Latest news with #IthacaEnergy
The Independent
4 days ago
- General
- The Independent
Fine issued after ‘terrifying' incident on rig saw workers lowered into water
An oil and gas operator has been fined £300,000 following a 'terrifying incident' on a North Sea rig that saw three workers lowered into a flooded lift shaft. The episode happened on the FPF-1 offshore platform, owned by Ithaca Energy (UK) Limited, during a night shift on December 10 2020. The men had been descending in a lift inside one of the platform's legs to carry out routine inspection work at the base of one of the sub-sea columns when they experienced a 'rush of air'. Before the lift reached the bottom of the shaft it started to fill with water, which was up to the men's knees by the time they were able to stop the lift by pressing the emergency button, the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) said. They returned to the main deck safely and none of the men sustained any injuries. An HSE investigation found that hardware failures and incorrect operating procedures had caused the bottom of the lift shaft to flood while the inspection site was being cleared of standing water. The HSE also found that a lack of water alarms at the bottom of the lift shaft also meant the control room was unaware that water was flooding into the shaft. The investigation found that water marks on the lift door showed the water had reached a level of just under 1.5m before the lift was stopped. Meanwhile, Ithaca's own investigation found the water level could have reached more than three metres – which would have made it difficult for the men to have escaped through the top hatch of the lift if the workers had used the lift later, or not been able to stop it as quickly as they did. Ithaca pleaded guilty to safety failings at a hearing at Aberdeen Sheriff Court on June 12, and were issued with a £300,000 fine, the HSE said. HSE inspector Ian Chilley said: 'This was a terrifying incident for the workers involved, we are just thankful that no physical harm came to them. 'This fine should send a message and reminder to those operating offshore facilities for them to be extra vigilant. 'It was only a matter of good fortune that this incident didn't result in serious injury, or worse.' The HSE added that when passing sentence, the sheriff said the case marked 'another reminder of the need for rigorous adherence to health and safety in the oil and gas industry'. The HSE also issued an improvement notice in the immediate aftermath of the incident, and work in confined spaces was halted until February 2021 while a full review of the incident was carried out.
The National
4 days ago
- General
- The National
Scottish oil and gas firm fined £300,000 after 'terrifying incident'
The episode happened on the FPF-1 offshore platform, owned by Aberdeen-based Ithaca Energy (UK) Limited, during a night shift on December 10, 2020. The men had been descending in a lift inside one of the platform's legs to carry out routine inspection work at the base of one of the sub-sea columns when they experienced a 'rush of air'. Before the lift reached the bottom of the shaft it started to fill with water, which was up to the men's knees by the time they were able to stop the lift by pressing the emergency button, the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) said. READ MORE: SNP to consider banning football fans caught using flares at games They returned to the main deck safely and none of the men sustained any injuries. An HSE investigation found that hardware failures and incorrect operating procedures had caused the bottom of the lift shaft to flood while the inspection site was being cleared of standing water. The HSE also found that a lack of water alarms at the bottom of the lift shaft also meant the control room was unaware that water was flooding into the shaft. The investigation found that water marks on the lift door showed the water had reached a level of just under 1.5m before the lift was stopped. Meanwhile, Ithaca's own investigation found the water level could have reached more than three metres – which would have made it difficult for the men to have escaped through the top hatch of the lift if the workers had used the lift later, or not been able to stop it as quickly as they did. Ithaca pleaded guilty to safety failings at a hearing at Aberdeen Sheriff Court on June 12, and were issued with a £300,000 fine, the HSE said. HSE inspector Ian Chilley said: 'This was a terrifying incident for the workers involved, we are just thankful that no physical harm came to them. 'This fine should send a message and reminder to those operating offshore facilities for them to be extra vigilant. 'It was only a matter of good fortune that this incident didn't result in serious injury, or worse.' READ MORE: Search concludes after man goes overboard from Clyde ferry The HSE added that when passing sentence, the sheriff said the case marked 'another reminder of the need for rigorous adherence to health and safety in the oil and gas industry'. The HSE also issued an improvement notice in the immediate aftermath of the incident, and work in confined spaces was halted until February 2021 while a full review of the incident was carried out. An Ithaca Energy spokesperson said: "Ithaca Energy takes its responsibilities in relation to the health, safety and welfare of its employees and contractors extremely seriously, and takes considerable pride in its excellent safety record. "The company has treated the matter with the utmost seriousness and accepts its responsibility for the failings that led to the incident, where thankfully no individual was harmed. "A thorough internal investigation was launched immediately, and the Company has worked closely with the HSEx to implement and comply with the recommendations of their findings."
