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152-514: Piper Alpha was an oil platform located in the North Sea about 120 miles (190 km) north-east of Aberdeen , Scotland . It was operated by Occidental Petroleum (Caledonia) Limited (OPCAL) and began production in December 1976, initially as an oil-only platform, but later converted to add gas production. Piper Alpha exploded and collapsed under the effect of sustained gas jet fires in

304-443: A rack and pinion gear system on each leg. A drillship is a maritime vessel that has been fitted with drilling apparatus. It is most often used for exploratory drilling of new oil or gas wells in deep water but can also be used for scientific drilling. Early versions were built on a modified tanker hull, but purpose-built designs are used today. Most drillships are outfitted with a dynamic positioning system to maintain position over

456-507: A saturation diving team. A triage and reception area were set up on the vessel's helideck to receive injured casualties. Silver Pit 's FRC was launched within two minutes of the first explosion and rescued the first nine people from the northwest corner within 13 minutes. She rescued a total of 29 people, with Silver Pit herself rescuing a further eight. When the Tartan riser failed Silver Pit withdrew to 300 metres (330 yd) away. When

608-626: A well bay and a small process plant . They are designed to operate in conjunction with a static production platform which is connected to the platform by flow lines or by umbilical cable , or both. The Petronius Platform is a compliant tower in the Gulf of Mexico modeled after the Hess Baldpate platform, which stands 2,100 feet (640 m) above the ocean floor. It is one of the world's tallest structures . The Hibernia platform in Canada

760-853: A Political Action Committee. Outside of North America, the Infrastructure unit's headquarters is located at the company's London office. The Mining & Metals unit is based out of Santiago, Chile, and Brisbane. In 2013, the company established its global center of engineering excellence in Dubai focusing on rail and marine projects. It established innovation centers in Houston and London in 2015 and Santiago in 2018 to test new technology. Bechtel works on global megaprojects through its four business units. The company frequently manages work from design through construction phases. Its corporate values include safety, quality, and ethics. Bechtel

912-750: A concept Stephen Bechtel Sr. pioneered, in which Bechtel handled a project from planning and design through construction. Bechtel's first job outside the U.S. was building the Mene Grande pipeline in Venezuela in 1940. In 1947, Bechtel began construction on what was then the world's longest oil pipeline, the Trans-Arabian Pipeline , which began in Saudi Arabia , ran across Jordan and Syria , and ended in Lebanon , followed by

1064-431: A high pressure gas fire on the cellar deck that would be virtually impossible to fight, and the protection systems would not be effective in providing the cooling needed for the duration of the depressurisation". The MCP-01 pipeline failed at 22:50 as a result of domino effect, and the ensuing jet fire shot huge flames over 300 ft (90 m) into the air. Personnel still left alive were either desperately sheltering in

1216-456: A length of 144.5 metres (474 ft) was permanently submerged. Four clusters of foundation piles extended a further 115.8 metres (380 ft) below the seabed. Topside modules weighing about 10,000 tonnes in aggregate were lifted from a crane ship and installed over the jacket in late 1976. Piper's hydrocarbon facilities and principal utilities were distributed in four main modules (A, B, C, and D) separated by firewalls and sitting atop

1368-463: A mile-long wooden trestle with railway tracks into the sea at McFadden Beach on the Gulf of Mexico, placing a derrick at its end – this was later destroyed by a hurricane. In 1945, concern for American control of its offshore oil reserves caused President Harry Truman to issue an Executive Order unilaterally extending American territory to the edge of its continental shelf, an act that effectively ended

1520-948: A new dynamic leaching pad and a mineral handling system. In 2015, the unit completed the Las Bambas copper concentrator in Peru for MMG , the Kitimat aluminum smelter in Canada for Rio Tinto Group ., and the Escondida Organic Growth Project 1 (OGP1), the largest single-line copper concentrator ever built. M&M also completed a third berth for the BHP Billiton Mitsubishi Alliance (BMA) at Hay Point Coal Terminal in Queensland, Australia, which increased export capacity from

1672-412: A pile foundation supporting a conventional deck for drilling and production operations. Compliant towers are designed to sustain significant lateral deflections and forces, and are typically used in water depths ranging from 370 to 910 metres (1,210 to 2,990 ft). These platforms have hulls (columns and pontoons) of sufficient buoyancy to cause the structure to float, but of weight sufficient to keep

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1824-416: A pipeline blowdown (depressurization) but this was not yet complete at the moment of the rupture. Tartan's gas pipeline had been shut down around 22:30, with its blowdown commencing around 23:20. Around 23:45, with critical support structures failing from the intense heat, the platform began to collapse. One of the cranes fell first, followed by the drilling derrick. The generation and utilities module (D) and

1976-1046: A power transmission project in Canada , which included 1,200 new transmission towers and 85 miles (137 km) of transmission lines in 2013. Bechtel completed Phase I of an extension of the Dulles Corridor Metrorail in Northern Virginia and completed the Hamad International Airport in Doha , Qatar, in 2014. Bechtel also completed the world's largest solar thermal project, the Ivanpah Solar Electric Generating System in California , which began producing power in February 2014. In 2015, Bechtel began work as project manager of

2128-593: A procedure be developed to keep the pumps in automatic mode if divers were not working in the vicinity of the intakes, as was the practice on the Claymore platform, but this was never implemented. At 21:45, condensate pump B stopped and could not be restarted. This was likely due to the formation of hydrates and the consequent blockage of gas compression pipework, following problems with the methanol system. The operators were anxious to reinstate condensate pumping capacity. Failure to do so would have meant needing to stop

2280-514: A project the company had been in charge of since 1986. The Big Dig was, at the time, the largest and most complex urban transportation project ever undertaken in the US. The 20-year project was critiqued for rising costs and increasing scope of work, as the Big Dig became more complex than was originally estimated. Criticism of the project increased in 2005 when a leak sprang in one of the new tunnels. In

2432-443: A result, the control room was almost entirely destroyed. Panels around module B were also dislodged, with one of them rupturing a small condensate pipe, thus creating another fire. Immediately after the explosion, control room operator Geoff Bollands, who had witnessed the alarms going off in the control room and subsequently survived the blast, activated the rig's emergency stop button before escaping. This closed isolation valves in

2584-568: A series of railroad contracts during the early 1900s, culminating in an extension of the Northwestern Pacific Railroad finished in 1914. Starting with the construction of Klamath River Highway in California in 1919, Bechtel ventured into jobs other than building railroads. The company built roads, bridges, and highways throughout the western United States . The company worked on its first hydroelectric projects in

2736-562: A storm in the North Sea with the loss of 123 lives. In 2001, Petrobras 36 in Brazil exploded and sank five days later, killing 11 people. Given the number of grievances and conspiracy theories that involve the oil business, and the importance of gas/oil platforms to the economy, platforms in the United States are believed to be potential terrorist targets. Agencies and military units responsible for maritime counter-terrorism in

2888-474: Is a 4-column design that looks similar to a semisubmersible. Proprietary versions include the Seastar and MOSES mini TLPs; they are relatively low cost, used in water depths between 180 and 1,300 metres (590 and 4,270 ft). Mini TLPs can also be used as utility, satellite or early production platforms for larger deepwater discoveries. A GBS can either be steel or concrete and is usually anchored directly onto

3040-433: Is approximately 488m long and 74m wide with displacement of around 600,000t when fully ballasted. A typical oil production platform is self-sufficient in energy and water needs, housing electrical generation, water desalinators and all of the equipment necessary to process oil and gas such that it can be either delivered directly onshore by pipeline or to a floating platform or tanker loading facility, or both. Elements in

