Potential North Sea Oil Disaster

The problem is without the photographs I can't say exactly which part of the structure is affected and how seriously. Visible from a crane sounds substantial. Vertical, of a considerable size and more than one is the best description I can give. If they weren't a potential problem why the cover-up?

Before you ask there is no chance I can get my hands on those photographs now. I went through all that with Sandy. James had a reason to keep them hidden. Suzy would have made them public. I didn't understand what I was looking at. I can only guess James chose to show them to me because a secret like that is a heavy burden to carry. I was young, ignorant and soon went travelling to other places.

reply to post by XxthehoffxX


I have to take a break from this now. I don't want to make any mistakes through stress.

I've sent one email to CNR. No response. My thought was if you bought a second hand oil rig that turned out to be a lemon would you want the world to know. I did my best with HSE and they certainly heard me. I've made dozens of youtube comments, a lot of them on Union Terrace Gardens videos. That wasn't planned. I just thought 'Well, look for something of local Aberdeen interest and comment on those videos it's bound to get through to the oil community'. Then I found Wood was offering oil money to trash the gardens and build a concrete square so I said 'Why not fix the Ninian with that money instead of building another concrete 'thing'.
Billions in revenue, I'm aware of that.
I'm sweating like a pig with stress. I'm going for a walk, back later.

reply to post by Kester

no problem its a bit late here i will pick this up tomorrow and take it easy

reply to post by XxthehoffxX


Two things I won't discuss on a public forum. One is why James kept those photographs secret. That's his business. The other is how the threat to silence me was communicated. These aren't amateurs, they don't make rash threats that can easily be witnessed by others.

Are there things that just crop up in your life whether you seek them or not? For me it's whistleblowing. I have a family connection that gives me a clear insight into how crooked major events can be. That makes it easier for me to investigate major crime. I'm not hampered by thoughts like 'Oh they wouldn't do that.' Or 'Someone would notice, there are far to many people involved.'

I know they would do the most awful things and the motives are so far reaching it's difficult to comprehend. It only takes a few in each area who are in on the plot for the rest to be fooled. It's a common human trait to deny you've been fooled, most people won't even consider it so it's thrown out as a possibility without even examining the evidence. Often the cleverer people are less likely to consider the possibility they've been fooled.

I blew the whistle on a major issue with a flamboyant publicity stunt that was witnessed by thousands. I got overwhelming feedback. A major Politician changed his views on a vital subject as a result of this. Although others drew his attention to that issue, because I'm an artist I made the most visual statement.

Following that an attempt was made to weaken and perhaps kill me in a way that would look like natural causes. When I realised what was happening I spoke out and suddenly they left me alone. That was the first time. After that I did another very visible stunt. By that time I had realised it was a waste of energy trying to inform the general public so I carefully targeted GCHQ, several hundred uniformed military, a stand full of dignitaries and the police. I've had a lot of support from the local police since then. They're professional investigators, they know I'm right on that subject. It isn't relevant here what that subject is. Like oil industry people understanding the oil industry, I understand that subject, it doesn't need to be mentioned here.

I knew they'd try to kill me for that. It had taken three months to make the decision to die. It was a very difficult decision to make. With the knowledge I have it just had to be done. Although I knew they'd try it I wasn't expecting it the very next day. Again it was arranged to look like natural causes. I survived it but it took a long time to recover. When they do it like that it can't be proved it was murder but it's a clear message to other potential whistleblowers.

After that I decided to give up whistleblowing. Then came the Macondo and my subsequent discovery that it wasn't 'just a little rig sold to some third world country somewhere' that I could never identify. It was the Ninian Central. Talk about drawing the short straw.

When you go down this road publicity and openness are your best defence. They tend to go towards character assassination and niggling personal attacks when they can't risk the attention of a straightforward hit.

Have to go now. More later.

First of all you have not let any cat out of the bag you have not blown any whistles on this subject as i have already explained it is well known the facts regarding the central and other rigs. You have seen some photos of a rig before it even left the shipyard the operators past and present are aware as are other independent 3rd parties this issue is monitored by experts not some guy who seen a picture of some cracks and is now a structural and marine engineering expert.

