Wednesday 6 July 2011

ON THIS DAY: 1988: Piper Alpha oil rig ablaze

For the Seafarer's like me, who will forgot the news that struck the whole world on July 6, 1988, when the Piper Alpha oil rig downed due to fire that lost 167 out of 225 personnel working on the rig?

In fact, I had a knowledgeable about this news during my training on Basic Offshore Safety Induction and Emergency Training last year which pays me a lot of attention on how to survived during this event. I was thought that capsizing of helicopter in the water is a joke, but throughout the training we trained a lot especially working on the sea...

Here's the recap of the news:

A fire on a North Sea oil rig is feared to have claimed the lives of most of those on board.


The fire is believed to have started after explosions at about 2230 BST (2130 GMT) on the Piper Alpha drilling platform, 120 miles (193km) off the north-east coast of Scotland.
 
Helicopters and boats were immediately sent out to rescue the oil workers in an operation co-ordinated by the Aberdeen coastguard.
 
Pilots reported seeing an "inferno" up to 350ft (107m) high and a platform wrenched apart. It is approximately 225 men were working on the rig owned by Occidental Oil.  
 
A total of 167 people died in the Piper Alpha fire making it the world's worst offshore oil disaster. Most of the victims suffocated in toxic fumes which developed after a gas leak set off the blasts and sparked the fire.
 
See the articles on:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/july/6/newsid_3017000/3017294.stm

So for the seafarer's like me, focus and attention need not to be forgotten in case of the unforeseen events on the ship.  Always bear in mind the "Safety First" most of the time. 


Pinoy Ako
Seafarer

thanks for reading and I'll appreciate if you will feed my fish on the aquarium below just only a click for the food... thanks

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