3192-576: Is headquartered in Reston, which also houses the company's global operational headquarters, as well as the headquarters of the Nuclear, Security & Environmental global business unit and the Americas offices of the Infrastructure global business unit. The company's Oil, Gas & Chemicals unit is based in the Houston office. The Washington office is home to the government affairs team, and maintains

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3344-661: Is intended to serve an estimated 200 million people a year upon completion. As of June 2015, the project is 65% complete. In 2016, Bechtel began construction on the first phase of the Edmonton Valley Line Light Rail Transit project in Alberta , Canada, the first public–private partnership (P3) business group. The company is also involved in several ongoing projects as of 2016, including building national infrastructure in Gabon and supporting

3496-553: Is leading a consortium in the engineering, procurement and construction of lines One and Two of the Riyadh, Saudi Arabia metro, which began construction in April 2014. In July 2014, Bechtel was selected to build a new 37-mile motorway linking Kosovo's capital, Pristina , to Macedonia . Bechtel is also participating in the building of London's Crossrail , a $ 24 billion project that will connect commuter towns east and west of London and

3648-415: Is one of the best sources for having floating production. The world's first floating liquefied natural gas (FLNG) facility is in production. See the section on particularly large examples below. TLPs are floating platforms tethered to the seabed in a manner that eliminates most vertical movement of the structure. TLPs are used in water depths up to about 2,000 meters (6,600 feet). The "conventional" TLP

3800-442: Is required. During normal operations, PSVs (platform supply vessels) keep the platforms provisioned and supplied, and AHTS vessels can also supply them, as well as tow them to location and serve as standby rescue and firefighting vessels. Not all of the following personnel are present on every platform. On smaller platforms, one worker can perform a number of different jobs. The following also are not names officially recognized in

3952-641: Is the Petrobras America Cascade FPSO in the Walker Ridge 249 field in 2,600 meters of water. Notable offshore basins include: Larger lake- and sea-based offshore platforms and drilling rig for oil. These platforms are built on concrete or steel legs, or both, anchored directly onto the seabed, supporting the deck with space for drilling rigs, production facilities and crew quarters. Such platforms are, by virtue of their immobility, designed for very long term use (for instance

4104-572: Is the world's heaviest offshore platform, located on the Jeanne D'Arc Basin , in the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Newfoundland . This gravity base structure (GBS), which sits on the ocean floor, is 111 metres (364 ft) high and has storage capacity for 1.3 million barrels (210,000 m ) of crude oil in its 85-metre (279 ft) high caisson. The platform acts as a small concrete island with serrated outer edges designed to withstand

4256-403: The 3-mile limit " freedom of the seas " regime. In 1946, Magnolia Petroleum (now ExxonMobil ) drilled at a site 18 miles (29 km) off the coast, erecting a platform in 18 feet (5.5 m) of water off St. Mary Parish, Louisiana . In early 1947, Superior Oil erected a drilling/production platform in 20 ft (6.1 m) of water some 18 miles off Vermilion Parish, Louisiana . But it

4408-590: The Condeep concept, often have in-built oil storage in tanks below the sea surface and these tanks were often used as a flotation capability, allowing them to be built close to shore ( Norwegian fjords and Scottish firths are popular because they are sheltered and deep enough) and then floated to their final position where they are sunk to the seabed. Fixed platforms are economically feasible for installation in water depths up to about 520 m (1,710 ft). These platforms consist of slender, flexible towers and

4560-767: The Dresden Generating Station , for Commonwealth Edison in Illinois in 1957. Other major projects in the 1950s included the Trans Mountain Pipeline in 1952, an oil pipeline in Canada , and a preliminary study for the English Channel in 1959. Bechtel also began engineering work on the Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) system in 1959. Stephen D. Bechtel Jr. took over for his father as president of

4712-454: The Hibernia platform ). Various types of structure are used: steel jacket, concrete caisson , floating steel, and even floating concrete . Steel jackets are structural sections made of tubular steel members, and are usually piled into the seabed. To see more details regarding Design, construction and installation of such platforms refer to: and. Concrete caisson structures , pioneered by

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4864-677: The Houston Galleria area; in 2022 the company announced it would move those offices to Westchase, Houston effective late 2023. The Infrastructure unit handles transportation , power, and hydroelectric facilities. Transportation projects include highways , bridges , rail , and aviation facilities. Bechtel has built more than 17,200 miles (27,700 km) of roadway, 390 power plants, 50 hydroelectric plants, as well as 20 towns and cities globally. It has worked on 300 subway and rail projects, 80 port and harbor projects, and 96 major airport projects. Bechtel's Infrastructure unit

5016-716: The Kirkuk–Baniyas pipeline from Kirkuk, also to the Mediterranean. The company continued to expand globally throughout the 1940s, particularly in the Middle East . In 1949, Bechtel began working with nuclear power after being contracted to build the Experimental Breeder Reactor I in Idaho . The company later built the United States' first privately financed commercial nuclear power plant,

5168-772: The London Underground , Quezon Power Plant in the Philippines , and a semiconductor plant in China. Bechtel also managed design and construction of facilities for Olympic games: the 1992 Barcelona Summer Olympics , and the Winter Games in Nagano, Japan in 1998. In the early 2000s, the company provided planning and management services for the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City . In 2001, Bechtel

5320-1055: The Romanian A3 motorway (Autostrada Transilvania) and Albanian motorways. Bechtel and the Romanian National Roads Authority jointly agreed on a settlement to end the contract for works on the Autostrada Transilvania in 2013. The Albanian Motorway was opened to traffic in 2010 on schedule. Other major projects at the end of the 2000s included the twinning of the Tacoma Narrows Bridge in Washington state, Jamnagar Refinery expansion in India , Equatorial GuineaLNG , and Oak Creek Power Plant in Wisconsin . After years of unreliable water supply and 40% water loss in

5472-662: The Southeastern U.S. Among completed projects, Bechtel finished a 10.8 miles (17.4 km) four-lane motorway in Kosovo a year ahead of schedule in November 2013. The unit completed the 143 MW Catalina Solar photovoltaic generating facility and the construction of the 250 MW California Valley Solar Ranch in 2013. Bechtel also completed the Hanna Region Transmission Development,

5624-578: The Sydney Metro project. Considered Australia's largest public infrastructure project, the work includes new twin rail tunnels under Sydney Harbour . Bechtel won the contract in August 2017 to design and build a 473-kilometer highway with 19 interchanges linking Nairobi, Kenya's capital, to Mombasa, Kenya's main port. The first section is targeted to open in October 2019 and the entire length of

5776-564: The UK and France called the Channel Tunnel or "Chunnel". The tunnel was completed in 1994. The recession of the 1980s turned the company's focus toward new areas of growth including environmental cleanup and alternative energy projects. In 1989 Riley P. Bechtel was named president of the company. In 1991, Bechtel, in a joint venture with Parsons Brinckerhoff , broke ground on Boston's Central Artery/Tunnel Project or " Big Dig ",

5928-581: The United States , following Turner Construction . Bechtel's business activities began in 1898, when cattle farmer Warren A. Bechtel moved from Peabody, Kansas , to the Oklahoma Territory to construct railroads with his team of mules . Bechtel moved his family frequently between construction sites around the western United States for the next several years, eventually moving to Oakland, California , in 1904, where he worked as