In the north sea oil industry there are many experts in their own field who take their job seriously and go to great lengths to ensure that no one gets hurt and the environment is protected the best that we can. Admittedly things do go wrong but i assure you it isn't intentional, lives depend on our ability to do things safely not just others but our own!!!

You wont talk about the threats that you have received? That really doesn't make sense as you have already "blew the whistle" so have nothing to lose and everything to gain by naming your foes.By your own admission you are a semi-professional whistle blower to be honest with you you really need some technical expertise in the field chosen to blow the whistle in otherwise you just come across as a bit highly strung (for want of a more accurate description)

Originally posted by XxthehoffxX
First of all you have not let any cat out of the bag you have not blown any whistles on this subject as i have already explained it is well known the facts regarding the central and other rigs. You have seen some photos of a rig before it even left the shipyard the operators past and present are aware as are other independent 3rd parties this issue is monitored by experts not some guy who seen a picture of some cracks and is now a structural and marine engineering expert.

This is good news.

Many interested parties worldwide are following this thread. It will be very reassuring for them to see photographs of the enormous vertical cracks in the base of the Ninian Central, visible from the top of a crane. The regular inspections of the Hammersmith Flyover did not result in urgent remedial work. A whistleblower had to reveal the danger. Independent examination of the photographs of the cracks in the Ninian Central will show that these well known defects are not a danger to the North Sea. Those who monitor the state of the Ninian must have photographs taken during construction and technical reports on their current state. Can you please ask for the photographs and reports regarding the well known enormous cracks that formed in the Ninian Central during construction to be made available to the public.

Originally posted by XxthehoffxX
By your own admission you are a semi-professional whistle blower.....

A semi-professional is someone who gets paid for part time work.

A whistleblower is the opposite.

A whistleblower doesn't shut up.

You get paid to shut up. Or you shut up because you're getting paid.

That's the way it is.

From wikipedia....

"The Transportation Research Board (TRB) is a division of the National Research Council, which serves as an independent adviser to the President, the Congress and federal agencies on scientific and technical questions of national importance. The National Research Council is jointly administered by the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Engineering, and the Institute of Medicine. The mission of the Transportation Research Board—one of six major divisions of the National Research Council—is to promote innovation and progress in transportation through research. In an objective and interdisciplinary setting, the Board facilitates the sharing of information on transportation practice and policy by researchers and practitioners; stimulates research and offers research management services that promote technical excellence; provides expert advice on transportation policy and programs; and disseminates research results broadly and encourages their implementation.
TRB fulfills this mission through the work of its more than 200 standing committees and task forces addressing all modes and aspects of transportation; publication and dissemination of reports and peer-reviewed technical papers on research findings; management of cooperative research and other research programs; conduct of special studies on transportation policy issues at the request of the U.S. Congress and government agencies; operation of an on-line computerized file of transportation research information; and the hosting of an annual meeting that typically attracts more than 10,000 transportation professionals from throughout the United States and abroad."



This is what the TRB said about bridges in 2010.


"Identification and Repair of Corroded Prestressed Tendons

Problem

Age and condition of many prestressed highway bridges should be examined for strand corrosion as part of an ongoing inspection program to provide better public safety and to provide a proactive approach to evaluating structural condition, and assessing asset value and its remaining life. Inspecting bridges for corrosion of the strands is important for several reasons. In a new structure, tendons in post tensioned (PT) structures typically are loaded near 70% of their ultimate tensile strength, leaving little room for stress increase due to loss of cross sectional area. Also, PT concrete box girder bridges may develop tension cracks in the deck at negative moment areas (over bents) which allow corrosive materials to enter the ducts and corrode the tendons. Therefore, corroded strands may go undetected and result in catastrophic failure... Further; it is now known that corrosion issues may exist in both reinforced concrete and prestressed concrete bridges.

FHWA funds the extremely expensive biannual inspection of all bridges on the National Bridge Inventory. These structures are comprehensively reviewed by means of physical sounding and/or visual inspection, without any real means to evaluate the condition of the prestressing steel that is internal to the structure. The need for nondestructive and reliable methods for identifying both the magnitude and extent of prestressed tendon corrosion in existing bridges is essential to improving public safety and optimizing the use of the large inspection budget. There is an urgent need to develop reliable and inexpensive techniques to assess the internal prestressing components. The corrosion of prestressing tendons and an inability to assess their condition has led to a number of structural failures in the recent past....."

