Piper Alpha: Red Adair’s plan to tame the fires
When world-famous US firefighter Red Adair flew in from Houston to orchestrate the operation to “kill” the Piper Alpha wells, the mission appeared immense. Some even thought it impossible.
Features
Piper Alpha: Workers’ lives are still shaped by tragedy
When the dreadful news about Piper Alpha broke I was in London working as a graduate trainee for Shell’s downstream business.
Piper Alpha: Industry embraces challenges, R2S says
In the three decades that have passed since Piper Alpha this industry has changed exponentially: the disaster driving an unprecedented pace and quality of change in operational safety for offshore oil and gas.
Piper Alpha: 30 years on, we still learn
Thirty years on as we remember the Piper Alpha disaster and the 167 lives that were lost, it is a poignant time to recognise the positive safety changes in the years since and how these principles need to be passed from one generation to the next.
One family’s story of survival in aftermath of Piper Alpha
Nothing was ever quite the same for Geoff Bollands or his family after tragedy struck the Piper Alpha platform on July 6 1988.
Capital helping firms take poll position
It’s a well drilled unit, ready to spring into action at a moment’s notice and help get sophisticated technology up and running as fast as possible.
Brexit will strengthen devolution settlement, says David Mundell
Scottish Secretary David Mundell will use an international lecture to claim Brexit will “strengthen” the devolution settlement in Scotland.
A toxic legacy hangs over Scotland’s Brexit war with Theresa May
There’s always one politician who can inflame passions in Scotland, even if she does it from the grave.
Timing should not be determined by May, says Sturgeon
The timing of a second independence referendum should not be determined by what is “convenient” for Theresa May, Scotland’s First Minister has said.
Second referendum would be ‘against the majority wishes’ says Ruth Davidson
Calls for a second independence referendum would be “against the majority wishes”, the Scottish Conservative leader has said.
Sturgeon: PM more likely to get no Brexit deal than one as good as single market
Theresa May has more chance of getting a bad deal or no deal than one as good as the single market in Brexit negotiations, Scotland’s First Minister has warned.
SNP warns Theresa May not to block second Scottish independence referendum
The SNP has warned Theresa May not to try to block Nicola Sturgeon’s plans for a fresh referendum on Scottish independence before Britain finally leaves the EU.
Economist warns independent Scotland would have to raise taxes or lower spending
An independent Scotland would have to hike taxes or cut spending and is likely to face political pressure to adopt the euro as the price of EU membership, a leading economist has said.
Success in pipeline as pupils engineer success
Dozens of budding young scientists have engineered their way to success at an annual competition.
Queen’s Award dished out to caterer Entier
Catering firm Entier was presented with a Queen’s Award for Enterprise yesterday.
Chinese pottery and rare whisky used as collateral for loans in Aberdeen
Demand for “posh pawn” services among hard-up oil executives is growing steadily in Aberdeen.
“Lethal mix” of fear and despair in wake of North Sea helicopter crash
A huge and emotional outpouring of distressed and angry emails have been received by the leading offshore workers’ trade union RMT since a fatal helicopter crash in Norway killed 13 people last month.
Sumburgh Crash: The victims and the survivors
Pilot error led to a fatal helicopter crash off Shetland that killed four people, the Air Accidents Investigation Branch said today.
Updated: AAIB report says pilot error was responsible for fatal Sumburgh helicopter crash
The Air Accidents Investigation Branch today said pilot error was responsible for a fatal offshore helicopter crash, which left four people dead.
Misconceptions about pay puts school leavers off apprenticeships, study finds
Many school leavers in Scotland are being put off joining apprenticeship programmes due to widespread misconceptions about pay and qualifications, a study suggests.
North Sea helicopter pilot dropped 300ft due to collision fears
A North Sea helicopter pilot who feared he would collide with a plane was forced to take evasive action – after a “relatively new” air traffic controller failed to tell him it was flying nearby.
EI chief says young oil workers should consider skills transfer to wider energy sector
Young people should consider how their skills transfer to the wider energy remit, according to the boss of industry body the Energy Institute.
Skills academy supports oil and gas industry
In February last year, the formal launch of OGAS (established 2012) took place at the Scottish Parliament, where its fresh-out-of-the-box director, Rulzion Rattray, outlined the potential and new opportunities made available through the formation of the academy.
Pilot union fights Super Puma ruling
A ruling that investigators should hand over flight safety data from a fatal North Sea helicopter crash to Scotland’s leading prosecutor is being challenged.
BALPA considers appealing black box decision for Sumburgh’s Super Puma crash
A pilots' union is considering whether to appeal a landmark legal decision to release the black box recorder from the Super Puma which crashed off Sumburgh in 2013 killing four oil industry workers. The British Airline Pilots' Association (BALPA) is due to announce this week whether it intends to try and block the release of the recordings to prosecutors. Earlier, Lord Advocate Frank Mulholland successfully argued at the Court of Session that the black box should be released to the Crown Office in order to speed the investigation into whether any criminal proceedings should be brought in connection with the crash. Sarah Darnley, 45, from Elgin, Gary McCrossan, 59, from Inverness, Duncan Munro, 46, from Bishop Auckland and George Allison, 57, from Winchester died when the Super Puma crashed two miles off the coast at Sumburgh, in August 2013.