6080-419: The gas compressors and venting to the flare all the gas that could not be processed. Around 21:52 a search was made through the documents to determine whether condensate pump A could be started. The permit for pump A overhaul was found but that for its PSV removal was not. The valve was at a distance from the pump, so the permits were stored in different boxes, as they were sorted by location. Because

6232-414: The lifeboats or the helideck made impossible by smoke and fire. This room was becoming increasingly hot and full of smoke. Piper's OIM did not order an evacuation. At 22:20, in a case of domino effect , the heat from the burning oil collecting on the diving platform caused the nearby Tartan pipeline to rupture violently. This discharged enormous amounts of highly flammable gas (some 30 tonnes only in

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6384-589: The topside module structures and buildings, were designed by McDermott Hudson . The eight-legged jacket structure was constructed by J. Ray McDermott in Ardersier , Inverness-shire , and Union Industrielle et d'Entreprise in Le Havre , France, with the sections united in Ardersier before being towed out during 1975. The jacket weighed around 14,000 tonnes and was 165 metres (541 ft) tall, of which

6536-409: The "cell spar", which is built from multiple vertical cylinders. The spar has more inherent stability than a TLP since it has a large counterweight at the bottom and does not depend on the mooring to hold it upright. It also has the ability, by adjusting the mooring line tensions (using chain-jacks attached to the mooring lines), to move horizontally and to position itself over wells at some distance from

6688-711: The 1910s. Shortly thereafter, wells were drilled in tidal zones along the Gulf Coast of Texas and Louisiana. The Goose Creek field near Baytown, Texas , is one such example. In the 1920s, drilling was done from concrete platforms in Lake Maracaibo , Venezuela . The oldest offshore well recorded in Infield's offshore database is the Bibi Eibat well which came on stream in 1923 in Azerbaijan . Landfill

6840-521: The 1920s by Edward Robert Armstrong for the purpose of operating aircraft with an invention known as the "seadrome". The first purpose-built drilling semi-submersible Ocean Driller was launched in 1963. Since then, many semi-submersibles have been purpose-designed for the drilling industry mobile offshore fleet. The first offshore drillship was the CUSS 1 developed for the Mohole project to drill into

6992-571: The 1920s for Pacific Gas and Electric Company in California . In 1925, Warren, his sons Warren A. Bechtel Jr, Stephen , Kenneth (Ken), and his brother Arthur (Art) joined him to incorporate as W.A. Bechtel Company , which by this time was the leading construction company in the western United States. In 1929, Warren's son, Stephen, urged his father to embark on the company's first pipeline project. Bechtel began working with California Standard Oil Company to build pipelines and refineries. In January 1931, Bechtel joined other contractors in

7144-514: The Earth's crust. As of June, 2010, there were over 620 mobile offshore drilling rigs (Jackups, semisubs, drillships, barges) available for service in the competitive rig fleet. One of the world's deepest hubs is currently the Perdido in the Gulf of Mexico, floating in 2,438 meters of water. It is operated by Shell plc and was built at a cost of $ 3 billion. The deepest operational platform

7296-495: The GCM unit. This meant that the rig was returned to its initial "phase-1 mode", i.e., operating without the GCM unit, only three days before the accident. Despite the complex and demanding work schedule, Occidental made the decision to continue operating the platform in phase-1 mode throughout this period and not to shut it down, as had been originally planned. The planning and controls that were put in place were thought to be adequate. At

7448-516: The Gulf of Mexico from 2001 to 2010. On July 6, 1988, 167 people died when Occidental Petroleum 's Piper Alpha offshore production platform, on the Piper field in the UK sector of the North Sea , exploded after a gas leak. The resulting investigation conducted by Lord Cullen and publicized in the first Cullen Report was highly critical of a number of areas, including, but not limited to, management within

7600-686: The Gulf of Mexico, floating in 2,438 metres of water. It is operated by Royal Dutch Shell and was built at a cost of $ 3 billion. The first truss spars were Kerr-McGee's Boomvang and Nansen. The first (and, as of 2010, only) cell spar is Kerr-McGee's Red Hawk. These installations, sometimes called toadstools, are small platforms, consisting of little more than a well bay , helipad and emergency shelter. They are designed to be operated remotely under normal conditions, only to be visited occasionally for routine maintenance or well work . These installations, also known as satellite platforms , are small unmanned platforms consisting of little more than

7752-432: The Gulf of Mexico, the first jack-up rigs began appearing from specialized offshore drilling contractors such as forerunners of ENSCO International. The first semi-submersible resulted from an unexpected observation in 1961. Blue Water Drilling Company owned and operated the four-column submersible Blue Water Rig No.1 in the Gulf of Mexico for Shell Oil Company . As the pontoons were not sufficiently buoyant to support

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7904-399: The MCP-01 riser failed, rope on the deck began to smoulder and the vessel withdrew further away. Lowland Cavalier deployed a workboat that picked up two people who had fallen from a rope at the northwest corner. When the first gas riser failed, the workboat crew sheltered in the water. Sandhaven 's FRC picked up four men who had climbed down ropes. She returned and picked up two more when

8056-439: The MCP-01 riser failed. At that moment, the craft's propeller got entangled in debris. The boat was engulfed in the fire, throwing the survivors and the three crew into the water. All perished with the exception of coxswain Iain Letham. He was picked up from the sea one hour later with his lifejacket and safety helmet melted by the scorching heat. Support vessel Maersk Cutter began using her fire monitors ten minutes after

8208-421: The PSV was temporarily sealed with a disk cover (a flat metal disc also called a blind flange or blank flange). It was hand-tightened only. Because the work could not be completed by 18:00, the blind flange remained in place. The on-duty engineer filled in information on the PSV removal permit to the effect that pump A was not ready and must not be switched on under any circumstances. However, this information

8360-450: The Piper Alpha procedure adopted by the offshore installation manager (OIM) required manual control of the diesel pumps whenever divers were in the water (as they were for about 12 hours a day during summer) although in reality, the risk was not seen as significant, unless a diver was closer than 10–15 feet (3–5 m) from any of the four 120 feet (40 m) level caged intakes. A recommendation from an earlier audit had suggested that

8512-514: The Piper oilfield, around 120 miles (190 km) northeast of Aberdeen in 474 ft (144 m) of water. Piper Alpha produced crude oil and natural gas from 36 wells . OPCAL built the Flotta oil terminal in the Orkney Islands to receive and process oil from the Piper, Claymore (both operated by OPCAL), and Tartan ( Texaco ) oilfields, each with its own platform. One 30-inch (76 cm) diameter main oil pipeline ran 128 miles (206 km) from Piper Alpha to Flotta. The Piper platform

8664-420: The Toronto-York Spadina subway extension for the Toronto Transit Commission . The project was completed in 2017. Bechtel completed construction of the Stonewall Energy Facility in May 2017. The 778 megawatt natural gas-fired power plant supplies electricity to 778,000 homes in northern Virginia and the Washington, D.C., metro area. Bechtel's work on the Carroll County Energy Facility in Ohio for Advanced Power

8816-429: The US ( Coast Guard , Navy SEALs , Marine Recon ) often train for platform raids. On April 21, 2010, the Deepwater Horizon platform, 52 miles off-shore of Venice, Louisiana , (property of Transocean and leased to BP ) exploded , killing 11 people, and sank two days later. The resulting undersea gusher, conservatively estimated to exceed 20 million US gallons (76,000 m ) as of early June 2010, became