"Most of the recent structural failures on the list did not exhibit signs of distress prior to collapse. Internal voids were identified in the Varina-Enon Bridge through routine inspections and these voids were filled with good quality grout. It was assumed that completely filling the voids would stop further corrosion from occurring. However, corrosion increased even after the voids were completely filled with grout. It appears that corrosion and potential failure of post tensioned structures is more problematic than previously thought.

A typical investigation of the corrosion of prestressing tendons maybe performed by visual inspection augmented with the use of a bore scope, use of impact echo testing, an evaluation of corrosion potentials, and an assessment of chloride contamination. It is now known that this approach has not always identified ongoing corrosion and has actually provided a false sense of security while tendons continue to corrode.


It has also been verified that tendons can corrode even when completely covered by grout. Within voids and despite low pH grouts, corrosion has occurred irrespective of low chloride concentration. At times, the rate of strand corrosion may increase when voids are filled with fresh grout. The cause of this phenomenon is not fully understood and requires study. Thus, there is a need for a specific, targeted investigation of non-destructive techniques for the evaluation of prestressing tendons so that the overall structural condition may be determined. Structures often exhibit initial signs of distress (wire breaks, structural cracks, spalls, delaminations, efflorescence, misalignments, or other similar issues) that may be indicative of tendon corrosion within the internal structure. The correlation between the presence of initial distress signs and tendon corrosion should be investigated to determine when extensive evaluation of internal tendons is warranted. Ability for engineers to adequately evaluation the condition of internal structural members will lead to a better understanding of the time and the options available for rehabilitation."

"Urgency

It is now clear that checking for tendon corrosion is essential to insuring that public safety is met and the condition of the structure can be realized for purposes of evaluating maintenance and repair strategies. It is also clear that there are no national standards as to how to evaluate if tendons are corroded and there is no national standard as to how often this type of inspection should be conducted. Prestressed bridges which have been in service for 30 to 40 years need to be evaluated for corrosion problems."

A bullet in the head? Really? Who do you think you are? David Kelly?

Trust me, you're not that important, especially when this information is already freely available.

No star OR flag.

Of course we're not talking about bridges. We're talking about a concrete platform. In the North Sea.

Originally posted by babybunnies
.....this information is already freely available.

The information freely available from the TRB indicates that no one knows the extent of prestressed tendon corrosion and no one knows how to evaluate it other than demolition.

"Therefore, corroded strands may go undetected and result in catastrophic failure... "

"These structures are comprehensively reviewed by means of physical sounding and/or visual inspection, without any real means to evaluate the condition of the prestressing steel that is internal to the structure."

"The corrosion of prestressing tendons and an inability to assess their condition has led to a number of structural failures in the recent past..."

"Most of the recent structural failures on the list did not exhibit signs of distress prior to collapse."

"It appears that corrosion and potential failure of post tensioned structures is more problematic than previously thought."

"A typical investigation of the corrosion of prestressing tendons maybe performed by visual inspection augmented with the use of a bore scope, use of impact echo testing, an evaluation of corrosion potentials, and an assessment of chloride contamination. It is now known that this approach has not always identified ongoing corrosion and has actually provided a false sense of security while tendons continue to corrode."

"It has also been verified that tendons can corrode even when completely covered by grout."

"At times, the rate of strand corrosion may increase when voids are filled with fresh grout. The cause of this phenomenon is not fully understood and requires study."

"Urgency

It is now clear that checking for tendon corrosion is essential to insuring that public safety is met and the condition of the structure can be realized for purposes of evaluating maintenance and repair strategies."

reply to post by Nucleardiver


I have no doubt you are good & professional at your work and so does the 11 dead crew. That doesn't mean the politicians controlled by the dirty oil corps are as professional as you. They chose deep water because it is an area professional divers like you can't reach.

