The 20th anniversary of one of the North Sea oil industry’s worst disasters will be marked with prayers for the victims this week.
Eleven men were killed in the Cormorant Alpha helicopter crash on March 14, 1992.
They will be remembered during the daily lunchtime service at the Kirk of St Nicholas in Aberdeen on Wednesday, starting at 1.05pm.
The Rev Ian McLean, acting chaplain for the UK oil and gas industry, said: “March 14 marks the 20th anniversary of the accident in which 10 passengers and one crew member lost their lives. Their families, friends and loved ones – as well as the wider oil and gas community – are welcome to join us in prayer to remember them and reflect.”
The tragedy involved a Bristow Super Puma helicopter which crashed in appalling weather conditions on the short flight from the Cormorant Alpha platform to an accommodation rig just a few hundred yards away.
Twelve of the 17 people on board the aircraft escaped before it sank, but only six survived the 65mph winds and -20C water temperatures.
Captain Jonathan Shelbourne was hailed as both a survivor and a hero, having twice freed Hull man John Barr during his 45-minute wait for rescue. A fatal accident inquiry later blamed him for losing control of the aircraft by failing to maintain the right height and speed and not monitoring his instruments.
The platform’s operator, Shell Expro, was also criticised for failing to consider the effects of the wild conditions on rescue facilities and failing to ensure a standby vessel was nearby.
No one was charged in connection with the accident.