A departure from the sunshine that graced Aberdeen over the weekend, Johnston Gardens was cold and grey as friends, family and industry gathered to remember the 16 men who lost their lives in the 2009 Super Puma crash.
Among those in attendance for UK oil and gas chaplain Michael Mair’s service was John Maitland, a member of the Miller platform’s crew at the time of the incident.
He said: “The guys on Miller feel this event really profoundly and we are very keen to remember those that we lost at the time and support the families.
“I think the families appreciate the fact that some of the people from the Miller platform still turn up every year to show their respects.”
A crowd gathered at the recently renovated Flight 85N memorial in Johnston Gardens, including Aberdeen’s Lord Provost David Cameron, representatives from Unite the Union and trade body Offshore Energies UK (OEUK).
The UK oil and gas chaplain commented: “Anniversaries are really difficult times, especially for those who are immediately close to those we’ve lost.
“Significant anniversaries like five, 10 or 15 years, which we’ve reached today for the Flight 85N disaster, is a significant one. It’s been really important for the family members, friends and colleagues to come together and take some time to remember and reflect on what happened that day and be able to move forward beyond that as well.”
‘This has been a very emotional event today’
The Super Puma helicopter, operated by Bond, was travelling between BP’s Miller platform to Aberdeen Airport on 1 April 2009 during calm weather.
The crash took place 11 nautical miles (12.6 miles) north of Peterhead at around 2 pm. Investigations found that a fatigue fracture caused the main rotor gearbox to fail, separating the rotor from the fuselage.
A total of 16 people died, 14 passengers and two crew – 12 from Scotland, three from England and one from Latvia. The majority were workers with KCA Deutag.
Mr Maitland added: “It’s nice to see the families here, especially the small ones that are now teenagers and some have their own families.”
The oil and gas industry has had a significant impact on the north-east of Scotland, cultivating a community of those who earn a living in the North Sea.
One man who has spent time working in oil and gas, Aberdeen’s Lord Provost David Cameron, reflected on the impact of a disaster like the one that took place on this day 15 years ago on the region.
© Ryan Duff/DCT MediaM Cameron said: “This has been a very emotional event today, Michael the chaplain carried out a very sensitive and thoughtful touching ceremony.
“The offshore industry is very safe but when things go wrong, they can go wrong badly. I first went offshore 45 years ago, and I continued to go offshore until 2010 so I’ve seen the Alexander Kielland going down, Piper Alpha, and the CNOOC disaster in Shetland. Each of these were so emotional.
Anniversary of Super Puma crash
“We must never forget and not forget how potentially dangerous an industry this is but when the industry comes together like a family, what’s happened today, then we realise that everybody is thinking of one another.”
Flowers were placed by those in attendance around the memorial plinth which is adorned with the names of the 16 men that died in the crash.
The flowers lay around candles that had been set up around the memorial to signify the lives lost.
A senior operations manager for Expro, David Low, said after the service: “This is certainly a poignant event, one that’s going to be etched into the memories of everyone within the industry.
“I think today was an extremely fitting tribute and one that should be, and hopefully will be, upheld by the industry going forward for years to come.”
Read more: Aircraft Incident Report
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