How does a riser break and completely bent in 15 seconds? It has to slice thru the water at an insane speed 30knots. Would you say that is the normal speed of a riser from a vertical stationary position. Only with demolition charges. Can that be accidental? Man you gotta wake up.

The whole thing had been set up. Including the eye-witnesses arranged prior to the blowout. How did the USCG transcripts detail out the explosion, SAR and rig abandonment 3 hours before it happened?

grandelander.newsvine.com...

The following is a list of youtube channels I sent personal messages to explaining my concerns about the Ninian Central Platform. Those concerns have become considerably more urgent having learnt about the worldwide crisis regarding corrosion issues in prestressed concrete constructions and the severe lack of diagnostic technology.

sarahboyack
ClaudiaBeamish
DesMcNulty
sasomervillemsp
PaulineMcNeillMSP
scottishgreens
nwsocialist
nescotlandlabour
stevenmarwick
CanadianNaturalCNRL

These messages were all sent on 06/14/11

I received no replies, not even to tell me I needed to get my head examined, (a popular response by those who wish to immerse themselves in comforting, and profitable, denial). It's the prestressing tendons in the Ninian Central Platform that need to be examined.

The Transportation Research Board tells us....

"The corrosion of prestressing tendons and an inability to assess their condition has led to a number of structural failures in the recent past..."

"Most of the recent structural failures on the list did not exhibit signs of distress prior to collapse."

"It appears that corrosion and potential failure of post tensioned structures is more problematic than previously thought."

So good luck with that.


From the randompottins blogspot.

"I'm no enginer, but it sounds to me like the bridge is actually built employing the technique of post-stressed concrete, whereby cables are tightened within the concrete after it is laid. Back in the early 1970s I was sharing a house up North with a couple of friends, one of whom was employed as a technician on motorway construction. One day Steve came home not his usual carefree self, and told us that he had been testing the grout, a mixture of cement and sand in water, that was used to surround cables embedded in concrete, in order to seal them from the elements. Finding a batch that was not of the proper consistency - I think it was meant to be cement-rich - he had reported this, only to be told to let it go.

Steve explained that if the cables were not properly grouted and sealed, rainwater permeating through the concrete would cause them to rust, and you might eventually have lumps of loosened masonry from bridges falling down on to the motorway.

I told him somewhat naievely that he ought to go to the press with his story. He replied that if he did that "it would be the end of my career in civil engineering and construction". He was probably right. He won't mind me telling his story now, as last thing I heard he had gone into teaching instead."

Ah the seventies. We may have learnt from the mistakes made during those lax times, but we're stuck with the legacies, such as the Ninian Central.

Looking on the bright side it isn't only the oil industry and transport infrastructure that suffers from these unexpected disasters waiting to happen.

This information comes from Freyssinet.

Prestressed Concrete In Nuclear Power Stations

Total = 143 Pressured Vessels





This is Scotland. Don't break it.

This is from the Scottish Sun, 19 August 2010. Notice the date of the incident.

"Yesterday a spokesman for Canadian Natural Resources, which owns the Ninian Central rig, said all work was off until tomorrow following the August 11 incident."

Read more: www.thescottishsun.co.uk...

Notice this phrase. "..a worker spotted a cloud of yellow gas spewing from its side." Of course you would assume it was gas if it was coming from an oil rig. We usually see the excess gas being burned off. Someone in the oil industry can maybe tell us if yellow gas is normal.

I'm going out on a limb here. Shoot me down for my wild speculation if you want. It wouldn't be the first time by any means.

I'm suggesting the possibility that it was a smoke bomb, used as an excuse to get inspectors onto the rig without openly admitting what the real concern is. I'm suggesting the people responsible can't do anything straight. They've told so many lies they don't know how to tell the truth. Deceit and subterfuge are second nature to them.

This is why I'm suspicious of the true nature of that incident.

Following my failed attempt to do the proper thing and communicate with the 'suits' at HSE I started a youtube channel and began making revealing comments regarding the cracks in the Ninian Central. My youtube channel name is underterraingrunter. Search the name underterraingrunter and find my channel. Look on the right and you'll see the date I started that channel.