8968-418: The US. Management of the project has been the subject of controversy including the Department of Energy 's Inspector General reports and Government Accountability Office studies regarding rising costs, nuclear safety and quality, and whistleblower allegations. For example, in 2013 the DOE Inspector General concluded that "Bechtel determined that there was a systemic problem and a breakdown in controls over

9120-527: The accident. A memorial sculpture is located in the Rose Garden of Hazlehead Park in Aberdeen. Four companies ( Occidental Petroleum (UK) Ltd , Getty Oil International (England) Ltd , Allied Chemical (Great Britain) Ltd , and Thomson Scottish Associates Ltd ) formed a joint venture and obtained an oil-exploration licence in 1972. They discovered the Piper oilfield located at 58°28′N 0°15′E  /  58.467°N 0.250°E  / 58.467; 0.250 in January 1973, and began fabrication of

9272-436: The area from a small village to a city with a population of over a quarter of a million people. In the 1980s, Bechtel handled the project management of the 1984 Los Angeles Summer Olympics . The company also built the Ankara-Gerede Motorway in Turkey as part of the network of roadways linking Europe and Asia in 1986. In 1987, Bechtel was awarded a contract for project management services of an undersea tunnel linking

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9424-448: The burning oil to drip harmlessly into the sea, but divers on the previous shift had placed rubber matting on the metal grate (likely to cushion their bare feet from the sharp metal grates), allowing the oil to form a burning puddle on the platform. After conferring with Bollands and others while still on the main production deck, lead production operator Robert Vernon and safety officer Robert Carroll donned breathing apparatus and left for

9576-415: The city of Cochabamba , Bolivia, the World Bank pressured Bolivia to put SEMAPA (the Cochabamba water utility) up for auction without funding. Bechtel and others formed a consortium named "Aguas del Tunari" (Water of Tunari – a local regional term) to file a bid to the city of Cochabamba , Bolivia in 1999. Bechtel was a 27% partner and Abengoa S.A. of Spain was a 25% partner. This bid was in response to

9728-427: The company as Stephen Bechtel Sr. retired in 1960. During the 1960s and 1970s, Bechtel was involved in constructing 40% of the nuclear plants in the United States. In 1968, the company completed the largest nuclear plant in the U.S. at the time, the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station , in California. In 1972, Bechtel was involved in approximately 20% of all of the United States' new power-generating capacity. By

9880-438: The company, the design of the structure, and the Permit to Work System. The report was commissioned in 1988, and was delivered in November 1990. The accident greatly accelerated the practice of providing living accommodations on separate platforms, away from those used for extraction. The offshore can be in itself a hazardous environment. In March 1980, the ' flotel ' (floating hotel) platform Alexander L. Kielland capsized in

10032-414: The condensate in the oil export pipeline to Flotta, and compress the gas for export to the pipeline to MCP-01. From the end of 1980 until July 1988, phase-2 mode was its normal operating state. In the late 1980s, major construction, maintenance, and upgrade works were planned by Occidental, and by July 1988, the rig was already well into major revamp, with six projects identified, including the change-out of

10184-448: The continuous development of Jubail industrial city in Saudi Arabia. Bechtel has worked at Jubail for more than 40 years, and was granted a five-year extension on both projects June 2016. In February 2017, Bechtel was chosen to support setting up and operating Saudi Arabia's National Project Management Office. In May 2017, Bechtel was appointed the delivery management partner for the tunnels and stations excavation package of Stage 2 of

10336-456: The contract, returning the two remaining projects due to the escalating security concerns in the country. Following Hurricane Katrina in 2005, Bechtel was one of four companies hired by FEMA to build temporary housing. Bechtel delivered over 35,000 trailers in under a year for displaced residents in Mississippi , though the company was criticized by officials and in the media for the cost and quality of work. In 2007, Bechtel began work on

10488-722: The designation Rescue 01 . When Rescue 01 was still about 80 miles (130 km) from Piper, the aircraft crew radioed the rescue coordination centre that they could already see the fire. Rescue 01 arrived at the scene at 23:27. Three minutes later the first search-and-rescue helicopter, Rescue 137 , reached Tharos, followed by the arrival of Rescue 117 , Rescue 138 and Rescue 131 at 23:44, 23:48 and 23:53 hours respectively. Tharos requested Rescue 138 to evacuate 12 nonessential personnel to make room for incoming casualties. The helicopter transferred them to nearby Ocean Victory , before returning with paramedics. The search-and-rescue helicopters made unsuccessful sweeps for survivors in

10640-418: The diesel fire pumps in an attempt to start them manually. The pair were never to be seen again. The OIMs of Tartan and Claymore shortly before 22:20 became aware that an explosion had taken place on Piper Alpha and a fire was raging. However, they both decided not to shut down production and instead await orders to that effect from Aberdeen. By this time, 70 to 80 men had mustered in the canteen, with access to

10792-403: The direct predecessors of modern offshore platforms. Having been pre-constructed in a very short time, they were then floated to their location and placed on the shallow bottom of the Thames and the Mersey estuary. In 1954, the first jackup oil rig was ordered by Zapata Oil . It was designed by R. G. LeTourneau and featured three electro-mechanically operated lattice-type legs. Built on

10944-442: The drilling floor of Piper with her fire monitors as early as ten minutes after the blast; Lowland Cavalier , which had no monitors but immediately deployed a workboat; and converted supply ship Sandhaven , which was the standby vessel for Santa Fe 135 , a semi-submersible drilling rig several miles away, and had her fast rescue craft in the water minutes after she spotted the first fire on Piper Alpha. Other vessels that attended

11096-486: The electric fire pumps inoperable. Despite Bollands' activation of the emergency shutdown , no alarms warned workers of the unfolding disaster, as the public announcement and general alarm system had been impaired. Multiple mayday calls were made by radio operator David Kinrade starting at 22:04, before the radio room had to be abandoned at 22:08. At 22:06 the heat from the flames ruptured crude oil pipework and processing vessels in module B. The released oil ignited and

11248-512: The end of the decade, the company had moved from nuclear power construction toward nuclear cleanup projects, including Three Mile Island in 1979. Bechtel completed work on other megaprojects during the 1970s, including major airports in Saudi Arabia and the metro rail in Washington, D.C. In 1976, the company began work on the industrial city of Jubail in Saudi Arabia. The company's multiple construction contracts helped to transform

11400-888: The engineering, procurement, and construction of a water system and desalination plant for the Escondida copper mine in Chile in 2018. The Bechtel-Techint joint venture team built a dual 112-mile-long pipeline to carry desalinated water from the Pacific Coast across the Atacama Desert to the Escondida copper mine approximately 10,000 feet above sea level in the Andes . The Energy unit designs and builds liquefied natural gas (LNG), oil , pipeline , petrochemicals , natural gas , and water treatment facilities. Since

11552-556: The entire 60 ships. Between 1941 and 1945, Bechtel's wartime shipyards, including Marinship and Calship , built 560 vessels. Bechtel also worked on a pipeline from the Yukon to Alaska called Canol for the United States Department of War during this period. Under Stephen Bechtel Sr., the company diversified its projects and expanded its work into other countries. The company also focused on turnkey projects,

11704-482: The established procedures and of ordering an improvised evacuation. It was estimated that the fires had produced flames with a height of about 200 metres and a peak rate of about 100 gigawatts, or three times the total power consumption of the United Kingdom. Around 670 tonnes of oil were spilled in the accident. On 9 July a slick 3.6 kilometres (2.2 miles) long and 100 metres (330 ft) wide

