Oil and Gas platform.

01 Marine, oil and gas, platform,  oil rig, equinor,  northsea.jpg
02 Marine, oil and gas, platform,  oil rig, equinor,  northsea.jpg

Hello and welcome

Today i’d like to show these two images of the Mariner A, Uk North sea oil and gas platform.

hope that you have had a great weekend.

and if you have not yet subscribed to my newsletter then please do below.

Lee

Radio silence... Do you copy.... Over.....

radio, ISP, irish sea pioneet, liverpool, dry dock, construction, workers, working at height, rope access, IRATA, abseiling.jpg

Hello,

Radio silence is over, nearly 18 months of not posting, i have an interesting catalogue that i would like to share and update this site with on a fortnightly basis.

Be sure to subscribe to my news letter for future updates.

Newsletters are on a monthly basis, in your inbox on 1st of each month.

No spam just nice images and information about the sites i have been shooting.

The above image is myself as rescue man on an 80 meter high jack up oil rig leg, whilst in dry dock having repairs.

Keep in touch.

Lee

Beer

beer, life, death, &, and, vocational brewery, hebden bridge, yorkshire, lancashire, brewer, lee ramsden

Hello, 

Today id like to share some images that I recently created. 

beer, cumberland, jennings, lake districk, brewery, lee ramsden
beer, pint, glass, throth, fizzy, bubbles, drink, beverage, thirst, lee ramsden
home studio, tehtered, bts, lee ramsden

At present I shoot products in my dining room, which is not ideal. 

I am currently on the look out for a suitable space, If anyone has any suggestions or has a space I can use / share in the Lytham St Annes / Blackpool / Lancashire area then please use the contact page and let me know. 

 

Kind regards, 

 

Lee

Example of my work in use.

Manchester, castle gardens, Alamy, street, lighting, uk, northwest, commissioned work, book cover, lee ramsden

Hi, 

Today thought id she a couple of my images and how varied their usages can be. 

The above image was taken back in 2009, on my first Dslr camera, an old Nikon D90. In comparison today, my iPhone can take better images. 

This image of a street in Manchester has been purchased for the front cover of a fiction crime novel by the talented author Bill Rogers. 

His publishers added the people and colour graded the image, but it is nice to see an image of mine in print. 

Bill Rogers, the tangled lock, national crime agency, lee ramsden
Bill Rogers, the tangled lock, book cover, lee ramsden

My images are sold either directly, or through the stock site Alamy.  

Once a sale occurs I am not privy to who the customer is, but with the powerful tools around, like googles reverse image search it is nice to find my images around the internet. 

 

Lee

Another trip up Blackpool tower.

Blackpool, Blackpool tower, monochrome, black white, reflection, Lancashire photographer, Lee Ramsden

Hello, id like to share some images from another trip working up Blackpool's tower, repairing the illumination lighting at great height. 

Blackpool council, worker, pressure washing, cleaning, sea front steps, golden mile, lee ramsden

Arrived to site early and so I walked the long way there. Was surprised to see early morning council worker cleaning the front. 

Blackpool tower, Wez, IRATA rope access, climbing, electrician

Ropes set, and decent underway. Always told "don't look down" but you have to in this game. 

Blackpool tower, abseiling, industrial worker, in orange ppe, LEE RAMSDEN
IRATA, rope access, level 3, Blackpool, worker, industrial photographer Lee Ramsden

Today repairs ongoing to the heart light. 

Blackpool tower heart light, illuminations
Blackpool illuminations electronics, control gear, electrician, technician

Sophisticated control gear, power the lighting on the Tower, helps it to change colour and be programmable.

blog, sea gull, blackpool, tower, colour, color, lee ramsden

A spectator while working at height. 


 

Thanks for viewing.

 

Lee

Module removal.

BP, Miller, oil and gas, industry decommissioning, Module removal

Hello, 

Today marks the final post in this series. 

It finishes with the big finale - the heavy lift of the accommodation module. 

Stuart Nuttall, project manager, watching

Project manager looks on with anticipation. 

