Tragedy strike; Fatal accident killed 1 work, 10 missing.

Home Fossil EnergyFatal rig dismantling incident throws health, safety, and environmental perils at recycling yards into stark relief

Fatal rig dismantling incident throws health, safety, and environmental perils at recycling yards into stark relief

A tragic accident reportedly claimed the life of one worker and put nine more directly in the path of danger due to gas exposure at a shipyard, where a 1975-built semi-submersible drilling rig was being taken apart for recycling purposes. Navigating pitfalls stemming from inadequate regulation and enforcement of the health, safety, and environment (HSE) bundle is a tricky business for the workforce unless more stringent measures are pushed forward to come to grips with loopholes and ensure a set of HSE rules will remain in place to pinpoint potential hazards and tackle them.

While the offshore energy and maritime industries’ decommissioning activities are the next logical step for assets that have or are close to approaching their end-of-service-life phase, the latest in a long string of fatal incidents at scrapping yards has once again thrust into the limelight the risks, challenges, and difficulties workers face while dismantling old and retired energy and shipping-related structures and facilities.

There is no doubt that ship and energy infrastructure recycling operations tend to present both challenges and opportunities, however, accidents like the most recent one from August 31, 2024, highlight the need to tackle the lack of health and safety standards and environmental protection measures at recycling facilities to protect workers’ lives and prevent such incidents from reoccurring.

This accident could and should have been avoided. Dismantling a pressurised container in a confined space is not recommended from a health and safety perspective and should only have been done under supervision, following a comprehensive risk assessment. It seems no such assessment was conducted.”

With the sale of the Bideford Dolphin rig out of the way, Dolphin Drilling was left with a fleet of four high technical standard fourth and fifth-generation enhanced Aker H3 and H4 units: Borgland Dolphin, Blackford Dolphin, Paul B. Loyd, Jr., and Dolphin Leader, however, the company has since made a move to part with the last semi-submersible rig and send it on a recycling quest, only months after acquiring it from Transocean.