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Fire in the Night: The Piper Alpha Disaster
The fire was visible seventy miles away as a distant, flickering flame on the horizon. The heat generated was so intense that a helicopter could only circle at a perimeter of one mile. Flying at a height of 200 feet, the air crew saw that the tongues of flame extended high above the rotor blades. On the surface a converted fishing trawler inched as close as possible, but the paint on the vessel's hull blistered and burnt, and the rope handrails began to smoke. In the water surrounding the inferno, men's heads could be seen bobbing like apples as their yellow hard hats melted with the heat.At the centre stood, at least for now, the Piper Alpha oil platform, 110 miles northeast of Aberdeen, once the world's single largest oil producer. On 6 July 1988, its final day, it was ablaze with 226 men onboard. Only sixty-one would survive. "Fire in the Night" will tell, for the first time and in gripping detail, the devastating story of that summer evening. Combining interviews with survivors, witness statements and transcripts from the official enquiry into the disaster, this is the moving and vivid tale of what happened on that fateful night inside an oil rig inferno.
- GenresNonfictionHistory
290 pages, Hardcover
First published July 4, 2008
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 30 reviews
June 22, 2022
I wouldnt say i enjoyed reading this book, give the sobering subject matter, but i was certainly gripped by it: McGinty has a good, tight writing style that lends itself well to non-fiction, and it is clear that a lot of time and research went into this work. The story of Piper Alpha is a harrowing one that most people my age likely have never heard of, and this is as good a way as any to learn about it.
My main criticisms are twofold: the complexity of the descriptions of the disaster and response to it, and the sheer number of characters introduced. The book has no introductory list of people and their jobs, which are many and varied, and no blueprint of the platform itself, both of which mean that it can be quite challenging to actually follow what is happening, where and to whom. As well, the causes of the accident and operations of the platform, while well-described and explained, are still very technical to a luddite such as myself. Despite this, however, McGinty has done a great job bringing the reality of such a situation to light, something that normal civilians were subjected to that must have been beyond horrendous. In my opinion the book really hits its stride in the last third or so, particularly when discussing the legal ramifications and efforts of those on shore to help the survivors and the bereaved, as well as stories of these people themselves. McGinty really captures the grief and sorrow of the situation here, and caps of a compelling work that all non-fic readers will be compelled by.
My main criticisms are twofold: the complexity of the descriptions of the disaster and response to it, and the sheer number of characters introduced. The book has no introductory list of people and their jobs, which are many and varied, and no blueprint of the platform itself, both of which mean that it can be quite challenging to actually follow what is happening, where and to whom. As well, the causes of the accident and operations of the platform, while well-described and explained, are still very technical to a luddite such as myself. Despite this, however, McGinty has done a great job bringing the reality of such a situation to light, something that normal civilians were subjected to that must have been beyond horrendous. In my opinion the book really hits its stride in the last third or so, particularly when discussing the legal ramifications and efforts of those on shore to help the survivors and the bereaved, as well as stories of these people themselves. McGinty really captures the grief and sorrow of the situation here, and caps of a compelling work that all non-fic readers will be compelled by.
February 4, 2021
Lays the story out in a dramatic way and presents the information in a way that is easy to understand.
November 13, 2022
Interesting examination
April 4, 2016
This book was 'unputdownable'. I was in high-school when Piper Alpha happened but now that I live in Scotland and work in the offshore industry, the story of the disaster resonates loudly even today over 20 years later. I recommend this book to any manager, supervisor or HSE professional working in offshore oil and gas industry anywhere in the world. McGinty presents a survivor's perspective and a lot of the book is a very moving read and you really feel for those guys trapped, trying to survive and escape from the fires. The book is gripping but not an enjoyable read. Its actually quite disturbing because of the hopeless situation so many brave men find themselves in through no fault of their own. The description of the intense heat is so vivid you can almost feel it. The men are afraid and the sadness of the families is very raw. The Piper Alpha disaster was a terrible tragedy and this is a very good book.
July 23, 2021
A poignant recollection of the Piper Alpha incident with a focus on the human impact. The narrative is driven in third person and takes us through the timeline from years prior to the incident (with several near misses foreshadowing the events of July 6th, 1988), to the incident itself from the viewpoints of witness accounts, and ending at the aftermath (covering the infamous Cullen inquiry).
