VOLUME 3

VOLUME 3

The court found that the evidence supporting a pre-explosion shutdown at Piper Alpha was not sufficiently reliable or consistent to displace the pursuers' explanation. The telemetry and pen chart data, when properly interpreted with allowance for system delays and witness uncertainties, did not establish a major process upset before the explosion. The alarm systems were likely set to detect any such event, and no alarms were triggered. Expert evidence supported the plausibility of gas dispersion from PSV 504 as the cause of the explosion.

Parties
Pursuer: Elf Caledonia Ltd; Defender: London Bridge Engineering Ltd & Ors
Jurisdiction
Scotland
Procedural Posture
Civil / Trial Judgment
Outcome
Findings in favour of the pursuers on the causation issue addressed in this chapter.
Legal Topics
Causation, Evidence, Industrial Safety, Alarm Systems, Expert Evidence
Tort Oil and Gas Law Industrial Accidents Causation Evidence Industrial Safety Alarm Systems Expert Evidence

Case Brief

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Parties

Elf Caledonia Ltd

Pursuer

London Bridge Engineering Ltd & Ors

Defender

Procedural Posture

Civil / Trial Judgment

Legal Issues

  1. 1 Whether there was a major process upset or shutdown at Piper Alpha prior to the explosion
  2. 2 Whether the telemetry and production data from Flotta support the defenders' theory of a pre-explosion shutdown
  3. 3 Whether gas dispersion from PSV 504 could have caused the explosion

Ratio Decidendi

The court found that the evidence supporting a pre-explosion shutdown at Piper Alpha was not sufficiently reliable or consistent to displace the pursuers' explanation. The telemetry and pen chart data, when properly interpreted with allowance for system delays and witness uncertainties, did not establish a major process upset before the explosion. The alarm systems were likely set to detect any such event, and no alarms were triggered. Expert evidence supported the plausibility of gas dispersion from PSV 504 as the cause of the explosion.

Court Disposition

Findings in favour of the pursuers on the causation issue addressed in this chapter.