Oil and Gas Industry Operations 05: Helicopter On Deck

Image Commentary

In the 1970's and '80's the Norwegian and the UK sectors of the North Sea were literally buzzing with oil and gas exploration activity. The North Sea became the new offshore exploration frontier and technology testing ground. Scores of drilling rigs operated exploration wells back-to-back. Production platforms were either under construction onshore or being installed offshore. Jobs were plentiful. Whether you were a roughneck, roustabout, diver, engineer or geoscientist, it didn't matter much, if you worked in the "North Sea" you had one of the most glamorous jobs in Europe! The mean age of most workers was late twenties to early thirties and most seemed to be single. The North Sea was also the testing ground for much of today's modern offshore environmental regulations and it is a tribute to that effort that after some thirty years of intense work, the number of accidents have been kept remarkably low, the North Sea ecosystems continue to thrive and no major oil spills have occurred to threaten any of the surrounding coastlines.