Saipem s7000, M1, crane lifting, offshore, northsea, floating, heavy lift vessel

Nearly 3000 tonnes being lifted, which is effortless for the Saipem S7000. 

Saipem s7000, M1, crane lifting, offshore, northsea, floating, heavy lift vessel

With additional tugger lines fitter, the huge load can be rotated on its axis and and with great prescission laid onto the deck of the S7000. 

 

I hope that this series of blog posts over the last few months, have been of interest.

I have been working in the oil and gas industry for nearly 15 years and this has certainly been the most interesting project I have been involved in. 

The decommissioning of North Sea oil and gas platforms are unfortunately something that we are going to see much more, as the price of oil falls, and the platforms are becoming a less viable option to maintain and keep running. 

 

Thanks

 

Lee

Derrick removal.

Derrick, rigging, lifting, slings installed ready for lift IRATA, rope access, riggers

Hello, 

Today id like to show, the first couple of lifts. 

Above image the rope access riggers, install the cranes lifting equipment. 

derrick lifted off platform, north sea, oil and gas rig
Derrick, remove, lifted with the Saipem 7000, crane, offshore in the north sea
derrick, removal, heavy lift, Saipem, Petrofac, BP, S7000
derrick, sea fastening, welding, on the deck of the S7000

Once landed the derrick is then sea fastened (welded) to the deck of the S7000.

helideck-removal.jpg

The next lift to be completed was the helideck. 

It was amazing to see these huge bits of an oil rig, look almost insignificant against the huge Saipem S7000 cranes. 

 

Thanks

Saipem S7000

S7000, duel crane, heavy lifting, offshore, oil and gas

The Saipem S7000 arrives. 

With its state-of-the-art J-lay tower, upgraded dynamic positioning capability and fast ballasting system, the Saipem 7000 semisubmersible crane vessel has the capacity to handle the entire workscope of offshore construction developments worldwide, encompassing pipelaying in water depths greater than 2,000 metres and heavy lift operations up to 14,000 tonnes.

 

The vessel’s Class 3 DP system of 12 thrusters ensures that the vessel maintains good station keeping in the most difficult of weather conditions. Additionally, because the Saipem 7000 has accommodation facilities up to 725 people, the vessel can assist hook-up and commissioning as well as initial platform life support activities.

Altogether, this high specification means that the Saipem 7000 can be counted on to provide the highest level of reliability for conventional, deep and ultradeep water development projects.

Saipem, 7000, industrial, oil and gas, crane

VESSEL FEATURES

Length overall 197.95 m

Upper platform 175 m x 87 m x 8.5 m

Lower pontoons 165 m x 33 m x 11.25/15.25 m

Depth to main deck 43.5 m

Free deck area 9,000 sq.m

Deck load 15,000 tonnes

Operating draft 27.5 m

Survival draft 18.5 m

Transit draft 10.5 m

Transit speed 9.5 knots

Saipem, S7000, heavy lifting, vessel
blog, Saipem S7000, heavy lifting vessel, Norway, Stavanger
blog, Saipem s7000, taking image on iphone

The last flight to the BP Miller.

Sikorsky, S92, helicopter, aviation, flight, oil and gas industry, offshore, north sea, Aberdeen, taxi, 17

Today I want to show you the last ever flight to the BP Miller oil and gas platform. 

Also give you an insight in what happens during a routine Helicopter crew change. 

helideck, crew, HLO, offshore, oil and gas platform

The H.L.O gives permission for a flight to land on the deck. 

Sikorsky S92, landed on North Sea oil and gas, installation. 
Sikorsky, S92, helicopter, aviation, flight, oil and gas industry, offshore, north sea, Aberdeen, taxi 04
Sikorsky, S92, helicopter, aviation, flight, oil and gas industry, offshore, north sea, Aberdeen, taxi 04

Offshore worker, happy to be returning to work. 

