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In November 1983, a routine saturation diving procedure aboard the Byford Dolphin, a semi-submersible oil rig operating in the North Sea, went horribly wrong, leading to one of the deadliest accidents in the history of saturation diving.
The explosion caused the death of five deep-sea divers, leaving a lasting impact on the oil industry.
The Byford dolphin accident and its gruesome outcome
The accident occurred during a routine saturation diving operation aboard the Byford Dolphin, a semi-submersible oil rig operating in the North Sea.
Saturation diving is a type of deep-sea diving that involves living in a pressurized chamber for days or even weeks at a time to prevent decompression sickness, also known as “the bends.”
The crew of the Byford Dolphin was performing maintenance work on the rig’s blowout preventer, a device that helps control the flow of oil and gas during drilling operations.
The divers were being transported between the rig and the surface using a diving bell, a metal capsule that can be lowered into the water and attached to the pressurized living chambers.
Understanding saturation diving and the role of crew members
Saturation diving is a technique used to reduce the risk of decompression sickness that can occur in deep-sea divers when they resurface too quickly.
The process involves divers living and working in a pressurized environment for extended periods, allowing their bodies to become acclimated to the higher pressure. However, saturation diving requires the coordination of a team of specialists, including life support technicians, dive control team, cooks, and tenders.
The tenders have a critical support job, helping to unspool and retract the umbilical, the thick line of air supply tubes and communication wires that connect the divers to the surface.
The Byford dolphin accident and explosive decompression
On November 5, 1983, an experienced tender named William Crammond was in the middle of a routine procedure aboard the Byford Dolphin, connecting the diving bell to the living chambers. The diving bell detached before the chamber doors were closed, creating an explosive decompression, which was a death sentence.
The air pressure inside the Byford Dolphin living chambers instantly went from nine atmospheres to one atmosphere, sending the heavy diving bell flying and killing Crammond and critically injuring his fellow tender, Martin Saunders.
The gruesome death of the divers
The fate of the four saturation divers inside was far worse. Autopsy reports revealed that three of the men inside the chamber, Edwin Arthur Coward, Roy P. Lucas, and Bjørn Giæver Bergersen, were essentially “boiled” from the inside when the nitrogen in their blood violently erupted into gas bubbles, killing them instantly.
The fourth diver, Truls Hellevik, suffered the grizzliest death. Hellevik was standing in front of the partially opened door to the living chamber when the pressure was released. His body was sucked out through an opening so narrow that it tore him open and ejected his internal organs onto the deck.
The investigation and changes to saturation diving safety protocols
The exact cause of the explosive decompression that caused the Byford Dolphin accident remains a matter of debate.
However, the accident highlighted the risks involved in saturation diving and led to major changes in safety protocols. Investigations showed that the locking mechanism that held the diving bell to the living chambers failed, and the operators had failed to notice the malfunction. The accident led to a re-evaluation of the safety standards and procedures involved in saturation diving, improving the safety of deep-sea divers across the world.
What was the cause of the accident?
The exact cause of the explosive decompression that led to the accident is still a matter of debate. Some theories suggest that the failure of the locking mechanism that held the diving bell to the living chambers was to blame, while others point to problems with the pressurization system or human error.
Regardless of the cause, the results were catastrophic. The decompression caused an explosive rush of air out of the living chambers, sending the heavy diving bell flying and killing two of the tenders who were operating it.
But the fate of the four saturation divers inside was far worse. According to autopsy reports, three of the men were essentially “boiled” from the inside when the nitrogen in their blood violently erupted into gas bubbles.
The fourth diver suffered the grizzliest death, being sucked out through an opening so narrow that it tore him open and ejected his internal organs onto the deck.
The accident highlighted the risks involved in saturation diving and led to major changes in safety protocols. Today, saturation diving is still considered one of the most dangerous professions in the world, but advances in technology and safety measures have made it much safer than it was in the past.
Despite the tragedy, the Byford Dolphin remains in operation to this day, although it has undergone extensive repairs and upgrades since the accident. It serves as a reminder of the importance of safety in the oil and gas industry, and of the sacrifices that workers often make to keep the world running.
Final verdict
The Byford Dolphin accident was a tragedy that claimed the lives of five deep-sea divers and changed the world of saturation diving.
The accident demonstrated the risks involved in saturation diving and the importance of safety protocols in preventing such accidents. The legacy of the Byford Dolphin accident lives on in the safety standards and procedures that have been implemented in the oil and gas industry.