Platform MSF and Jacket
Piper Alpha was the first major major project to be awarded to the Yard, with an overall fabrication scope of 15,600 Tonnes which included a Jacket structure that stood 165 metres tall and a separate Module Support Frame (MSF). The top inner core of the Jacket was constructed by UIE in Le Havre, France. The UIE section was transported by barge to Ardersier and skidded onto the yard slipways to be attached to the main structure. The “bottle leg” sections at the lower end of the outer legs were fabricated in Japan and shipped to the Yard.
The project was completed and loaded out in 1975, and following offshore installation and hook-up, commenced production in December 1976, initially as an oil-only producing platform, but later converted to add gas production.
Piper Alpha was sadly the scene of a disaster where many lost their lives following an explosion on the platform in July 1988.