into the sea. Horrendous.

Probably an easy choice to make though, in the circumstances! I don't like heights, or the sea for that matter, but I'd have been off the edge pretty sharpish.