Transocean rig lessons

Oil giant Transocean has owed to “accept and implement” lessons learnt from the grounding of a 17,600 tonne rig in the Western Isles

The company also pledged to “do it right” when carrying out the complex operation to transporting a stricken oil rig from the Western Isles.

The drilling platform, Transocean Winner, would sink if it was not for a constant stream of air being pumped into some 27 holed tanks.

The 33-year-old structure was seriously damaged when it crashed into the shore at Dalmore on the west coast of Lewis on 8 August.

The rig is presently anchored in Broad Bay on the other side of the island after two huge tugs towed it away from Dalmore.

A meeting held in Stornoway on Tuesday night head of plans to transfer the listing rig onto the Hawk, one of the biggest heavy lift ships in the world, for its eventual final voyage to a scrap yard in Turkey.

Councillor Rae Mackenzie queried why the rig was being towed in severe weather in the first place.

He said: “Transocean made an absolute disaster of this right through from the rig leaving Norway to arriving in Dalmore.”

Dave Walls - Transocean’s operations' director for its north west Europe operations - highlighted an official Maritime Accident Investigation Branch inquiry report would be published publicly.

Mr Walls stressed: “Any lessons to be learnt and will be clearly accepted and implemented by Transocean.”

He said the rig-to-ship transfer must “be a very well considered plan and executed operation.

“I am extremely confident we’ll do it and we will do it right.”

Transocean promise to "learn lessons" from oil rig accident

14 September 2016