11856-542: The existing 44 Mtpa to 55 Mtpa. Bechtel began building the Al Taweelah alumina refinery (formerly Shaheen) in Abu Dhabi , United Arab Emirates for Emirates Global Aluminium (EGA) in 2015. In April 2016, Aluminium Bahrain (Alba) announced that Bechtel had been appointed engineering, procurement, and construction management (EPCM) contractor for the company's Line 6 Expansion Project. The initiative will make Alba

12008-651: The explosion. A mayday launched by Lowland Cavalier at 22:01 was relayed to a rescue coordination centre , which instructed RAF Kinloss station to scramble a Hawker Siddeley Nimrod maritime patrol aircraft. This was to be sent to the area to act as flying communications platform, handling the signals from helicopters and reporting them back. At 22:22 and 22:28 Sea King helicopters Rescue 137 and Rescue 131 took off from RAF Lossiemouth and RAF Boulmer respectively. Shetland Coastguard helicopter Rescue 117 took off at 22:45. Sea King Rescue 138 left Lossiemouth at 22:51. The Nimrod took off from Kinloss at 22:55 using

12160-526: The failed division from module C, was impossible to reach for the crew to manually activate them. Electrical power quickly failed too, as cables were routed through vulnerable production areas without redundancy. After the main generator tripped, the emergency generator did not take over. The drilling generator started but subsequently failed. Some battery-run systems remained operational for a while. The emergency lighting failed after briefly remaining functional. The failure of power generation facilities also made

12312-598: The fireproofed accommodation block, still occupied by crewmen who had sheltered there, then slipped into the North Sea. By 00:45, July 7, almost all of Piper Alpha was gone, with only module A still standing. Vessels that were close to Piper Alpha at the moment of the first explosion included MSV Tharos , a large semi-submersible firefighting, diving / rescue , and accommodation vessel ; standby safety vessel MV Silver Pit , who immediately sent her fast rescue boat towards Piper; Maersk Cutter , which started dousing

12464-502: The first minute of the release), which immediately ignited into a massive jet fire . The heat and vibrations of the fire were felt by the crews in vessels as far away as 1 kilometre (0.62 mi) from the rig. From that moment on, the platform's destruction was inevitable. This potential for an extreme escalation scenario was known to Occidental; a report commissioned by them in 1986 stated that "the gas pipelines, would take hours to depressurize because of their capacity. This could result in

12616-452: The flare continued to burn until 23:30, indicating a leak in the Claymore riser isolation valve.) The control room of Piper Alpha was abandoned. The rig's design made no allowances for the destruction of the control room, and the platform's organization disintegrated. As the diesel fire pumps had been switched to manual activation, the fire water system could not function properly. Additionally, their vulnerable location in module D, adjacent to

12768-452: The gas compression module was next to the control room. The close position of these two areas played a significant role in the accident. The hydrocarbon inventory actually held within the platform was small in comparison with that contained in the pipelines, standing at around 80 tonnes of process fluids and 160 tonnes of diesel fuel (which was stored in tanks located above module C). In 1978, major works were carried out to enable

12920-600: The head of Bechtel and chief executive of the Hoover Dam project. Under his leadership, the Hoover Dam was finished in 1935. The project was the largest of its kind in U.S. history at the time and Bechtel's first megaproject . During World War II , the United States Maritime Commission invited the company to bid for a contract to build half of their order of 60 cargo ships. The company had no prior experience in shipbuilding , but bid for

13072-915: The highway is scheduled to be complete in 2024. In 2018, Bechtel's work on the Panda Power Funds ' 1.1 GW natural gas Hummel Station Power Plant in Pennsylvania was completed. Bechtel is also working on a project for Advanced Power, the Cricket Valley Energy Center in New York . Bechtel is also building the Keeyask Generating Station, a hydroelectric power plant for Manitoba Hydro in Manitoba , Canada. The Infrastructure unit had also worked on projects for Google Fiber in several markets in

13224-421: The impact of an iceberg . The GBS contains production storage tanks and the remainder of the void space is filled with ballast with the entire structure weighing in at 1.2 million tons . Royal Dutch Shell has developed the first Floating Liquefied Natural Gas (FLNG) facility, which is situated approximately 200 km off the coast of Western Australia . It is the largest floating offshore facility. It

13376-633: The increasing pressure from the World Bank , which had funded and extended water supply projects for the country of Bolivia , to privatize the water utility of Cochabamba. With the strings attached in 1995, and the World Bank participating in draft bids in 1997, the Aguas del Tunari consortium were the only bidders for the auction. The bid was accepted, under pressure of the World Bank and the conditions of their loans to Bolivia. The terms were ratified in

13528-535: The industry: Drill crew will be on board if the installation is performing drilling operations. A drill crew will normally comprise: Well services crew will be on board for well work . The crew will normally comprise: The nature of their operation—extraction of volatile substances sometimes under extreme pressure in a hostile environment—means risk; accidents and tragedies occur regularly. The U.S. Minerals Management Service reported 69 offshore deaths, 1,349 injuries, and 858 fires and explosions on offshore rigs in

13680-796: The infrastructure of Kuwait. In 1994, Bechtel began work on the US$ 20 billion Hong Kong Airport Core Programme , which was the largest civil engineering project at the time and included a new airport and nine other infrastructure projects. Bechtel's other major projects during the 1990s included the Athens Metro system, the Atlantic LNG in Trinidad , the Croatian Motorway , the Jubilee Line Extension for

13832-418: The main platform location. The first production spar was Kerr-McGee's Neptune, anchored in 590 m (1,940 ft) in the Gulf of Mexico; however, spars (such as Brent Spar ) were previously used as FSOs. Eni 's Devil's Tower located in 1,710 m (5,610 ft) of water in the Gulf of Mexico, was the world's deepest spar until 2010. The world's deepest platform as of 2011 was the Perdido spar in

13984-402: The majority of those onboard had taken refuge were recovered from the seabed in late 1988. They were transported to Flotta, where they were searched by a team led by twenty officers of Grampian Police and including divers as well as Occidental, Department of Energy and Health and Safety Executive personnel. The bodies of 87 men were found inside. The remains of the platform were toppled into

14136-555: The mobile units are anchored to the seabed. However, in deeper water (more than 1,500 metres (4,900 ft)), the semisubmersibles or drillships are maintained at the required drilling location using dynamic positioning . Around 1891, the first submerged oil wells were drilled from platforms built on piles in the fresh waters of the Grand Lake St. Marys (a.k.a. Mercer County Reservoir) in Ohio . The wide but shallow reservoir

14288-414: The name suggests, are rigs that can be jacked up above the sea using legs that can be lowered, much like jacks . These MODUs (Mobile Offshore Drilling Units) are typically used in water depths up to 120 metres (390 ft), although some designs can go to 170 m (560 ft) depth. They are designed to move from place to place, and then anchor themselves by deploying their legs to the ocean bottom using

14440-425: The night between 6 and 7 July 1988, killing 165 of the men on board (30 of whose bodies were never recovered), as well as a further two rescuers. Sixty-one workers escaped and survived. The total insured loss was about £1.7 billion (£6 billion in 2023), making it one of the costliest man-made catastrophes ever. At the time of the disaster, the platform accounted for roughly 10% of North Sea oil and gas production and

14592-454: The northwest. Another 16-inch (41 cm) line connected Claymore to Piper, primarily to provide gas from Piper to the Claymore gas lift system. MCP-01 would receive the gas from Piper and Tartan, as well as from the Frigg gas field (through a separate pipeline), and send the resulting stream to St Fergus Gas Terminal through a 108 miles (174 km), 2 × 32-inch pipeline. The inventory of

