Piper Alpha: What Happened During the Deadliest Oil Rig Disaster in History
When looking at the history of the offshore oil exploration and extraction industry, it’s essential to look at some of the moments that have defined the industry—even if they’re bad moments. Examining oil rig disasters in history helps us learn about what went wrong. What changes could a company have made to its operations? What methods should oil rigs around the world adopt to stop another tragedy from happening? These are the questions that save lives and make looking back on the world’s worst offshore oil rig accident important.
The Piper Alpha & the Piper Oilfield
The Piper Alpha was an oil rig that was in operation in the North Sea, just off the coast of the United Kingdom. The Piper oilfield was discovered in 1973, and the Piper Alpha was brought on stream in 1976. At 300,000 barrels of crude oil a day, the Piper Alpha wasn’t just large, it was important. The rig accounted for nearly 10% of the UK’s oil production.
The Piper Alpha Disaster
On July 6, 1988, and explosion and a series of gas fires killed 167 people and destroyed the Piper Alpha. Two of those killed by the incident were members of rescue crews. Only 61 of the 226 workers on the Piper Alpha survived the disaster. It took nearly three weeks to put out the fire at the scene of the explosion. At the time of the incident, the Piper Alpha was managed by Occidental. It was operating about 120 miles northeast of Aberdeen.
Safety Changes Made in Response to the Piper Alpha Disaster
The Cullen Inquiry was started to establish the cause of the disaster and make suggestions to improve the safety of the North Sea offshore oil industry. The investigation revealed that the disaster could have been prevented. While the explosion occurred from a gas leak, it shouldn’t have happened in the first place. During routine maintenance, crew members removed a safety valve from a condensate-injection pump. A temporary seal, a disk secured by two blind flanges, was left on the pipe between shift changes. A lack of communication between crews caused members of the later shift to activate the condensate-injection pump—an error that caused the deadly buildup of gas.
After determining the cause of the explosion, the Cullen Inquiry released a report that made 106 recommendations for changes to safety procedures in the North Sea. It suggested changes to equipment operation, communication procedures between personnel, the design of offshore platforms, and new procedures for emergency responses. The accident remains one of the most significant maritime incidents of all time and still influences the safety policies of offshore rigs today.
