UK oil and gas chaplaincy holds service to mark 30 years since Piper Alpha disaster

A minute’s silence was been held in memory of the 167 men who lost their lives in the Piper Alpha disaster on 6th July 1988.

Loved ones and colleagues of those who died listened as each worker’s name was read aloud at the Piper Alpha memorial statue in Hazlehead Park.

A piper played a lament and prayers were said before wreaths were laid by Aberdeen Lord Provost Barney Crockett and Oil and Gas UK chief executive Deirdre Michie.

Wreaths were also placed at the statue by Baroness Goldie, representing the UK Government, and Scotland’s Energy Minister Paul Wheelhouse.

Members of the public then queued to lay flowers they had brought, many of them wiping away tears.

Rev Gordon Craig, chaplain to the UK offshore oil and gas industry, told those gathered: “Thirty years ago tonight, 167 men died in the worst disaster to befall the oil and gas industry.

“It was a night that changed many, many things. For the families at the heart of the tragedy, life would never be the same, as they were forced to cope without loved ones and the hole that was left in their lives.

“So many families living in the city knew others – friends, neighbours, colleagues – who were directly caught up in the events of July 6 1988.

“To this day, many can tell you…