14744-462: The often-cited Law 2029 by the legislative body of Bolivia, however largely it had previously been accepted and influenced by local governments. Under the terms, Bechtel and the consortium immediately raised water pricing 35% and after the first month they had raised the price for water to the residents by almost 60% and in other parts much higher. The Bechtel consortium contract claimed harvesting of rainwater violated its contract essentially monopolizing

14896-483: The oil/gas production process include wellhead , production manifold , production separator , glycol process to dry gas, gas compressors , water injection pumps , oil/gas export metering and main oil line pumps. Larger platforms are assisted by smaller ESVs (emergency support vessels) like the British Iolair that are summoned when something has gone wrong, e.g. when a search and rescue operation

15048-492: The operation later were Loch Shuna , Maersk Logger and Maersk Leader . Overall, 11 fast rescue crafts (FRC) from nearby vessels were involved in the rescue operations. Tharos launched her Sikorsky S-76 helicopter at 22:11 but it was unable to land on Piper due to smoke. At 22:23 Tharos received a message from Piper: "People majority in galley area. Tharos come. Gangway . Hoses . Getting bad." She drew alongside Piper Alpha around 22:30 and used her water cannon to cool

15200-482: The overhaul had just started on the day, with no equipment removed or containment broken, the operators were under the impression that the pump could be put back in operation quickly and safely. None of those present were aware that a vital part of the machine had been removed. The missing valve was not noticed by anyone, particularly as the blind flange replacing the safety valve was several metres above ground level and obstructed from view. At or shortly before 22:00, gas

15352-536: The pipelines was significant, with the main oil line to Flotta containing around 70,000 tonnes of oil and the three gas lines linking Piper to the surrounding platforms close to 2,000 tonnes of high-pressure gas. The pressure in the Tartan–Piper and Piper–MCP-01 pipelines was around 127 bar. Piper Alpha's production facilities were designed by Bechtel in London . The supporting platform jacket, as well as

15504-458: The platform to meet British government gas-conservation requirements, and to avoid waste from the flaring of excess gas . A gas conservation module (GCM) was added, built on top of module B. After this work, Piper Alpha operated in what was known as "phase-2 mode", i.e., using the GCM facility. In phase-2 mode, the GCM would treat the gas obtained in the crude oil separation process, separate condensate (or natural gas liquids, NGL) from it, reinject

15656-399: The platform was completely destroyed, and many of those involved died, analysis of events can only suggest a possible chain of events based on known facts. Some witnesses to the events question the official timeline. At 07:45, 6 July 1988, the permit-to-work forms for the day shift were issued and signed. Of the two condensate pumps, both located in module C, pump B was operating to displace

15808-440: The platform's condensate for transport to the coast, while pump A was due for maintenance. Two permits were issued to that effect, one for a pump overhaul and another for the removal of the pump's pressure safety valve (PSV #504), which was due for recertification. During the day, pump A was electrically and mechanically isolated, but containment was not broken. The PSV, instead, was removed. The open condensate pipe upstream of

15960-403: The platform, pipelines, and onshore support structures. Oil production started in December 1976, less than four years after discovery (a record rarely beaten ever since), with about 250,000 barrels (40,000 m) of oil per day, later increasing to 360,000 barrels (57,000 m). Production declined to 125,000 barrels (19,900 m) by 1988. A large, fixed platform , Piper Alpha was located in

16112-492: The platform, which was useful in assisting survivors escape from the pipe deck and helideck. Attempts to deploy her extendable gangway over to Piper were unsuccessful. One survivor who jumped when the Tartan riser failed swam to Tharos and climbed out unaided. When the MCP-01 riser failed, Tharos withdrew to 200 metres (220 yd) away. The MSV was equipped with a hospital with an offshore medic assisted by diver paramedics from

16264-403: The recovery of the deceased, debris collected from the seabed, documentation available ashore, and accounts from 'back-to-back' personnel who had recently worked on Piper Alpha. Highly unusual for an inquiry of this scope was the fact that the entire scene of the accident had effectively disappeared into the sea. The inquiry decided against the recovery of the process modules from the seabed, due to

16416-784: The report made 106 recommendations for changes to North Sea safety procedures: Oil platform Offshore drilling presents environmental challenges, both from the produced hydrocarbons and the materials used during the drilling operation. Controversies include the ongoing US offshore drilling debate . There are many different types of facilities from which offshore drilling operations take place. These include bottom-founded drilling rigs ( jackup barges and swamp barges), combined drilling and production facilities, either bottom-founded or floating platforms, and deepwater mobile offshore drilling units (MODU), including semi-submersibles and drillships. These are capable of operating in water depths up to 3,000 metres (9,800 ft). In shallower waters,

16568-546: The review of design changes", but that the company had taken steps to correct the problems. In 2003, Bechtel won a $ 680 million contract to begin rebuilding infrastructure in Iraq for U.S. Agency for International Development . The contract led to the company being accused of both non-competitive bidding and war profiteering . Bechtel won a competitively-bid second contract in January 2004, and completed 97 of 99 task orders of

16720-482: The scorched, smoke-filled accommodation block or leaping from the various deck levels, including the helideck, 175 ft (53 m) into the North Sea. The Claymore gas line ruptured at 23:20, adding even more fuel to the already massive jet fires on board Piper Alpha. At this point the Claymore OIM had received orders from Aberdeen to shut down production, and the gas flowline to Piper with it. He had initiated

16872-411: The sea on 28 March 1989. The total insured loss of the disaster was about £1.7 billion (£6 billion in 2023), making it one of the costliest man-made catastrophes ever. The event had a considerable impact on North Sea oil and gas production. Piper, Tartan, and Claymore were not the only fields impacted, with Scapa , Highlander and Petronella also having to wait up to 13 months before half production

17024-405: The seabed like TLPs, but whereas a TLP has vertical tension tethers, a spar has more conventional mooring lines. Spars have to-date been designed in three configurations: the "conventional" one-piece cylindrical hull; the "truss spar", in which the midsection is composed of truss elements connecting the upper buoyant hull (called a hard tank) with the bottom soft tank containing permanent ballast; and

17176-477: The seabed. Steel GBS are predominantly used when there is no or limited availability of crane barges to install a conventional fixed offshore platform, for example in the Caspian Sea. There are several steel GBS's in the world today (e.g. offshore Turkmenistan Waters (Caspian Sea) and offshore New Zealand). Steel GBS do not usually provide hydrocarbon storage capability. It is mainly installed by pulling it off

17328-639: The shores of the Mississippi River by the LeTourneau Company, it was launched in December 1955, and christened "Scorpion". The Scorpion was put into operation in May 1956 off Port Aransas , Texas. It was lost in 1969. When offshore drilling moved into deeper waters of up to 30 metres (98 ft), fixed platform rigs were built, until demands for drilling equipment was needed in the 30 metres (98 ft) to 120 metres (390 ft) depth of

17480-442: The steel jacket. Above the main modules were a drilling derrick , various utilities, the living quarters, flare booms , two pedestal cranes , and the helideck . For safety reasons, the modules were organized so that the most dangerous platform operations took place far from the personnel areas. However, the conversion from oil to gas broke this safety concept, with the result that sensitive areas were brought together; for example,

