Explosion on north sea oil rig piper alpha

July 6th , 1988

Piper Alpha was an oil platform located in the North Sea approximately 120 miles (190 km) north-east of Aberdeen, Scotland. It was operated by Occidental Petroleum (Caledonia) Limited[1] and began production in 1976,[2] initially as an oil-only platform but later converted to add gas production.

165 Killed

Piper Alpha exploded and sank on 6 July 1988, killing 165 of the men on board, plus a further two rescue workers after their rescue vessel, which had been trapped in debris and immobilized, was destroyed by the disintegrating rig.

Sixty-one workers escaped and survived, and thirty bodies were never recovered.

The total insured loss was about £1.7 billion, making it one of the costliest man-made catastrophes ever.

At the time of the disaster, the platform accounted for approximately 10% of North Sea oil and gas production.

Worlds Worst Offshore Oil Disaster

The accident is the world’s worst offshore oil disaster in terms of lives lost and industry impact.

Book of Remembrance

In Aberdeen, the Kirk of St Nicholas on Union Street has dedicated a chapel in memory of those who died, containing a Book of Remembrance listing them.

Memorial

There is a memorial sculpture in the Rose Garden of Hazlehead Park.

More From This Day

calendar 1937

Dave Allen, born

July 06, 1937

calendar 1919

Airship R3 Lands in Long Island

July 06, 1919

calendar 1907

The Irish Crown Jewels Vanish

July 06, 1907

calendar 1875

Institute of Bankers in Scotland formed

July 06, 1875

calendar 1868

Samuel Lover, died

July 06, 1868

calendar 1747

John Paul Jones, born

July 06, 1747

calendar 1560

Treaty of Edinburgh

July 06, 1560

calendar 1403

Glyndŵr Rising

July 06, 1405

calendar 1815

Charles Bianconi

July 06, 1815

Related Countries

blog Scotland

WW1 posters

WW1 posters

blog Scotland

ladies from hell

ladies from hell

blog Scotland

great highland bagpipes

Scottish Great Highland Bagpipes

blog Scotland

scottish small pipes

scottish small pipes

calendar Scotland

Henry McLeish resigned as Scotlands First Minister

November 08, 2001

calendar Scotland

Naomi Mitchison, prolific Scottish writer, died

January 11, 1999

calendar Scotland

Election for the new Scottish Parliament

May 06, 1999

calendar Scotland

Scottish Parliament on The Mound, Edinburgh

July 01, 1999

No related content found.