After Piper Alpha
July 6th 1988 was a dark day in the history of HPHT drilling. The Piper Alpha platform in the North Sea developed a gas leak, exploded and sank into the sea, leaving 167 dead and only 62 survivors.
The aftermath of this disaster has had far-reaching consequences for the families of all the victims, as well as the companies who employ HPHT drilling on oil and gas rigs.
The first consequence of the disaster was the establishment of the Cullen Inquiry in November 1988. The findings of this Inquiry were released in November 1990 and, although the Inquiry was very critical of Occidental – the operating company – no criminal charges were made. The inquiry found that there was a severe lack of safety standards on Piper Alpha as well as inadequate maintenance procedures.
A more important aspect of the Inquiry is that it made 106 suggestions regarding the safety protocols and procedures for the rigs in the North Sea. All of these suggestions were accepted without question.
The most important outcome of the Inquiry was that the Health and Safety Executive would take over enforcing safety in the North Sea from the Department of Energy. The main argument for this move was that production and safety are in conflict with one another and should therefore be managed by different authorities.
The survivors and the families of those who had succumbed banded together and formed an association - Piper Alpha Families and Survivors Association – which now focuses and campaigns on safety issues on rigs in the North Sea.
120 metres from Piper Bravo (Piper Alpha’s successor) is a wreck buoy marking the place where Piper Alpha sank into the sea. Another memorial is a statue in the Rose Garden in Hazlehead, Aberdeen. The twentieth anniversary saw the production of a play – ‘Lest We Forget’ – written by Mike Gibb. The final performance was on 6 July 2008, exactly 20 years after the disaster.
Another positive result of the disaster was the formation of the new trade union, Offshore Industry Liaison Committee. This is the first post-Margaret Thatcher trade union to be formed.
The aftermath was far more significant to the survivors and the families of the deceased. Professor David Alexander of the Aberdeen Centre for Trauma Research at Robert Gordon University did a study of the social and psychological effects on the survivors. He found only thirty-six participants, but the findings were significant. Almost all of the participants reported symptoms that indicated post traumatic stress disorder. Along with that, the majority of survivors were having difficulties finding work on offshore rigs. They were considered as bad luck for the rig.
Prof. Alexander, however, also found that many of them left the disaster a hero in their own right.
A Castle and Baths Fit for a King or Queen in Faro
Any holiday in Portugal will be filled with historical encounters. Whether or not you arrange for car hire Faro Airport will likely be your starting point but any number of historical sites will be at your reach during the entirety of your trip. One of your choices in the castle category is Silves Castle.
Once the residence of the Moorish kings of the Al-Garb Silves Castle (Castelo de Silves) once formed part of the wall that encircled the city of Faro. Its thick, high walls served as a key defence measure when Faro was the capital. Located at the highest point in town, the castle has a total of 11 towers, some of which have been modified over the centuries, and a set of sandstone walls that have remained virtually intact over the long centuries for which it has been in existence. A 60-metre-deep well can still be found inside the building, as well as a set of vaulted cisterns that have supplied the town with water for centuries and still does to this day.
Silves Castle also hosts events throughout the year, so, pick up an event calendar when you arrange car hire – Faro airport would be a good place to find those. If the contemplation of all this history becomes particularly stressful or your muscles are still stiff from your flight into the island, he Monchique Thermal Baths (Caldas De Monchique) are a completely relaxing detour perfect for any holiday-goer. The Romans were the first to bathe here. They fervently followed the rationale that its excellent waters helped to keep them young. In 1495, King Joao II even ordered improvements to be made so that he too could enjoy the health-enhancing experience.
Today, the spa has a hotel, restaurant, wine bar and craft shop. In other words, history has been kind to the Monchique Baths unlike many other ancient buildings in Portugal that marauders destroyed at different points through the centuries. One trip to the baths and chances are that you will feel that history has been kind to you as well.