The most effective parts of this book for me were solely in the aftermath section, as it shows how an incident so long ago can have long-term lasting impacts to this day, especially on the survivors and their families. Although McGinty tries to show both sides of the story, it's difficult at times to get to grips with the responses by Occidental and their obstinacy.
What could've been improved with this book is mainly in describing the incident, as McGinty attempts to basically map out the rig in words, which was difficult for me to comprehend. I think a simple layout map of each floor added in with the images of the incident in the middle of the paperback would've helped visualise the events as they're been recalled.
The most effective parts of this book for me were solely in the aftermath section, as it shows how an incident so long ago can have long-term lasting impacts to this day, especially on the survivors and their families. Although McGinty tries to show both sides of the story, it's difficult at times to get to grips with the responses by Occidental and their obstinacy.
What could've been improved with this book is mainly in describing the incident, as McGinty attempts to basically map out the rig in words, which was difficult for me to comprehend. I think a simple layout map of each floor added in with the images of the incident in the middle of the paperback would've helped visualise the events as they're been recalled.
November 12, 2017
One of the most harrowing books I have ever read, and yet unless you were there it is but nothing. My dad worked on the North Sea standby vessels - although not then - and I am glad I didn’t read it before now. Total respect, RIP
June 18, 2019
Harrowing. The saddest book I have ever read. I remember it happening but have never looked beyond the headlines. The only villains are the money grabbing oil companies.
Definitely one worth reading.
Definitely one worth reading.
March 3, 2026
This was an excellent find, and a great addition to my disaster nonfiction library. It has everything I love about the genre: meticulous detail, blow-by-blow accounts, interviews as well as archival documents informing the narrative, and written with choesion and the easy-read feel of a good, solid longread article.
Compelling and easy to follow, this book is deeply detailed and captures the horror of the incident without being sensationalist. It succeeds at illustrating the deep emotional upheaval and trauma without being too heavy-handed, allowing the story to speak for itself. The technical details and the logistics of the disaster itself are straightforward and easy to understand even for those who know nothing about off-shore oil (such as myself) and builds upon itself to give a really comprehensive idea of what happened and why. It's never overwritten and never once does it feel dry or slow down its pace. It's deeply rooted in the aftermath of the disaster, too, and does an incredible job of illustrating how such tragic events haunt entire communities.
Compelling and easy to follow, this book is deeply detailed and captures the horror of the incident without being sensationalist. It succeeds at illustrating the deep emotional upheaval and trauma without being too heavy-handed, allowing the story to speak for itself. The technical details and the logistics of the disaster itself are straightforward and easy to understand even for those who know nothing about off-shore oil (such as myself) and builds upon itself to give a really comprehensive idea of what happened and why. It's never overwritten and never once does it feel dry or slow down its pace. It's deeply rooted in the aftermath of the disaster, too, and does an incredible job of illustrating how such tragic events haunt entire communities.
November 30, 2025
This is an excellent recounting of the events from a horrific tragedy, highlighting the compound errors that lead to the disaster and the significant loss of life.
I like McGinty's approach, looking at the lead up to the disaster, the escape/rescue operation, and the activity back on land.
What slightly lets the book down is the lack of any diagrams of Piper Alpha, which would certainly help the reader better understand where events described in the book happened, and the boats in the surrounding area. More photos would help too. Despite McGinty's description, I have no idea what Tharos looked like, for example. There is so much detail in this book that would have really become clearer with this sort of addition. It's disappointing that the publisher didn't include this in an edition that was printed ten years after the first edition came out.
I like McGinty's approach, looking at the lead up to the disaster, the escape/rescue operation, and the activity back on land.
What slightly lets the book down is the lack of any diagrams of Piper Alpha, which would certainly help the reader better understand where events described in the book happened, and the boats in the surrounding area. More photos would help too. Despite McGinty's description, I have no idea what Tharos looked like, for example. There is so much detail in this book that would have really become clearer with this sort of addition. It's disappointing that the publisher didn't include this in an edition that was printed ten years after the first edition came out.
