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Alexander L. Kielland 1980

The Alexander L. Kielland oil drilling platform capsized in the North Sea off the coast of Norway on March 27, 1980 during a storm. 123 workers died when one of the platform's support legs failed, causing it to tilt severely and eventually capsize. An investigation found that the failed leg had a crack from poor welding that propagated over time. The capsizing revealed inadequacies in the platform's lifeboats, emergency equipment, and crew training that contributed to the high death toll. The disaster prompted reforms to safety standards for offshore oil platforms.

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Mark Kaiser
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10 views

Alexander L. Kielland 1980

The Alexander L. Kielland oil drilling platform capsized in the North Sea off the coast of Norway on March 27, 1980 during a storm. 123 workers died when one of the platform's support legs failed, causing it to tilt severely and eventually capsize. An investigation found that the failed leg had a crack from poor welding that propagated over time. The capsizing revealed inadequacies in the platform's lifeboats, emergency equipment, and crew training that contributed to the high death toll. The disaster prompted reforms to safety standards for offshore oil platforms.

Uploaded by

Mark Kaiser
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Alexander L.

Kielland 1980

Location Ekofisk Oil Field, approximately 160 miles east of Scottish port of
Dundee, in the North Sea, Offshore Norway

Date Evening hours of 27 March 1980

Description Alexander L. Kielland is a semi-submersible oil drilling platform weighted


10 105 tons used as a floating hotel (flotel) for 348 people.

27 March 1980
● During storm day at 6.30 pm, the platform lost 1 of its 5 legs due
to a propagated fatigue crack that was believed to be there since
the design and construction phase. Thus, the platform tilted up to
35 to 45 degrees. During this time 5 out of 6 anchors were
snapped leaving only one anchor that held the platform.
● At 6.45 pm, the last anchor snapped due to overload and the
platform completely capsized.
● 15 min before 6.45 pm is called window time as it is the only time
for the men on the platform to escape themselves through the
window.

1983
● The platform was towed back to Norway and righted back to
recover more victims and information regarding the causes of the
incident. Later that year, the platform was moved to and sunk in
Nedstrandsfjorden.
Causes

● One enormous pontoon leg had sheared off in the storm


becoming completely disconnected from the rig.
● Support pipe D-6 was found poorly fabricated welded through
investigation and caused a crack to form. This crack lengthened
over the year until during this storm it finally sheared the support
tube completely.
● Resulting stresses placed on the other supports caused domino
effects of stress failure until the entire massive D-led broke off.

Aftermath 123 workers died and 89 survived ( Total on board : 212 people)
Fatalities due to:
● lifeboats
1. 3/7 lifeboats were lost and crushed as the platform tilted.
The remaining 4 stuck at the upper part of the tilted
platform due to the design of the lifeboats that caused the
lifeboats to remain in position under underload condition.
2. 10/11 men that got into the boat died as when the
lifeboats lowered, it smashed with the platform.
● Inadequate lifesaving equipment
1. There were only life jackets that kept the victims floating in
the sea but no survival suit for protection provided. Thus,
many men that survived from the initial capsized died in
the icy water due to hypothermia. Air temperature during
that time is 4 to 6 deg added with wind making it colder.
● Lack of emergency training
1. No man seems to know how to use the survival rafts.
Thus, the only options left were either cling on the floated
part and wait for rescue or jump into the icy sea and swim
to the nearby drilling Edda.
2. No one coordinated the evacuation of the rig or
cooperated to reach trapped crew members.
● The location of the standby vessels was far away. The nearest
one took an hour to arrive and rescue.

Survivors due to:


● Suddenly, one of the lifeboats broke free on the sea. 19 men
survived by trying to get into the boat.
● Crew men from the Edda Drilling Rig threw life rafts into the sea.
More stranded men were rescued.
● 7 men swam to Edda and were hauled aboard in rescue baskets.
● The disaster news spreaded through ship radios. Thus, sailors
and airmen nearby come to rescue.

Offshore design rules were revised and some countermeasures were


added to maintain a reserve of buoyancy and stability for a platform
under a storm.

+Countermeasures
Based on the accident report, redundancies of stability and structural
strength, and lifesaving equipment for the offshore oil drilling platforms
were obligated by the Norwegian Maritime Directorate (NMD).
Amendment of the MODU (Mobile Offshore Drilling Units) Code was
carried out by the International Maritime Organization, and standards for
stability, motion characteristics, maneuverability, watertight doors, and
structural strength of the oil drilling platforms were strengthened.

A memorial disaster named Broken-Chain that portrays the broken


chain link was built in 1986 on the coast of Kvernevik .

Fun facts
● The capsize is the worst maritime disaster in Norwegian
water since World War II.
● Largest rescue ever mounted in the North Sea & involved
2000 people, 47 vessels, 24 helicopters and planes.
● Post accident: Changes have been made to the industry.
Large parts of the safety regime were reviewed and
reshaped.
● Aside from the increased personnel capacity from 80 to
350 people, the original 200 tonnes drilling derrick was
still left in place on the top deck prior to the accident,
which contributed to the overload.

Lesson learned This tragedy illustrates the huge consequences a major accident can
have for individuals and families, for industry and the society. It shows
what can go wrong when safety and emergency preparedness are
inadequate.

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