Medical investigations were carried out on the four divers' remains. The deaths of all four divers were most likely instantaneous and painless. One part was even found lying on the rig's derrick, 10 metres (30 ft) directly above the chambers. Fragments of his body were found scattered about the rig. Simultaneously, his remains were expelled through the narrow trunk opening left by the jammed chamber door, less than 60 centimetres (24 in) in diameter. All of his thoracic and abdominal organs, and even his thoracic spine were ejected, as were all of his limbs. Subsequent investigation by forensic pathologists determined D4, being exposed to the highest pressure gradient, violently exploded due to the rapid and massive expansion of internal gases. The tender who opened the clamp was killed, and the other was severely injured.ĭivers D1, D2 and D3 were exposed to the effects of explosive decompression and died in the positions indicated by the diagram. A tremendous blast shot from the chamber through the trunk, pushing the bell away and hitting the two tenders. The first two steps had been completed, and D4 was about to carry out step 3 when, for an unknown reason, one of the tenders opened the clamp, resulting in explosive decompression of the chamber. Open the clamp to separate the bell from the chamber system.Slowly depressurize the trunk to 1 atmosphere.Close the door between the trunk and chamber 1.The diving supervisor would then slightly increase the bell pressure to seal this door tightly.Leaving their wet gear in the trunk, the divers then climbed through the trunk into chamber 1. The diving bell with divers D3 (29 years old) and D4 (34 years old) had just been winched up after a dive and joined to the trunk. On this day, divers D1 (35 years old) and D2 (38 years old) were resting in chamber 2 at a pressure of 9 atm. A third chamber was connected to this system but was not involved. This connection was sealed by a clamp operated by two tenders, who were themselves experienced divers. The situation just before this accident was as follows: Decompression chambers 1 and 2 were connected via a trunk to a diving bell. The trunk is the section that joins chamber 1 to the diving bell. D1–D4 are divers T1 and T2 are dive tenders. The compression chamber at the moment the accident occurred. One of the tenders and all four of the divers were killed instantly the other tender was severely injured. One diver was about to close the door between the chamber system and the trunk when the chamber explosively decompressed from a pressure of nine atmospheres to one atmosphere in a fraction of a second. On 5 November 1983 at 4:00 a.m., while drilling in the Frigg gas field in the Norwegian sector of the North Sea, four divers were in a decompression chamber system attached by a trunk (a short passage) to a diving bell on the rig, being assisted by two dive tenders. Hydril 476 mm (18.7 in), 10,000 kPa (1,500 psi)Īccidents and incidents Diving bell accident Byford Dolphin is able to maneuver with its own engines (to counter drift and ocean currents), but for long-distance relocation, it must be moved by specialist tugboats.Ĥ9-metre (160 ft) Shaffer top compensator As a drilling rig, Byford Dolphin is equipped with advanced drilling equipment and has to meet strict levels of certification under Norwegian law. She has a maximum drilling depth of 6,100 metres (20,000 ft), and she could operate at a water depth of 460 metres (1,500 ft). īyford Dolphin has a length of 108.2 metres (355 ft), breadth of 67.4 metres (221 ft) and depth of 36.6 metres (120 ft). In 1974–1978, she was named Deep Sea Driller. īyford Dolphin drilling rig is an Enhanced Aker H-3 design which was built by Aker Group at the Aker Verdal shipyard in 1974. In 2009, it was contracted for three years to BP. The rig has suffered some serious accidents, most notably an explosive decompression in 1983 that killed five workers and badly injured one. Olsen Energy subsidiary, and currently contracted by BP for drilling in the United Kingdom section of the North Sea. Olsen Energy)Operator:ĭNV class: 1A1 Column-stabilised Drilling Unit UKVSTonnage:īyford Dolphin is a semi-submersible, column-stabilised drilling rig operated by Dolphin Drilling, a Fred. Byford Dolphin in dry dock at Invergordon (Scotland, UK) in 2008īyford Dolphin Pte.
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