March 29, 2025
Great Book nd story. When filling up our auto or other machines, we often complain about the cost of petrol without much thought about what it takes to arrive at the pumps. A lot is just taken for granite.
This book gave a terrific insight into all the planning, construction of the rigs, their transport to a site and the hard work of the crews who work on the rigs. This story points out how doing the same thing over and over creates shortcuts and compliancy which leads to unintended consequences. I am sure the subsequent hearings and investigations pointed this out and has led to tighter rules and regulations as well as safety training. Thanks for the book and I hope I can find your documentary.
This book gave a terrific insight into all the planning, construction of the rigs, their transport to a site and the hard work of the crews who work on the rigs. This story points out how doing the same thing over and over creates shortcuts and compliancy which leads to unintended consequences. I am sure the subsequent hearings and investigations pointed this out and has led to tighter rules and regulations as well as safety training. Thanks for the book and I hope I can find your documentary.
July 24, 2012
X-Post:
http://noladishu.blogspot.com/2012/07...
Piper Alpha: The worst disaster in the history of offshore
Many years before Macondo, there was a much more deadly disaster offshore in the North Sea.
Piper Alpha was the largest platform (by production) in the world in its era (317,000 barrels/day, peak). It was built in the North Sea by a consortium run by Occidental and Dr. Armand Hammer.
I recently picked up Fire in the Night: The Piper Alpha Disaster by Stephen McGinty. The book was only published in 2008 (the incident happened in 1988), so enough time has passed to be able to sort things out.
In addition to time, the Piper Alpha incident had the benefit of the Cullen Report (summarized here), which is a Royal Inquiry. In the US, we have this pesky thing called the 5th Amendment, which protects people from self-incrimination. Under a Royal Commission, they just do away with that. Someone doesn't want to talk, they just lock them up until they feel like spilling the beans. Lord Cullen never had to actually do that to anyone, but I'm sure having a bazooka in your pocket, as Secretary Paulson once said, doesn't hurt.
There were many, many lessons learned from Piper Alpha that are now standard on offshore operations today (SSIV's, Temporary Safe Refuges, etc.). One of my favorites is intumescent paint:
It expands, forming an insulating layer that keeps major structural items intact long enough for an evacuation. In Macondo, 10 people on the drill floor died basically instantaneously. Only 1 person died after the initial explosion (a crane operator who fell and was incapacitated and later burned). All others were able to make it to a safe refuge and the Deepwater Horizon stayed structurally intact for quite some time (~36 hours!). There's actually some disagreement out there as to whether it was the fire that finally killed the rig (high temperature weakening of steel), or the haphazard firefighting dousing the wrong areas in water and flooding the hull (ballasting down the ship, causing it to capsize).
One sad parallel between Macondo and Piper Alpha was the confusion that all too often accompanies disaster. In Piper Alpha, loved ones waited at a hospital in Scotland. One by one, helicopters would land and there would be those who would find out their loved ones made it. Eventually, there were no more helicopters and the families were notified that's all the survivors. Sadly, for another two days, some clung to a rumor that a 'Russian freighter' had picked up most of the rest of the crew and was steaming to a port with the radio broken. Some of the families even drove up to the port to wait on a freighter that would never arrive.
In Macondo, noted fuckface Jiff Hingle, Sheriff of Plaquimines Parish* spread a rumor that a survival capsule was found and contained all of the 11 missing. MSNBC** and Fox News reported that as fact. One of the widows was actually on the phone with her husband's employer getting the news her husband would never return when she saw on the news the report and went on and on about how "he's alive" while the TO employee was patiently trying to explain that the report was false and he died on the rig. Also, both the UK, under a Socialist Prime Minister, and the circa-2010 MMS had almost exactly the same Inspector:Platform ratio.
In the Piper Alpha disaster, Fast Rescue Crafts were worth their weight in Myrrh. My favorite part of the whole book was the story of the Silver Pit's FRB. It pulled more people out of the water than anyone else. It made several 'easy' rescues early, but then took an absolute beating later on when it edged in near the inferno to pick up survivors. They have a load of 3 survivors on board, 4 crewman on the boat, including the coxswain. The boat is leaking and the motor is starting to sound like it's on its last legs. The coxswain spots someone directly under the inferno waving for help. The platform was collapsing into the sea and just the heat flux from the fire that close would give you bad burns, but the Coxswain asked his boatmates, "...Are we going to go? We're his only hope."