Sikorsky, S92, helicopter, aviation, flight, oil and gas industry, offshore, north sea, Aberdeen, taxi 
Sikorsky, S92, helicopter, aviation, flight, oil and gas industry, offshore, north sea, Aberdeen, taxi 

Arriving offshore workers in their survival suits picking up their luggage and leave the helideck. 

Sikorsky, S92, helicopter, aviation, flight, oil and gas industry, offshore, north sea, Aberdeen, taxi

Bristows Helicopter pilot. 

Helicopter refuelling operations, North Sea oil and gas industry. 

Helideck team get ready the refuelling hose. 

Sikorsky, S92, helicopter, aviation, flight, oil and gas industry, offshore, north sea, Aberdeen, taxi 10
Sikorsky, S92, helicopter, aviation, flight, oil and gas industry, offshore, north sea, Aberdeen, taxi 12
Sikorsky, S92, helicopter, aviation, flight, oil and gas industry, offshore, north sea, Aberdeen, taxi 10

A Bristows, Sikorsky S92 Helicopter being refuelled on the oil and gas platform. 

Sikorsky, S92, helicopter, aviation, flight, oil and gas industry, offshore, north sea, Aberdeen, taxi 13
Sikorsky, S92, helicopter, aviation, flight, oil and gas industry, offshore, north sea, Aberdeen, taxi 14

Departing offshore worker. 

Sikorsky, S92, helicopter, aviation, flight, oil and gas industry, offshore, north sea, Aberdeen, taxi 15

Button her up, time to leave. 

Sikorsky, S92, helicopter, aviation, flight, oil and gas industry, offshore, north sea, Aberdeen, taxi 16
Sikorsky, S92, helicopter, aviation, flight, oil and gas industry, offshore, north sea, Aberdeen, taxi 

As this was the last flight, the pilot was happy to conduct a fly by :) 

The last supper.

01, BP, Miller, end of life, Decommissioning, Aramark, last supper

Hello, today we see the last evening meal that the catering crew served on the BP Miller. 

Certainly marked a large mile stone for the life of the platform. 

BP, Miller, end of life, Decommissioning, Aramark, last supper

The O.I.M's place is set. A chilled bottle of blue (non alcoholic) Becks at the ready. 

BP, Miller, end of life, Decommissioning, Aramark, last supper

Taking photos of the menu.

BP, Miller, end of life, Decommissioning, Aramark, last supper
BP, Miller, end of life, Decommissioning, Aramark, last supper
BP, Miller, end of life, Decommissioning, Aramark, last supper

The catering crew produced a fantastic meal. 

BP, Miller, end of life, Decommissioning, Aramark, last supper
BP, Miller, end of life, Decommissioning, Aramark, last supper

Catering team, proudly showing off their hard work. 

Offshore rope access technicians.

blog, Industrial, rope access, IRATA, trade, offshore, oil and gas, safety, acredited, HSE, health and safety, working at height, WAH, photographer Lee Ramsden

Hello, 

Today id like to show some of the IRATA rope access technicians that were involved in the decommissioning of the BP Miller. 

blog, rope access, selective colour, IRATA, abseiler, offshore, oil and gas industry, under deck, BP Miller, BP, Petrofac, ACN, Saipem, Lee Ramsden

Welding on dead weight supports to the risers. 

Blog, welding on the ropes, rope access, IRATA, abseiling, industrial, lee ramsden, BP Miller, oil and gas rig, north sea, offshore, employment, redundancies, oil and gas industry, BP, Petrofac

Rope access welder cutting a riser. 

rope access, IRATA, technician, PETROFAC, north sea, oil and gas industry, abseiler, climbing, rope, industrial, Lee Ramsden.

Long tiring climb back up. 

Happy rope technicians, rope access, IRATA, working at height, oil and gas industry, industrial photographer, Lee Ramsden

Rope techs at height happy in their work. 

