.

.

Sunday, July 7, 2013

Piper Alpha -- 1988 Il piu' grave incidente petrolifero della storia

25 anni fa il piu grave incidente in mare, 

in termini di vite umane - 167 morti, la Piper Alpha della Occidental Petroleum.










6 Luglio 1988.

Al largo di Aberdeen, Scozia.

228 uomini a bordo della Piper Alpha che produce 300,000 
barili al giorno di petrolio per conto della Occidental Petroleum.

La Piper Alpha da sola produceva il 10% di tutto
 il petrolio inglese del Mare del Nord.

Cede una pompa. 

Invece che fermare la produzione si aziona la pompa di riserva.

Non funziona.

Si susseguono una serie di perdite di gas e di scoppi.

Alcuni si gettarono a mare, altri attendono i soccorsi.

La piattaforma si incendia e crolla prima che possano giungere i soccorsi.

Muoiono 167 persone. 

Non ci sono stati processi.

Il disastro e' rimasto impunito.


Erano 25 anni fa.




Roy Carey - instrument technician

I just knew I had to get out of that flame. Most of the lads who I was standing with never made it.
Three dead that I know of. You wonder why people would jump out of a 30- or 40-storey block window when fire is at their back.

Well, I know why now, because I jumped as well and I was very lucky to survive.
When I hit the sea, I went very deep, but you could see above that the flames were lighting up the surface of the sea.

So I started swimming up towards the surface. As I got towards the surface I was struggling then for breath. I didn't think I was going to make it. I started swimming a bit more and you start panicking a bit and finally I did hit the surface.

I looked up and I was under a grill. There is no other way to describe it. The top of my head started to cook. Steam was rising off the water. I was really in a bad way, then I thought, 'I'm either going to burn to death or be drowned.

And I said, 'I think I'd sooner drown. I think that's a more peaceful death'.

And I plunged myself under the water and pedalled down under the water and thought I was maybe going under for the last time. I got an image of my younger daughter and I had promised to give her the same sort of wedding I had given my older daughter and this sort of clicked with me and I said, 'I have got to survive this.'

I had to push through the barriers and make this happen.

When I hit the surface again, I was away from the rig and the flames were curling up a little as you got further away from the rig and the currents were taking me away as well, thank goodness.

I started swimming then and I noticed a body quite close and he had a life jacket on.

I thought I'll go over see how they are and I swam over towards him and realised he was face down and he was not moving at all and I realised he was dead.

He had a life jacket, which I didn't have now. I thought, 'I can't steal his life jacket.'
I just couldn't do that. I thought, 'What I'll do is rest against him.'

I didn't want to lift him up to find out who it was because it could be someone you knew and you wanted to treat him with respect. I leant on him and it gave me a little boost. 

Even now I feel a little guilty about doing that.

My strength was building up again a bit and then I heard voices shouting me and it was lads who were clinging to a quarter of a lifeboat and so I let go of the body and swam over to the lifeboat.

The Silver Pit went past us.

It never saw us and then it came back the other way and it saw us then.
They came up to us and dragged us on board.

At that point we felt euphoric because we had survived.

We had lived through it. 

You did not realise just how many people had gone in that night.
We look back on that now and say that was day one in our new life.
That's the way some of us look at it.

 ------
Dal Scotland Times

THE Piper Alpha tragedy on July 6, 1988, left 167 men dead.
On the 25th anniversary, we publish the names of all those who died.

