Survivors and loved ones remember 167 Piper Alpha victims

A SERVICE to remember the 167 men who lost their lives in the Piper Alpha disaster 30 years ago took place last night.

Family and friends of the victims of the world’s worst offshore tragedy were joined by some of the 61 survivors who managed to flee the burning platform, inset, 120 miles off the coast of Aberdeen on July 6, 1988.

An Act of Remembrance was held in Aberdeen’s Hazlehead Park, home to the Piper Alpha Memorial Garden.

The service was organised by the Rev Gordon Craig, chaplain to the UK offshore oil and gas industry.

He said: “So many lives were affected on that terrible night and it is right and proper that we take a little time to recognise this.

“In doing so, my prayer is we provide a little crumb of comfort to those affected most.

“I think it is vital that the industry takes time to remember too. The deaths of those men led to massive improvements in the way safety was managed in the North Sea industry. “It became an infinitely safer place than it was in 1988 but it will only remain so if we all play our part.” Industry representatives read aloud the names of those who died and a lone piper played a lament, followed by a minute’s silence. Former offshore professional Geoff Bollands, who was working in the Piper Alpha control room on the night of the tragedy and was rescued by boat, attended the memorial. The 70-year-old, from Middlesbrough, travelled to Aberdeen with his son to pay his respects to lost colleagues and friends. Scotland’s First Minister Nicola Sturgeon tweeted on the anniversary: “Thinking of the 167 people who died in the Piper Alpha disaster 30 years ago today – as well as the loved ones they left behind and all those who still live with the awful memories. “You are all in our thoughts.”