The response was a chorus of "GO!" The coxswain puts the throttle down, they go in full speed and with no margin for a second run or even slowing down (with the inferno over their head and the platform literally coming down in pieces all around them) and the crew grabs the swimmer out the water and pulls him in to safety. He survived, despite bad burns.
The FRB goes back to its mothership, offloads survivors, then despite massive damage, wonky engines, and the boat sinking underneath them, it goes back out to try to rescue more. The FRB was all used up from their antics and sank beneath their feet. The coxswain bobbed in the North Atlantic satisfied he had done absolutely everything possible to save people. The final death toll was 167 with only 61 survivors. 33 were rescued by the Silver Pit's FRB.
There is one direct link between Macondo and Piper Alpha: The Tharos / Deepwater Marianas. The Tharos was a dive support vessel that someone billed as an 'offshore fire engine' on the side. It had some design defects and didn't save as many lives on Piper Alpha as it probably should have. It later got converted to a MODU. That MODU spudded (started the drilling) of Macondo. It on the scene for both Piper Alpha and Macondo.
________________
* Source: "A Hole in the Bottom of the Sea" by Joel Achenbach, page 44
** Source: "Fire on the Horizon"
http://noladishu.blogspot.com/2012/07...
Piper Alpha: The worst disaster in the history of offshore
Many years before Macondo, there was a much more deadly disaster offshore in the North Sea.
Piper Alpha was the largest platform (by production) in the world in its era (317,000 barrels/day, peak). It was built in the North Sea by a consortium run by Occidental and Dr. Armand Hammer.
I recently picked up Fire in the Night: The Piper Alpha Disaster by Stephen McGinty. The book was only published in 2008 (the incident happened in 1988), so enough time has passed to be able to sort things out.
In addition to time, the Piper Alpha incident had the benefit of the Cullen Report (summarized here), which is a Royal Inquiry. In the US, we have this pesky thing called the 5th Amendment, which protects people from self-incrimination. Under a Royal Commission, they just do away with that. Someone doesn't want to talk, they just lock them up until they feel like spilling the beans. Lord Cullen never had to actually do that to anyone, but I'm sure having a bazooka in your pocket, as Secretary Paulson once said, doesn't hurt.
There were many, many lessons learned from Piper Alpha that are now standard on offshore operations today (SSIV's, Temporary Safe Refuges, etc.). One of my favorites is intumescent paint:
It expands, forming an insulating layer that keeps major structural items intact long enough for an evacuation. In Macondo, 10 people on the drill floor died basically instantaneously. Only 1 person died after the initial explosion (a crane operator who fell and was incapacitated and later burned). All others were able to make it to a safe refuge and the Deepwater Horizon stayed structurally intact for quite some time (~36 hours!). There's actually some disagreement out there as to whether it was the fire that finally killed the rig (high temperature weakening of steel), or the haphazard firefighting dousing the wrong areas in water and flooding the hull (ballasting down the ship, causing it to capsize).
One sad parallel between Macondo and Piper Alpha was the confusion that all too often accompanies disaster. In Piper Alpha, loved ones waited at a hospital in Scotland. One by one, helicopters would land and there would be those who would find out their loved ones made it. Eventually, there were no more helicopters and the families were notified that's all the survivors. Sadly, for another two days, some clung to a rumor that a 'Russian freighter' had picked up most of the rest of the crew and was steaming to a port with the radio broken. Some of the families even drove up to the port to wait on a freighter that would never arrive.
In Macondo, noted fuckface Jiff Hingle, Sheriff of Plaquimines Parish* spread a rumor that a survival capsule was found and contained all of the 11 missing. MSNBC** and Fox News reported that as fact. One of the widows was actually on the phone with her husband's employer getting the news her husband would never return when she saw on the news the report and went on and on about how "he's alive" while the TO employee was patiently trying to explain that the report was false and he died on the rig. Also, both the UK, under a Socialist Prime Minister, and the circa-2010 MMS had almost exactly the same Inspector:Platform ratio.