The Herald Scotland
4 days ago
- General
- The Herald Scotland
Ithaca Energy hit with £300,000 fine after safety breach
The three men had been tasked with carrying out inspection work at the base of one of the facility's sub-sea columns, but during preparation failings of hardware and incorrect operating procedures caused the bottom of the lift shaft to commence filling with water. A lack of water alarms at the bottom of the shaft meant the control room was unaware of the situation, and the trio began to descend on the lift. Read More: They experienced 'a rush of air' before the bottom of the lift made contact with the water. The men were up to their knees before managing to press the emergency stop button, with no injuries sustained. The HSE investigation found that water marks on the lift door revealed it had reached a level of just under 1.5 metres before the lift was stopped and returned to surface. Ithaca's own investigation determined that the water level could have actually reached more than three metres, meaning the men would have found it difficult to escape through the top hatch of the lift if the workers had used the lift later and/or had not been successful in bringing the lift to a halt immediately. HSE issued Ithaca with an improvement notice and work in confined spaces was stopped by the company until February 2021 to allow a full review to take place. Ithaca Energy (UK) Limited of Queens Road, Aberdeen pleaded guilty to breaching The Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998, 30 Regulation 4(1) and the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974, Section 33(1)(a). The company was fined £300,000. HSE inspector Ian Chilley said: 'This was a terrifying incident for the workers involved, we are just thankful that no physical harm came to them. 'This fine should send a message and reminder to those operating offshore facilities for them to be extra vigilant. 'It was only a matter of good fortune that this incident didn't result in serious injury, or worse.' "When passing sentence, the sheriff observed the case marked 'another reminder of the need for rigorous adherence to health and safety in the oil and gas industry'." A spokesperson for Ithaca Energy said: "Ithaca Energy takes its responsibilities in relation to the health, safety and welfare of its employees and contractors extremely seriously, and takes considerable pride in its excellent safety record. "The company has treated the matter with the utmost seriousness and accepts its responsibility for the failings that led to the incident, where thankfully no individual was harmed. A thorough internal investigation was launched immediately, and the company has worked closely with the HSEx to implement and comply with the recommendations of their findings."
BBC News
4 days ago
- Business
- BBC News
Energy firm fined after North Sea workers caught in 'terrifying' lift shaft incident
An energy firm has been fined £300,000 after three offshore workers narrowly escaped harm when a lift shaft filled with seawater in a "terrifying" happened on Ithaca Energy's FPF-1 floating production facility in the North Sea in Health and Safety Executive (HSE) said it was only the reactions of the workers - using an emergency-stop function - that prevented physical Energy was fined at Aberdeen Sheriff Court after admitting breaching health and safety guidelines. The company said it took the incident seriously. What is known as the Victim Surcharge was also applied, bringing the total penalty to £322,500. The HSE had previously revealed that on the evening of 10 December 2020, two employees were setting up temporary equipment as part of a system for a "potentially high-risk operation" to remove residual water from an inadvertently filled a lift shaft with HSE said the three people travelling down the lift to carry out work were semi-submerged in their own reactions - using the emergency-stop function on the lift and returning to the main deck - prevented the potential of "serious personal injury". The HSE said the workers were knee-deep in water by the time the lift was able to be the court case, HSE inspector Ian Chilley described it as a "terrifying incident" for those involved."We are just thankful that no physical harm came to them," he said."This fine should send a message and reminder to those operating offshore facilities for them to be extra vigilant."It was only a matter of good fortune that this incident didn't result in serious injury, or worse." What did Ithaca say? Ithaca said in a statement after last Thursday's court case: "Ithaca Energy takes its responsibilities in relation to the health, safety and welfare of its employees and contractors extremely seriously, and takes considerable pride in its excellent safety record."The company has treated the matter with the utmost seriousness and accepts its responsibility for the failings that led to the incident, where thankfully no individual was harmed."The statement added: "A thorough internal investigation was launched immediately, and the company has worked closely with the HSE to implement and comply with the recommendations of their findings."
