Press and Journal Aberdeen
UNION ANGER AS BP REVEALS PLANS TO REPLACE STANDBY SAFETY VESSELS
Oil giant BP is poised to reveal plans for a new offshore safety system scrapping standby safety vessels today - a move certain to provoke a furious response from unions representing offshore workers.
Details of plans for four giant motherships, each with two high performance lifeboats, combined with more helicopter cover, personal locator devices and better survival equipment were given to union leaders and MPs last night.
Under what is known as Operation Jigsaw the central and north North Sea will be divided into three areas with BP installations, each of which will be patrolled by one of the new regional support vessels, with the fourth en route to or from shore with supplies.
Their lifeboats - autonomous recovery rescue craft or "arcs" - will each be the equivalent of RNLI sea-going lifeboats and capable of rescuing survivors and completing passage ashore, according to reports.
It was not clear if the motherships will be equipped with helicopter platforms and carry their own aircraft. They will be similar, but 50% larger, than existing multi-role vessels used in the southern North Sea
It is understood BP have commissioned the craft from Chinese shipyards and that their keels have already been laid.
They will replace the existing fleet of largely chartered safety vessels, one of which is on constant patrol round each platform.
The company claim that the new safety regime will be more expensive to operate than current arrangements and provide better security and safety cover.
Senior executives firmly deny their motive is to save money.
Among concerns likely from politicians, some of whom are expected to give the company's plans a very cautious welcome, is the fact that BP have raced ahead without producing a prototype for testing in severe North Sea conditions.
There is also worry about the effect on other offshore operators like Marathon and Kerr McGee.
But the senior National Union of Marine Aviation and Shipping Transport Officers (Numast) national secretary Alan Graveson said: "Jigsaw has two key pieces missing."
He said these include the removal of safety vessels, one of whose tasks is to warn off shipping that come too close, with an increased risk of collision.
The other that in the event of a mass abandonment "helicopters with regional support vessels carrying 'daughter' craft will be woefully inadequate".
He protested the unions had been given just 24 hours warning of the announcement of proposals which appeared to mean "that all that was learned following the Piper Alpha disaster has been thrown in the bin".
He said: "It is a disgrace to the memory of those who lost their lives."
BP has made substantial changes to proposals first put forward in 2002 which were roundly denounced by the unions. They were also widely criticised by MPs and standby vessel owners.
One of the most telling complaints was that there was an over reliance on helicopters which were said not to be able to cope with a mass abandonment and unable to operate in the worst weather, putting lives at risk.
A BP spokeswoman said then their proposals would include a significant marine element and enhance substantially their safety capability. She said: "We are concluding our detailed evaluation of the various components of the project which includes both aviation and marine elements, which have been the subject of intensive consultation with offshore employers and contractors."
BP was approached for comment last night.
An emergency meeting of the Inter-Union Offshore Oil Committee is being called to discus the proposals.
It is understood the Health and Safety Executive have been consulted by BP and may have signalled their approval.