What Makes Offshore Rigs Jobs Dangerous?

Offshore rigs are platforms that are used to extract oil and natural gas from beneath the ocean's surface. These jobs are often considered dangerous due to the inherent risks involved in working on an offshore rig. Those who work there  are also aware of the catastrophic and perhaps fatal mishaps that might happen while doing their duties on an oil rig. Offshore oil rigs are taller than some of the highest skyscrapers on land and are designed to face the worst hurricanes at sea but how do they get to the middle of the ocean?

And what training do offshore workers do?  

Offshore oil rigs extract petroleum and natural gas from the ocean floor. They are some of the largest structures on the planet. Some deep-sea rigs are as heavy as 200 million kilos and can reach depths of 2500 to 3000 meters. That's three times the size of Burj Khalifa. 

So, how do the skyscrapers get to the middle of the ocean?

First, they build the base of the rig onshore then the drilling infrastructure and living quarters are assembled on top of it and finally the rig is towed out to the drill site. Offshore rigs take weeks or months to get to the drilling location which is often on the other side of the globe. And this is no ordinary journey. 

Shells Appomattox, one of the biggest oil platforms in the Gulf of Mexico made one such epic voyage. It travelled 23,335km(14499 mi) crossing three oceans on one of the largest transport ships on the planet. The Appomattox had to outrun a super typhoon in the Pacific Ocean to survive the rough winter waters around the Cape of Good Hope in South Africa and narrowly avoid Hurricane Harvey that hit the US. When it reached the Gulf of Mexico it weighed as much as a space shuttle. And the final challenge was lowering it hundreds of meters to the seafloor to connect it to the subsea oil station. Life is tough on these offshore rigs and there is a reason why offshore workers make as much as $305,000 a year. The job requires high precision and drill workers are usually highly qualified petroleum or mechanical engineers. They also have to pass the basic offshore safety induction and emergency training and this is not easy. Workers learn how to escape off an oil platform. They learn helicopter escape drills, survival at sea, basic firefighting and first aid. Besides this, working hours are long and the isolation at sea for weeks and months can take a toll on mental health but there is a little room for error on the job. Mistakes in this workplace can be deadly for everyone on board.

The worst offshore rig disaster in history was Piper Alpha. This rig was designed to produce oil but later on the company decided to include natural gas production as well. On July 6th 1988 disaster struck, a series of gas explosions ripped through the oil platform which was not designed or equipped to handle gas related accidents. The rig collapsed into the North Sea and 167 people were killed. Nature can be brutal out in the ocean. Rigs encounter waterspouts and they are at risk of being slammed into by nearby ships in bad weather then there is a chance of an unexpected surge in natural gas that can lead to disasters like deep water horizons.  So, regular maintenance of pipelines are crucial and many repairs must be carried out immediately and if it's being done manually by a driver there is always the chance of encountering dangerous marine life like sharks. Offshore rigs that are maintained well can last up to 40 years and at the end of their service they must be safely disposed of. 

The workers are sent back to shore and the top platform is removed. Engineers cut through the foundation that links the top platform to the base then an ever bigger ship is commissioned to lift it intact and carry it to the scrap yard on shore for dismantling. The last leg of the journey must be carefully planned because any miscalculations can result in catastrophes. Offshore oil rigs are constantly surrounded by controversy and while they have been in the spotlight for all the wrong reasons. There is no doubt that these deep sea giants are marvels of engineering.