17632-526: The structure upright. Semi-submersible platforms can be moved from place to place and can be ballasted up or down by altering the amount of flooding in buoyancy tanks. They are generally anchored by combinations of chain, wire rope or polyester rope, or both, during drilling and/or production operations, though they can also be kept in place by the use of dynamic positioning . Semi-submersibles can be used in water depths from 60 to 6,000 metres (200 to 20,000 ft). Jack-up Mobile Drilling Units (or jack-ups), as

17784-502: The subsequent pool fire created a black plume of smoke characteristic of oil fires, visible from nearby ships. There is evidence that isolation of the produced oil pipeline was not effective, which may have left a route open for oil flowing into the fire due to the backpressure from the Claymore oil pipeline. The burning oil later dripped onto a lower platform used by the rig for diving operations. The platform floor consisted of steel grates , and under normal circumstances would have allowed

17936-527: The summer of 2006, a faulty tunnel ceiling panel collapsed, killing a motorist. Litigation ensued, and in January 2008, Bechtel settled with federal and state officials for $ 352 million with other contractors involved paying smaller amounts. As a result of the Gulf War , Bechtel accepted the task of extinguishing oil well fires in Kuwait in 1991. This fire-suppression project was part of the effort to rebuild

18088-669: The superintendent on the Western Pacific Railroad . In 1906, W. A. Bechtel won his first subcontract to build part of the Oroville-to-Oakland section of the Western Pacific Railroad. That year he bought a steam shovel , becoming a pioneer of the new technology. He painted "W.A. Bechtel Co." on the side of the steam shovel, effectively establishing Bechtel as a company, although it was not yet incorporated. Bechtel completed work on

18240-402: The supply of water to millions of people. Water became one fifth of the average person's expenses and protests erupted. Protests were met with a cold shoulder response by Bechtel expressing they would simply cut-off water to those who did not pay. Further protests were enhanced when agricultural sectors realized the bylaws allowed Bechtel and the consortium rights to rain water as well, which

18392-405: The surroundings were rated for hazardous areas ). The platform, which originally was built for oil production only, was not of a blast-proof design, so the firewalls were not designed to withstand explosions. The blast blew through the firewalls separating module C from the adjoining modules B and D (the latter of which housed the control room), made up of variously sized panels bolted together. As

18544-457: The surviving member of the crew of Sandhaven 's FRC) had been brought ashore. Aircraft were used to search the area of the platform until the afternoon hours. At the time of the disaster, 226 people were on the platform; 165 died and 61 survived. Two men from the Sandhaven were also killed in attempts to pick up survivors in a fast rescue boat. Of the 135 deceased whose bodies were recovered,

18696-903: The survivors that jumped off the helideck from a height of 175 feet (53 m) into the North Sea. Luckily, the sea conditions were calm on the evening of the disaster. The largest number of survivors (37 out of 61) were recovered by MV Silver Pit or her fast rescue boat, whose coxswain James Clark later received the George Medal , as did Iain Letham of the Sandhaven . Others awarded the George Medal were Charles Haffey from Methil, Andrew Kiloh from Aberdeen, and James McNeill from Oban. Sandhaven crewmates Malcolm Storey, from Alness, and Brian Batchelor, from Scunthorpe, were awarded George Medals posthumously. Controversy exists about whether time

18848-410: The time of the accident, Piper weighed around 34,000 tonnes. It continued to export oil at just under 125,000 barrels (19,900 m) per day (or 10% of the entire production of the UK sector of the North Sea, which made it the world’s single largest oil producer) and to export Tartan gas at some 33 million cubic feet (930,000 m) per day at standard conditions during this period. Because

19000-476: The time required, the hazards involved, and the low chance that that evidence could actually prove useful for the investigation. The living quarters had, however, been recovered, and this allowed for the collection of key documents to support the investigation. After 180 days of proceedings extending for 13 months, the report Public Inquiry into the Piper Alpha Disaster (short: Cullen Report )

19152-806: The unit completed construction of Saudi Arabia 's first aluminum smelter in Ras Al-Khair , the Daunia coal mine in Queensland, Australia, and the expansion of the Kooragang Coal Terminal in Port Waratah in Australia, increasing capacity to 145 million tonnes per annum (Mtpa). In 2014, M&M completed the Caval Ridge coal mine in Queensland, and began operations at Escondida's OLAP copper cathode project, which consisted of

19304-404: The vast majority died from inhalation of smoke and gas, with only four indicating death from burning, and several others from injury sustained from jumping into the sea. Thirty bodies were never recovered. Since both the lifeboats and the helideck were impaired by smoke or flames, all the survivors were among those that jumped to the water from various decks or climbed down knotted ropes. Five were

19456-862: The violence was destruction of public property in downtown Cochabamba paid for by taxpayers, the death of one civilian, restitution by the government, and hundreds of injured police, military personnel, and protestors. A movie titled Even the Rain with actor Gael García Bernal depicts a historical fiction story set in this time. The conflict became known as the Cochabamba Water War . Bechtel's major operational locations are in Brisbane , Calgary , Chandler, Arizona , Dubai , Houston , Knoxville, Tennessee , London , New Delhi , Reston, Virginia , San Francisco , Santiago , Shanghai , Nairobi , Taipei , and Washington, D.C. The company

19608-611: The water and ferried injured survivors from rescue vessels to Tharos and to Aberdeen Royal Infirmary . A civilian Sikorsky S-61 of Bristow Helicopters carrying a medical emergency team arrived at the scene by 1:20 on 7 July. At 2:00 another helicopter landed on Tharos the Offshore Specialist Team from Aberdeen Royal Infirmary, with a significant amount of medical equipment. The last survivors were picked up by Rescue 138 from Tharos at 7:25. By 8:15, 63 personnel (among whom one survivor who subsequently died and

19760-417: The weight of the rig and its consumables, it was towed between locations at a draught midway between the top of the pontoons and the underside of the deck. It was noticed that the motions at this draught were very small, and Blue Water Drilling and Shell jointly decided to try operating the rig in its floating mode. The concept of an anchored, stable floating deep-sea platform had been designed and tested back in

19912-628: The well. They can drill in water depths up to 3,700 m (12,100 ft). The main types of floating production systems are FPSO (floating production, storage, and offloading system) . FPSOs consist of large monohull structures, generally (but not always) shipshaped, equipped with processing facilities. These platforms are moored to a location for extended periods, and do not actually drill for oil or gas. Some variants of these applications, called FSO (floating storage and offloading system) or FSU (floating storage unit), are used exclusively for storage purposes, and host very little process equipment. This

20064-426: The wells and sea riser lines and ceased all oil and gas production. Theoretically, the platform would then have been isolated from the flow of oil and gas and the fire contained. The gas pipelines connecting Piper to Tartan and Claymore could only be isolated using separate push buttons, which were not actuated; however, the riser isolation valves probably closed due to loss of power supply in the explosion. (At any rate,

20216-577: The west to form Six Companies, Inc. , a consortium created to bid for a contract from the U.S. government to construct the Hoover Dam . Six Companies won the bid in March and construction began in the summer of 1931. Warren Bechtel died unexpectedly in 1933 while in Moscow on business. He was succeeded by his oldest son, Warren A. Bechtel Jr., first, then later Stephen Bechtel Sr. , who became both

20368-545: The world's largest single-site aluminum smelter upon completion, boosting production to 1.5 Mtpa. That same month, Rio Tinto announced that Kitimat had reached full production levels of 420,000 tonnes per annum, while Las Bambas achieved commercial production in July 2016. As of 2016, Bechtel is advancing the Amrun bauxite initiative for Rio Tinto in Australia, which announced project approval in November 2015. Bechtel completed

