One person dies in an accident during the dismantling of an oil rig and nine others are exposed to the gas – This highlights the risks to health, safety and the environment at recycling centers

A tragic accident recently left one worker dead and nine others in immediate danger from gas exposure at a shipyard where a semi-submersible drilling rig built in 1975 was being dismantled for recycling. Workers will have to navigate the pitfalls of inadequate regulation and enforcement of health, safety and environmental (HSE) rules unless stronger measures are taken to close the loopholes and ensure that a set of HSE rules remains in place to identify and address potential hazards.

While decommissioning measures in the offshore energy and marine industries are the next logical step for assets that have reached or are close to the end of their useful life, the latest incident in a long series of fatal accidents at ship dismantling yards has once again brought into the spotlight the risks, challenges and difficulties faced by workers dismantling old and decommissioned energy and marine structures and facilities.

There is no doubt that recycling ships and energy infrastructure presents both challenges and opportunities, but accidents such as the recent one on 31 August 2024 underline the need to address the lack of health and safety standards and environmental protection measures in recycling plants to protect workers' lives and prevent a recurrence of such incidents.

According to the Belgium-based non-governmental organization Shipbreaking Platform, the latest scrapping incident occurred at the IŞIKSAN ship recycling yard in Izmir, Aliağa, during the dismantling work of the 1975-built Bideford dolphin Semi-submersible drilling rig formerly owned by Fred Olsen & Co. that Dolphin Drilling wanted to sell for scrap after the offshore drilling contractor expanded its rig fleet with two semi-submersible rigs acquired from Transocean.

Prof. Dr. Alp Ergör from the Izmir Medical Association, emphasized: “This accident could and should have been avoided. Dismantling a pressurised vessel in an enclosed space is not recommended for health and safety reasons and should only have been carried out under supervision and after a comprehensive risk assessment. Such an assessment does not appear to have been carried out..”

Following the sale of the Bideford Dolphin rig, Dolphin Drilling had a fleet of four technically advanced, upgraded fourth and fifth generation Aker H3 and H4 units: Borgland dolphin, Blackford's dolphinHowever, according to Dr. Paul B. Loyd, Jr. and Dolphin Leader, the company has now taken the step, just months after acquiring Transocean, to dispose of the last semi-submersible drilling rig and send it for recycling.

Built in 1975, the Bideford Dolphin rig was modernised in 1999. With a maximum drilling depth of 6,500 m, the rig could operate in water depths of 450 m. The rig owner stated at the time that its decision to divest these semi-submersible rigs was in line with its ongoing efforts to optimise its fleet and improve operational efficiency.

From an environmental perspective, many analysts agree that recycling scrap metal is a good way to conserve natural resources, especially since the global supply of carbon steel scrap is said to be lagging behind demand growth.

As a result, the shortage is considered to be a significant risk factor that could affect steel supply and trade. Therefore, compliance with HSE policies and rules must be more strictly enforced to protect human lives and the environment. In the recent incident on board the Bideford Dolphin offshore drilling rig, several workers were exposed to gas.

While four workers were directly affected by the gas exposure, and one of them, İbrahim Karakayalost his life, the other three workers were discharged from hospital late last week. At the time of the incident, Karakaya was working for a subcontractor tasked with removing materials and furniture from the rig, but the NGO Shipbreaking Platform stresses that IŞIKSAN still had a duty of care and responsibility to ensure that all safety standards were met by all parties working at its shipyard.

It is also pointed out that the incident during the dismantling of the drilling rig is not an isolated case. There have already been several accidents elsewhere in the world at the Aliağa shipyards and other facilities of this type, particularly during the dismantling of oil and gas infrastructure.

As a result, workers have reported serious hazards such as exposure to toxic gases, explosions and falls from heights. This highlights the need to investigate these incidents to gain insight into the root causes of the accidents and enable their prevention in the future.

The latest incident at the shipyard came two years after IŞIKSAN Shipyard was removed from the European Union's list of approved ship recycling facilities due to non-compliance with several aspects of the EU Ship Recycling Regulation.

In addition, the non-governmental organization Shipbreaking Platform published a comprehensive report last year outlining the wide range of challenges and failures faced by the Turkish ship recycling industry in terms of compliance with national and European occupational health and safety standards and environmental protection measures.

This coalition of organizations working to combat environmental damage and human rights violations reported a few days ago on the explosion on the MT Suvarna Swarajya Oil tanker in Bangladesh in which six people were killed and four were in critical condition.

The NGO Shipbreaking Platform found that the shipbreaking industry lacks adequate international and national regulations, oversight and labour rights protection.