In the Piper Alpha disaster, Fast Rescue Crafts were worth their weight in Myrrh. My favorite part of the whole book was the story of the Silver Pit's FRB. It pulled more people out of the water than anyone else. It made several 'easy' rescues early, but then took an absolute beating later on when it edged in near the inferno to pick up survivors. They have a load of 3 survivors on board, 4 crewman on the boat, including the coxswain. The boat is leaking and the motor is starting to sound like it's on its last legs. The coxswain spots someone directly under the inferno waving for help. The platform was collapsing into the sea and just the heat flux from the fire that close would give you bad burns, but the Coxswain asked his boatmates, "...Are we going to go? We're his only hope."
The response was a chorus of "GO!" The coxswain puts the throttle down, they go in full speed and with no margin for a second run or even slowing down (with the inferno over their head and the platform literally coming down in pieces all around them) and the crew grabs the swimmer out the water and pulls him in to safety. He survived, despite bad burns.
The FRB goes back to its mothership, offloads survivors, then despite massive damage, wonky engines, and the boat sinking underneath them, it goes back out to try to rescue more. The FRB was all used up from their antics and sank beneath their feet. The coxswain bobbed in the North Atlantic satisfied he had done absolutely everything possible to save people. The final death toll was 167 with only 61 survivors. 33 were rescued by the Silver Pit's FRB.
There is one direct link between Macondo and Piper Alpha: The Tharos / Deepwater Marianas. The Tharos was a dive support vessel that someone billed as an 'offshore fire engine' on the side. It had some design defects and didn't save as many lives on Piper Alpha as it probably should have. It later got converted to a MODU. That MODU spudded (started the drilling) of Macondo. It on the scene for both Piper Alpha and Macondo.
________________
* Source: "A Hole in the Bottom of the Sea" by Joel Achenbach, page 44
** Source: "Fire on the Horizon"
September 7, 2022
As an engineer myself, this book was a harrowing and extremely necessary read. The Piper Alpha disaster was used as the capstone in my process safety class and this book was suggested as a good factual account. There are so many things that infuriate me about the timeline of events here, but McGinty does an excellent job being as unbiased as possible in his reporting. The book reads like a thriller but it hits harder because of the knowledge that every last thing is true.
September 15, 2024
Recommended reading for safety professionals.
It's well written and also difficult to read because of the subject matter. The book brings the tragedy to life for a modern reader. Reading the pages, it feels as though you are there in spirit, like a ghost from the future being shown around. That's a useful experience for a chemical engineer with a strong safety leaning, such as myself.
It's well written and also difficult to read because of the subject matter. The book brings the tragedy to life for a modern reader. Reading the pages, it feels as though you are there in spirit, like a ghost from the future being shown around. That's a useful experience for a chemical engineer with a strong safety leaning, such as myself.
June 26, 2020
Fire in the night is a must read
This is one of the best books I've read. It's fast paced and we'll written and captures every nuance of the disaster. McGinty shows great compassion for the men who died and their families and the survivors.
This is one of the best books I've read. It's fast paced and we'll written and captures every nuance of the disaster. McGinty shows great compassion for the men who died and their families and the survivors.
September 20, 2023
I will never forget getting woken up with the choppers coming in to ARI. I remember standing at the bus stop on the Thursday and Union Street was silent, everyone in total shock.
This account is so interesting, but also so harrowing, I cried several times.
This account is so interesting, but also so harrowing, I cried several times.
November 20, 2024
I found sections of this book so viscerally impactful that I had to get up and pace around, shake my hands, remind myself to breathe. I honestly cannot remember another book that made me feel this way.
December 29, 2018
Lots and lots of details and names that make your head swim a bit, but definitely complete telling of that fateful night
September 3, 2020
An unbelievable tragedy, so much went wrong. Makes one live the horror of being caught in a place of no escape. Cannot help but think of the twin towers and 9/11.
May 26, 2023
Riveting read
A must read for anybody interested in maritime disasters..
The author sets the scene vividly and graphically portrays a truly horrendous string of events leading to a
A must read for anybody interested in maritime disasters..