The name Under Terrain Grunter is inspired by Union Terrace Gardens in Aberdeen. Some oil dude who's name I've forgotten is offerring a massive injection of oil money to destroy the beautiful gardens and build a concrete fairyland. I made numerous comments on Union Terrace Gardens videos describing the pitiful state of the Ninian Central. If any of you HSE types are reading this, I did that as a direct response to your attempt to fob me off. No way guys, you don't sweep this one under the rug.

The date I started my 'Cracks In The Ninian Central' youtube channel is August 3, 2010.

The date of the 'gas leak' on the Ninian Central is August 11 2010.

This, my friends, is the power of youtube.


"The source continued: "This isn't the only thing that worries people about this rig.""

Really? What else is there to worry about? Come on guys, spill the beans. We've got our future to think about.

Three points to be read by everyone working on the Ninian Central.

1) Anyone who tells you they know the condition of the tendons in the Ninian Central is lying to you.

2) Anyone who tells you they know how tendon failure will affect the structure is lying to you.

3) Failure is likely to be sudden, catastrophic and without warning.


Two points to be considered by everyone affected by the condition of the oceans.

This information from the International Association Of Oil And Gas Producers in report number 338, February 2003. 'Disposal of disused offshore concrete gravity platforms in the OSPAR Maritime Area'

1) Oil storage in the base of the Ninian Central. 1,000,000 barrels.

2) Planned decommissioning date. 2009.


The Ninian Central Platform may stand for one day or a thousand years. No one can say, with the possible exception of a seer.

This from the Ocean Structures report for PETROLEUMSTILSYNET, Norwegian petroleum safety authority.

"Ageing Of Offshore Concrete Structures

Corrosion Of Steel Reinforcement

Underwater.... the corrosion products are non-expansive and do not usually lead to spalling of the cover. This can be a limitation, however, in respect of detecting the corrosion using visual inspection.....

.....Cracking is a process which allows ingress of seawater to the embedded steel. Typically the design basis requires control of cracking following the construction phase, with a limit of 0.1 mm for the splash and atmospheric zones and 0.3 mm for the submerged zone.....

Corrosion Of Prestressing Tendons

High strength prestressing tendons are needed to maintain the structural integrity of the concrete structure. These tendons are placed in ducts which are usually grouted following tensioning. The degree to which the grouting was effective, given the long ducts and in some cases their horizontal orientation, has led to concerns that seawater can penetrate into the ducts and cause corrosion of the very high strength tendons. A review of the durability of prestressing components concluded that the first tranche of concrete offshore structures (pre-1978) was more vulnerable to corrosion of the prestressing tendons, as later platforms benefitted from improved grouting materials and procedures. It was also considered that there would need to be significant loss of prestress (~40%) in a leg before it would fail under typical design wave loading. These failures would also need to be in the same section area to be a danger. In land based structures failures have tended to occur near anchorages or construction joints. ...it was concluded, in terms of prestressing, that "Corrosion is possible but because of the dispersed arrangement of prestressing and the staggering of anchorages away from critical sections we would expect any failures to be distributed around the structure". "


Does anyone know where the Howard Doris paperwork ended up? Did it disappear down the back of that giant sofa/couch where all the awkward paperwork is? Can you see now why the existence of these enormous cracks had to be covered up if they were going to sell the Ninian Central? The hasty patching can't possibly have stood up to the stresses of fitting the topsides, towing out and locating. The storms and earth movements the structure has had to endure since then must have had some effect. The cracks let in the seawater which corrodes the tendons in the locality of the cracks. Not dispersed around the structure as anticipated.

As the tendons weaken and break more cracks form in the concrete as tension is released. These cracks let in more water which corrodes the reinforcing. Being underwater the corrosion products are non-expansive, the corrosion is not easily detectable. As the TRB tells us, diagnostic techniques have proved to be unreliable and misleading. With the technology available today only demolition can ascertain the condition of the tendons and reinforcing in the Ninian Central Platform. Somebody please prove me wrong.


I vote for the 'Ninian Central Eco Platform'.

Strip it of toxins as far as possible and use it as an emergency refuge.

I wonder if anyone in this organisation would like to join ATS and give us their view in the long term integrity and possible decommissioning solutions for the Ninian Central?

www.ode-ltd.co.uk...