Scotsman
01-06-2025
- Politics
- Scotsman
Why Scotland must stop North Sea oil fields, like Rosebank, from being used to exploit Gaza citizens
Humza Yousaf, the former first minister, argues against allowing Ithaca Energy's owners to press ahead with Rosebank in the North Sea. Sign up to our daily newsletter – Regular news stories and round-ups from around Scotland direct to your inbox Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... 'We survived.' That is the message we wait for every morning from Sally, my wife Nadia's cousin, who lives in Gaza with her husband and four young children. I say 'live', but in reality, their daily goal is simply to survive the barbaric Israeli onslaught that has so far claimed the lives of over 50,000 Gazans, including around 17,000 children. That is before we are even able to begin counting the bodies trapped under rubble. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Displaced Palestinians flee Khan Younis, Gaza, amid the ongoing Israeli military offensive in the area | AP There are no words left to describe the scale of inhumanity we are witnessing in Gaza. Many seasoned diplomats and humanitarian workers who have been to numerous conflict zones over the decades all, to a man and woman, say the same thing; Gaza is the worst humanitarian catastrophe they have ever seen – and of course it is entirely man-made. The situation is now beyond urgent. Tom Fletcher, UN humanitarian chief last week warned that thousands of babies in Gaza could die if more aid is not allowed in. And he asked the question to world leaders and all of us - are we 'doing all we can' to stop the suffering? We have heard stronger language from the UK government, with the Foreign Secretary calling Israel's actions 'monstrous' and 'intolerable' in a recent Commons statement. However, what we need, and more importantly the people of Gaza need, is to ensure that rhetoric transforms into meaningful action that will hopefully stop the scale of devastation we are witnessing. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad The most immediate, and probably effective step the UK government could take is to stop all arms sales to Israel. How on earth can the UK government continue to legally, let alone morally, justify selling arms to a government headed by a man wanted by the ICC for war crimes and crimes against humanity? While responsibility for arms export licenses lies with the UK government, we can also use whatever influence and power we have in Scotland to oppose the onslaught faced by the people of Gaza, at the hands of the Israeli Government. It is easy to feel powerless, but we can start by looking at the role this country – and our resources – are playing in funding the suffering the people of Gaza are facing. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Profits from Scotland's oil and gas reserves are right now flowing to a company linked to human rights violations in Palestine, and hundreds of millions of pounds more could follow in the near future. Few have heard of Ithaca Energy, but it is on track to become the largest North Sea oil and gas producer. It holds stakes in seven out of ten of the basin's largest fields and is part of the two largest, most controversial undeveloped fields in the basin: the Rosebank and Cambo oil fields off the west coast of Shetland. Extinction Rebellion activists campaign against the Cambo oil field development. When I publicly opposed the UK government's approval of the Rosebank oil field as first minister, I did so for environmental reasons and the impact continuing to develop new oil and gas fields will have on our climate. And of course, these concerns remain. However, information about Ithaca Energy's owners, Delek Group, only give further rise to concerns I have. Ithaca is majority-owned by the Israeli fuel conglomerate, Delek Group, which has been flagged by the UN for human rights violations in Palestine. Delek operates in illegal Israeli settlements across the Palestinian West Bank and is known to provide fuel to the Israel Defense Forces, via a subsidiary. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad There is near-universal agreement across the world that settlements are illegal under international law. We have, over the past 19 months, seen an increase in settler violence against innocent Palestinians. By their very nature, settlements are a tool used by the Israeli state to occupy more and more Palestinian land. This is why countries like Ireland are now taking steps to ban trade with Israeli businesses in occupied territories. We also know Delek's activities in illegal settlements was one of the reasons Norway's largest pension fund, KLP, divested from Delek Group in 2021 citing an 'unacceptable risk of the company contributing to or being responsible for serious breaches of ethical norms'. A company that is cited by the UN for possible human rights violations, and which has a contract with the IDF who are responsible for the mass slaughter of tens of thousands of children in Gaza, should not be allowed to profit from Scotland's resources. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad If the UK government allows the development of the Rosebank oil field, it's estimated it will see more than a quarter of a billion pounds in profit flow to Delek. A map showing the location of the Rosebank and Jackdaw oil fields | Kimberley Mogg/NationalWorld If Ithaca is allowed to continue to expand in the North Sea by developing Rosebank, the answer to the question posed by Tom Fletcher - 'are we doing all we can?' - would be an emphatic no. We cannot allow oil fields signed off in Westminster to be used to bankroll injustice across the world. I am certain that one day those who are responsible for the war crimes we are witnessing in Gaza will be held to account. We must ensure we are in no way complicit; Scotland must not allow our natural resources to become a revenue stream for companies tied to the oppression of the Palestinian people.