The author sets the scene vividly and graphically portrays a truly horrendous string of events leading to a
May 23, 2024
If it's oil rig disasters you're after this is the daddy.
May 17, 2025
I found this book to be concise and informative. Very interesting topic.
July 5, 2024
A brilliant and thought provoking account of what happened on that fateful day and how it affected so many people.
July 11, 2016
This is a comprehensive account of the terrible disaster of Piper Alpha. Reading this book from the perspective of the emergency response practitioner, the features of this disaster unfortunately don’t seem to be unique. The survivors seem to have been those people evacuated quickly, which is not a new lesson. In a hazardous area if there is a catastrophic failure, then the fastest movers seem to survive while they have options. There is a comment about the rationality of Occidental's emergency procedures manual being either impossible to perform or obsolete. In such a catastrophic failure the book makes the comment that there was no time for such a structured response. However, the failure to isolate the supply of hydrocarbons into the rig is obviously a major failure, however, since there had been other fires on rigs then perhaps the operators upstream did not think it would be serious. Some of the detail about the rescue arrangements also shows that maintaining a high state of readiness and reliability is a difficult task to complete, for example the major rescue platformdid not have serviceable searchlights. The other characteristic of disasters is the rumour mill, and the rumours of survivors on a separate ship is an example of this characteristic. Piper Alpha was before the era of social media, and now an effective control is for an authoritative source to have a rumor control page on a suitable site. This has just worked well for the Alberta floods in Canada in June 2013. The book also discusses something that is not often openly documented and that is the monetary value of lives lost. This well-written book is highly recommended for anyone involved in emergency and crisis management.
February 9, 2017
Good narrative.
February 28, 2020
Cullen: it was a broken system, principally the loosely operated Permit to Work system and a culture of tolerance with regard to safety and intolerance of loss of production.
Calder: it was two specific unprofessional decisions, principally not putting a temporary cover on a gas pipe properly; and not checking to see if related work was in progress before restoring a pump to service, thus pumping a large self-ignitable volume of gas out via the cover.
The story is well told and sharply written. McGinty allowed me to see how Calder and Cullen got to their conclusions. His main focus is the disastrous personal consequences of these systemic and specific causes.
Calder: it was two specific unprofessional decisions, principally not putting a temporary cover on a gas pipe properly; and not checking to see if related work was in progress before restoring a pump to service, thus pumping a large self-ignitable volume of gas out via the cover.
The story is well told and sharply written. McGinty allowed me to see how Calder and Cullen got to their conclusions. His main focus is the disastrous personal consequences of these systemic and specific causes.
May 15, 2015
An informative account of the disaster and its aftermath; the stories of courage, kindness and struggle are moving and inspiring. So much has been learned as a result of Piper Alpha, and attention to safety has increased enormously. I hadn't realised that two individuals on the platform had been found guilty in the criminal case. This seems cruel and narrow-minded. Despite the descriptions of the explosions and fire, which are extremely well-written, it's impossible to imagine the sheer horror that these workers and their rescuers experienced.
January 5, 2022
Before reading this book I couldn't believe only 61 people managed to survive, by the end I couldn't believe 61 people managed to make it off alive...
The events of that night are told in a way that is gripping and it reads almost like a very tragic thriller, yet it is very well researched and I learnt a lot from it too.
Would highly recommend to anyone, especially those who work in the industry or have any involvement with process safety.
The events of that night are told in a way that is gripping and it reads almost like a very tragic thriller, yet it is very well researched and I learnt a lot from it too.
Would highly recommend to anyone, especially those who work in the industry or have any involvement with process safety.
April 8, 2016
Very difficult to follow without plans of the rig (not included in the kindle edition - don't know about hard copy) and probably mostly excessive detail for the general reader. Sad there was so little "justice" , a sharp contrast to the 2010 extra judicial prosecution of BP absent Transocean and others.
December 22, 2013
A fabulous book detailing a terrible tragedy that frankly, I knew little about. McGinty infuses the book with humanity and explains technical details in a straight-forward, accessible way. Great, great book!
July 17, 2013
Awonderful telling of a tragic accident that should never have happened, and the brave men who survived it. an excellent book!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 30 reviews