20520-684: The worst oil spill in US history, eclipsing the Exxon Valdez oil spill . Bechtel Bechtel Corporation ( / ˈ b ɛ k t əl / ) is an American engineering , procurement , construction , and project management company founded in San Francisco , California in 1898, and headquartered in Reston, Virginia . As of 2022 , the Engineering News-Record ranked Bechtel as the second largest construction company in

20672-565: The yard, by either wet-tow or/and dry-tow, and self-installing by controlled ballasting of the compartments with sea water. To position the GBS during installation, the GBS may be connected to either a transportation barge or any other barge (provided it is large enough to support the GBS) using strand jacks. The jacks shall be released gradually whilst the GBS is ballasted to ensure that the GBS does not sway too much from target location. Spars are moored to

20824-519: Was Kerr-McGee Oil Industries (now part of Occidental Petroleum ), as operator for partners Phillips Petroleum ( ConocoPhillips ) and Stanolind Oil & Gas ( BP ), that completed its historic Ship Shoal Block 32 well in October 1947, months before Superior actually drilled a discovery from their Vermilion platform farther offshore. In any case, that made Kerr-McGee's well the first oil discovery drilled out of sight of land. The British Maunsell Forts constructed during World War II are considered

20976-843: Was also completed in 2017. In 2018, the unit completed a new air passenger terminal in Muscat , Oman. In May 2022, Bechtel was hired to update the Vision 2041 plan for Shannon Foynes Port in Ireland. The Mining & Metals (M&M) unit works on projects related to the mining and production of materials such as aluminum , coal , copper , iron ore , alumina and other metals and minerals. The unit operates on six continents and has completed hundreds of major mining projects as well as more than 1,000 mining studies. It has also finished 42 major copper projects, 30 aluminum smelters , 15 major coal projects, and eight alumina refinery projects. In 2013,

21128-433: Was assumed to mean they could no longer collect rain water. Violence between protesters and police resulted in the burning of government buildings and hundreds of injured within the first days of the conflict. The local governments of Manfred Reyes Villa (mayor) and Jose Pepe Orias (prefect or governor) resigned. The contract was ultimately abandoned, for which Bechtel in February 2021 demanded settlement. The aftermath of

21280-763: Was built from 1837 to 1845 to provide water to the Miami and Erie Canal . Around 1896, the first submerged oil wells in salt water were drilled in the portion of the Summerland field extending under the Santa Barbara Channel in California . The wells were drilled from piers extending from land out into the channel. Other notable early submerged drilling activities occurred on the Canadian side of Lake Erie since 1913 and Caddo Lake in Louisiana in

21432-407: Was issued in November 1990. It concluded that the initial condensate leak was the result of maintenance work being carried out simultaneously on a pump and related safety valve . The inquiry was critical of Piper Alpha's operator, Occidental, which was found guilty of having inadequate maintenance and safety procedures, but no criminal charges were ever brought against the company. The second part of

21584-731: Was not provided in the pump overhaul permit. The night shift started at 18:00 with 62 men running Piper Alpha. As the on-duty custodian was busy, the engineer neglected to inform him of the condition of pump A. Instead, he placed the PSV permit in the control centre and left. This permit disappeared and was not found. At 19:00 the diesel-driven fire pumps were put under manual control. Like many other offshore platforms, Piper Alpha had an automatic fire-fighting system, driven by both diesel and electric fire pumps. The pumps were designed to suck in large amounts of sea water for firefighting and had automatic controls to start them in case of fire. However,

21736-659: Was part of a consortium to project manage the US$ 4.3 billion construction of the CSPC Nanhai Petrochemicals Complex in China . Several projects in the 2000s attracted controversy. In 2000, after a protest against water prices being raised by a utility partially owned by Bechtel in Bolivia , the company pulled out of the country and later filed suit against Bolivia for $ 25 million in losses. The claim

21888-478: Was regained. The total deferred production amounted to 3.2 billion barrels (510 million cubic metres) of oil. The Piper Alpha Public Inquiry was set up in November 1988 to establish the cause of the disaster. It was chaired by the Scottish judge William Cullen . A variety of sources of evidence were used, including eyewitness accounts from survivors and crews of nearby vessels, data from nearby platforms,

22040-481: Was reintroduced into pump A, filling it. The loosely fitted flange did not withstand the resulting pressure. Gas audibly leaked out at high pressure, drawing the attention of several men and triggering multiple gas alarms . Before anyone could act, the gas ignited and exploded. The source of ignition is unclear, with the later investigation pointing to hot work , hot surfaces, broken light fittings or an electrostatic spark as potential sources (electrical equipment in

22192-553: Was reported. Force 4 conditions, together with dispersant sprayed from a supply vessel, helped disperse it. Only two downhole safety valves failed to close, and five oil wells were left burning. The fires were eventually extinguished by a team onboard Tharos led by firefighter Red Adair , who had been asked to intervene by Occidental chairman Armand Hammer . A relief well was started on 14 July. The wells were capped by 22 July by fitting new valves on top, which allowed introduction of kill fluids . The accommodation modules where

22344-545: Was settled in 2006 for $ 0.30. In 2001, Bechtel began work on the Hanford Tank Waste Treatment and Immobilization Plant at the Hanford site in Washington state . The project is a highly complex plant for the treatment of radioactive liquid waste that has employed new technologies and construction techniques that are the first of their kind. As of 2013, it is considered the most complex project in

22496-477: Was sufficient for a more effective emergency evacuation . Systems critical for emergency management such as the public announcement /general alarm, emergency power, safe haven, and – crucially – the lifeboats, were destroyed or impaired due to poor platform design. Executing the actions described in the emergency response plan became effectively impossible. Additionally, the OIM was perhaps not capable of thinking outside

22648-590: Was the hub of a network of pipelines connecting it to nearby platforms and to shore. The Tartan field fed oil to Claymore, with the co-mingled oil flowing from Claymore through a short pipeline to join the Piper-Flotta line some 20 miles (32 km) to the west of Piper. Separate 18-inch (46 cm) diameter gas pipelines were run from the Tartan platform to Piper, and from Piper to the Total -operated manifold compression platform MCP-01 some 30 miles (48 km) to

22800-600: Was the presenting sponsor of "Dream Big: Engineering Our World", a 42-minute IMAX documentary produced by MacGillivray Freeman Films in partnership with American Society of Civil Engineers. The documentary seeks to inspire young people to pursue engineering careers. Bechtel opened its welding and applied technology center in 2017 in the Houston Energy Corridor to train welding and construction workers. The center also provides virtual training and augmented reality to train workers. Its Houston offices were in

22952-496: Was the world’s single largest oil producer. The accident is the worst ever offshore oil and gas disaster in terms of lives lost, and comparable only to the Deepwater Horizon disaster in terms of industry impact. The inquiry blamed it on inadequate maintenance and safety procedures by Occidental, though no charges were brought. A separate civil suit resulted in a finding of negligence against two workers who were killed in

23104-621: Was used to raise shallow portions of the Caspian Sea . In the early 1930s, the Texas Company developed the first mobile steel barges for drilling in the brackish coastal areas of the gulf. In 1937, Pure Oil Company (now Chevron Corporation ) and its partner Superior Oil Company (now part of ExxonMobil Corporation ) used a fixed platform to develop a field in 14 feet (4.3 m) of water, one mile (1.6 km) offshore of Calcasieu Parish, Louisiana . In 1938, Humble Oil built

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