BP Miller, breaking containment

blog, breaking containment, breathing, aparatus, BA, compressed air, drilling, BP Miller, decommissioning, Petrofac, Saipem, Jose, Lee Ramsden, industrial photographer

Hello, 

Today id like to show some images of large task involved when safely decommissioning an oil and gas rig. The task is called breaking containment. 

breaking of containment, gas, h2s, drill, breathing aparatus, BA, oxygen bottle, safety equipment, RPE, industrial photographer, Lee Ramsden

Where pipework has to be cut or flanges opened, we have to prove what was inside the pipe work previously, to ensure that it is safe via a gas test.

breaking,containment, wearing, BA, breathing, saber, drager, aparatus, oxygen bottles, RPE, safety, offshore, oil and gas, Lee Ramsden

To prove that the pipe is safe to cut a gas test is required.  As the pipework has not yet been proven safe, all this is conducted under full breathing apparatus to protect the technicians drilling into the pipes from hazardous substances. 

Breaking containment, drilling, gas testing, breathing aparatus, BA, RPE, safety equipment, industrial, Photography, Lee Ramsden, Offshore, north sea, oil and gas industry
Breaking containment, drilling, gas testing, breathing aparatus, BA, RPE, safety equipment, industrial, Photography, Lee Ramsden, Offshore, north sea, oil and gas industry 02

BP Miller decommissioning Scaffolder.

blog, Scaffodler, Mark Wilson, Marc Wilson, Brand energy, ACN, oil and gas industry, portrait, portrature, selfie, BP Miller, oil and gas rig, Petrofac, BP

The offshore scaffolder. 

They put up and take down scaffolding that allow offshore workers to reach higher levels during construction, decommissioning, maintenance or cleaning tasks.

Blog, Scaffolders, working at height, contruction, decommissioning, outbaord, scaffolding, BP Miller, north sea, offshore, oil and gas industry, Lee Ramsden.

Oil and gas Industrial Medic.

Medic, oil and gas industry, Andrew Macdonald, sickbay, medcenter, photo by Lee Ramsden,

Hello, 

This is the platform medic. 

In the UK oil and gas industry there is a requirement for all installations to have sufficient medical cover and provisions. 

 

The offshore medics role - 

 Treat people working on an offshore oil or gas rig for any injuries or illnesses. 

Provide medical care for anyone on the rig or platform who has an accident and make sure that people are fit and safe to work. The health, safety and welfare of all those working on the rig would be the medics responsibility. They also carry out administrative tasks.

  • Provide 24-hour medical care for the crew

  • Carry out routine health checks

  • Treat illnesses and minor wounds

  • Keep accurate medical records

  • Train other people on the rig in first aid

  • Order new supplies of medicines and equipment

  • Carry out health promotion activities 

  • Advise on health and safety issues

  • Arrange for very ill people to be taken back to land for treatment

The medic advises the senior managers if they thought a person was not fit for work or might affect other people’s safety.

If someone had an injury or illness that you were not sure how to treat, they would phone the onshore company doctor for advice.

Oil and gas industry Tool box talks.

oil and gas, tool box talk, TBT, industrial, job brief,

Above is a supervisor conducting a tool box talk with his team, on the task in hand. 

 

A Toolbox Talk is an informal safety meeting that focuses on safety topics related to the specific job, such as workplace hazards and safe work practices. Meetings are normally short in duration and are generally conducted at the job site prior to the commencement of a job or work shift. It is one of the very effective methods to refresh workers' knowledge, cover last minute safety checks, and exchange information with the experienced workers. Toolbox Talks are also intended to facilitate health and safety discussions on the job site and promote the organization’s safety culture. 

Offshore standby vessel.

Blog, Standby vessel, ship, north sea, Grampain Dee, craig-group, craig group, oil and gas industry, Lee Ramsden, outboard cover, safety

In the UK oil and gas industry, it is a requirement for a standby vessel to be present. These vessels primarily cover helicopter operations and if any work has to be conducted where there is a potential to fail to sea. (known as outboard work). These vessels sit there, day in day out, no matter the weather they provide us with emergency cover and would spring to life and help rescue if the unlikely event ever arose. 

Grampian Dee, offshore, northsea stand by vessel