Alexander L. Kielland Accident

Alexander L. Kielland was a Norwegian semisubmersible rig/platform in the Ekofisk oil field, Norwegian continental shelf, about 235 miles east of Dundee, Scotland, United Kingdom. The rig/platform was named after a Norwegian writer, and it was owned by the Stavanger Drilling Company of Norway. At the time of the occurrence of the disaster, the rig/platform was hired by the United States Company called Phillips Petroleum. 

After about 40 months of service, the rig/platform was no longer used for drilling, but it served as a so-called flotel (i.e., a floating hotel) for workers from the close by Edda platform. On March 27,1980, wind gusts of approximately 40 knots created waves up to 12 m high that, in turn, caused the rig/platform to collapse into the North Sea, and resulted in the death of 123 off-duty workers. 

A subsequent investigation conducted by the Norwegian government concluded that the rig collapsed due to a fatigue crack in one of the rig s six bracings (bracing D-6), which connected the collapsed D-leg to rest of the rig [3,20]. Additional information on this accident is available in References 3,10, and 20. 

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Over the years, many accidents in the offshore industrial sector have occurred and resulted in many fatalities and a large sum of money being spent on damages. Some examples of the deadliest accidents in the offshore oil and gas industry are the Piper Alpha platform accident in the United Kingdom in 1998, the Mumbai High North Platform accident in India in 2005, and the Alexander L. Kielland accident in Norway in 1980 [3],... 

Alexander, L., Kielland Accident, Report of a Norwegian Public Commission Appointed by Royal Decree of March 28,1980, Report No. ISBN B0000ED27N, Norwegian Ministry of Justice Police, Oslo, Norway, March 1981. 

There are major accident risks involved in the development and operation of offshore oil and gas fields. The Bravo blow-out in 1977, the capsizing of the Alexander L.Kielland in 1980 and the fire and explosion that destroyed Piper Alpha in 1988 remind us about this fact. A blow-out may result in extensive losses of human lives and damage to the environment. The Piper Alpha catastrophe demonstrates that fires and explosions may cause a high number of fatalities and extensive monetary losses. 

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