Robert McIntosh ADAMS, rigger
George Alexander J ANDERSON, baker
Ian Geddes ANDERSON, dual service operator
John ANDERSON, catering manager
Mark David ASHTON, trainee technician/cleaner
Wilson Crawford A BAIN, valve technician
Barry Charles BARBER, diving consultant
Craig Alexander BARCLAY, welder
Alan BARR, Electrical technician
Brian Philip BATCHELOR, seaman
Amabile Alexander BORG, non-destructive tester
Hugh Wallace BRACKENRIDGE, roustabout
Alexander Ross Colvin BREMNER, production operator
Eric Roland Paul BRIANCHON, technician
Hugh BRISTON, scaffolder
Henry BROWN, welder
Stephen BROWN, assistant chef/baker
Gordon Craib BRUCE, helicopter landing officer
James BRUCE, logger
Carl William BUSSE, directional drilling supervisor
David CAMPBELL, cleaner
David Allen CAMPBELL, scaffolder
Alexander Watt CARGILL, electrician
Robert CARROLL, safety operator
Alan CARTER, lead production operator
Robert CLELAND, derrickman
Stephen Colin COLE, radio officer
Hugh CONNOR, instrument technician/lecturer
John Edward Sherry COOKE, Plater
John Thomas COOPER, Instrument Technician
William Nunn COUTTS, Chef
William John COWIE, Steward
Michael John COX, Scaffolder
Alan Irvin CRADDOCK, Drilling Supervisor
Edward John CROWDEN, Electrical Technician
Bernard CURTIS, Deputy Production Superintendent
Jose Hipolito DA SILVA, Steward
John Stephen DAWSON, Telecom Engineer
Eric DEVERELL, Production Clerk
Alexander DUNCAN, Steward
Charles Edward DUNCAN, Floorman
Eric DUNCAN, Drilling Materials Man
John DUNCAN, Engineer
Thomas Irvine DUNCAN, Roustabout
William David DUNCAN, Crane Operator
David Alan ELLIS, Steward
Douglas Newlands FINDLAY, Supervisor Mechanic
Harold Edward George FLOOK, Production Operator
George FOWLER, Electrical Technician
Alexander Park FREW, Plater
Samuel Queen GALLACHER, Pipe Fitter
Miguel GALVEZ-ESTEVEZ, Assistant Chef
Ernest GIBSON, Mud Engineer
Albert Stuart GILL, Roustabout
Ian GILLANDERS, Instrument Pipe Fitter
Kevin Barry GILLIGAN, Steward
Shaun GLENDINNING, Painter
John Edward Thomas GOLDTHORP, Motorman
Stephen Robert GOODWIN, Geologist
James Edward Gray GORDON, Floorman
David Lee GORMAN, Safety Operator
Kenneth GRAHAM, Mechanical Technician
Peter John GRANT, Production Operator
Cyril James GRAY, Safety Operator
Harold Eugene Joseph GREEN, Rigger
Michael John GROVES, Production Operator
John HACKETT, Electrical Technician
Ian HAY, Steward
Thomas Albert HAYES, Rigging Supervisor
James HEGGIE, Production Services Superintendent
David William HENDERSON, Lead Floorman
Philip Robert HOUSTON, Geologist
Duncan JENNINGS, Geologist
Jeffrey Grant JONES, Assistant Driller
Christopher KAVANAGH, Plater
William Howat KELLY, Electrical Technician
Ian KILLINGTON, Steward
John Brian KIRBY, Production Operator
Stuart Gordon Charles KNOX, Roustabout
Alexander Rodger LAING, Steward
Terence Michael LARGUE, Scaffolder
Graham LAWRIE, Roustabout
Findlay Wallace LEGGAT, Scaffolder
Brian LITHGOW, Photographic Technician
Robert Rodger LITTLEJOHN, Pipe Fitter
Martin George LONGSTAFFE, Logger
William Raymond MAHONEY, Steward
John Morrison MARTIN, Rigger
Sidney Ian McBOYLE, Motorman
Robert Borland McCALL, Chief Electrician
James McCULLOCH, HVAC Technician
Alistair James McDONALD, Mechanical Technician
Alexander McELWEE, Plater
Thomas O’Neil McEWAN, Electrical Chargehand
William George McGREGOR, Leading Steward
Frederick Thomas Summers McGURK, Rigger
William Hugh McINTOSH, Floorman
Gordon McKAY, Valve Technician
Charles Edward McLAUGHLIN, Electrician
Neil Stuart Ross McLEOD, Quality Assurance Inspector
Francis McPAKE, Steel Erector/Rigger
David Allison McWHINNIE, Production Operator
Dugald McLean McWILLIAMS, Welder
Carl MEARNS, Rigger
Derek Klement Michael MILLAR, Supervisor
Alan David MILLER, Industrial Chemist
Frank MILLER, Scaffolder
John Hector MOLLOY, Engineer
Leslie James MORRIS, Platform Superintendent
Bruce Alexander Ferguson MUNRO, Floorman
George Fagan MURRAY, Steward
James Cowie NIVEN, Roustabout
Graham Sim NOBLE, Materials Man
Michael O’SHEA, Electrician
Robert Rennie PEARSTON, Mechanic
Ian PIPER, Motorman
Wasyl POCHRYBNIAK, Lead Roustabout
Raymond Leslie PRICE, Production Operator
Neil PYMAN, Engineer
Terence Stephen QUINN, Service Engineer
William Wallace RAEBURN, Maintenance Controller
Donald REID, Chargehand Engineer
Robert Welsh REID, Roustabout
Gordon MacAlonan RENNIE, Process Operator
Robert Miller RICHARD, Production Operator
Alan RIDDOCH, Steward
Adrian Peter ROBERTS, Roughneck
Alexander James ROBERTSON, Lead Production Technician
Donald Nicholson ROBERTSON, Mechanical Technician
Gary ROSS, Roustabout
Michael Hector RYAN, Roustabout
Stanley SANGSTER, Foreman Scaffolder
James John Dearn SAVAGE, Electrical Technician
Michael Hugh Brodie SCORGIE, Lead Foreman
William Alexander SCORGIE, Pipe Fitter
John Francis SCOTT, Scaffolder
Colin Denis SEATON, Offshore Installation Manager
Robert Hendry SELBIE, Turbo Drill Engineer
Michael Jeffrey SERINK, Logger
Michael Bernard SHORT, Foreman Rigger
Richard Valentine SKINNER, Assistant Driller
William Hamilton SMITH, Maintenance Lead Hand
James SPEIRS, Mechanical Technician
Kenneth Stuart STEPHENSON, Rigger
Thomas Cunningham Boswell STIRLING, Cleaner
Malcolm John STOREY, Seaman
James Campbell STOTT, plumber
Jurgen Tilo STWERKA, research chemist
Stuart Douglas SUTHERLAND, student/cleaner
Terrence John SUTTON, mechanical fitter
Alexander Ronald TAYLOR, roustabout
Alistair Adam THOMPSON, telecom engineer
Robert Argo VERNON, production operator
John Edward WAKEFIELD, instrument technician
Michael Andrew WALKER, technician
Bryan Thomas WARD, rigger
Gareth Hopson WATKIN, offshore medical attendant
Francis John WATSON head chef
Alexander WHIBLEY, roustabout
Kevan Dennis WHITE, maintenance supervisor
Robert WHITELEY, roustabout
Graham Gill WHYTE, aerial rigger
James Gilbert WHYTE, aerial rigger
Alan WICKS, safety supervisor
Paul Charles Ferguson WILLIAMSON, floorman
David WISER, survey technician
John Richard WOODCOCK, technical clerk

No comments: