NO CRIMINAL SUIT SEEN FOR PIPER ALPHA

The Piper Alpha platform disaster in the U.K. North Sea in which 167 men died will not lead to criminal proceedings. Lord Fraser, Scotland's lord advocate, disclosed his decision in a letter to the British Labor party's energy spokesman Frank Doran, who also is a member of Parliament for South Aberdeen.

Aug. 5, 1991

2 min read

The Piper Alpha platform disaster in the U.K. North Sea in which 167 men died will not lead to criminal proceedings.

Lord Fraser, Scotland's lord advocate, disclosed his decision in a letter to the British Labor party's energy spokesman Frank Doran, who also is a member of Parliament for South Aberdeen.

Occidental Petroleum (Caledonia) Ltd., operator of the platform when a July 6, 1988, explosion caused the casualties, drew criticism for flaws in safety management as a result of an inquiry into the disaster. Very little equipment or physical evidence could be recovered, and a number of key personnel on duty at the time of the disaster lost their lives,

No new evidence or information has come to light since the report into the disaster by another senior Scottish law officer, Lord Cullen (OGJ, Nov. 19, 1990, p. 21).

In his report, Cullen said he had applied the ordinary standard of proof in civil cases-proof on balance of probabilities-to his examination of evidence.

But Cullen said there was no direct evidence as to what happened.

Accordingly, proof was dependent on inference from sketchy evidence.

On this basis, Lord Fraser said he had to judge whether the available evidence could establish on a higher test-beyond reasonable doubt-the cause of and any criminal responsibility for the disaster.

"I have considered that it could not," he said.