THE OCEAN RANGER: A tragedy that led to hope

“I vividly remember the blizzard the night the Ocean Ranger sank,” said Bevin LeDrew. “It was a blinding snowstorm with very high winds in the middle of February. I lived in Torbay, just outside the capital of St. John’s, and we had just come back from a weekend curling tournament. My friend and I and our spouses were all together that night. My friend was a helicopter pilot and as soon as he got in the door…he got called out to sea. It was devastating, the Ocean Ranger had sunk. Our hearts sank right along with it.”

At the time Bevin LeDrew didn’t realize that some of the most important work he would ever do, would spud from such a tragedy.

HOSTILE ENVIRONMENT

On the night of February 14th, 1982, 84 souls were lost at sea. The killer: A storm linked to Atlantic cyclone winds and waves, a drilling rig that was simply not up to the task of handling the hostile environment of the offshore. Human error and a lack of safety, search and rescue operations all had a hand to play. Some have called it the ‘perfect storm’. Others the ‘royal flush’ but whatever it is called the fact remains it was a cascading series of events that led to the death of 84 of our people.

Mayday was the call at 00:52 a.m. February 15th, as the Ocean Ranger listed and was in imminent danger in the dead of night. At 1:30 am Newfoundland local time, the Ocean Ranger transmitted it’s very last message.

“There will be no further radio communication from the ocean ranger, we are going to lifeboat stations,” the final message echoed.

90 minutes later she sank.

It is estimated that by 2:30 local time, the Ocean Rangers crew had frozen and drowned. 22 bodies were recovered and autopsies confirmed this to be the fatal reality of the crew. Every single person died. 46 Mobil members and 38 independent contractors working on the Hibernia oil field on the Ocean Ranger perished that unforgiving night.

They say that every tragety has a secret purpose and we believe this may be true. This unspeakable tragedy gave way to what would become one of the most important safety regimes on the planet.

OCEAN RANGER COMMISSION REPORT

The Canadian Royal Commission spent two years looking into the domino effect that led to a tragedy of unprecedented proportion offshore east coast Canada. The commission’s recommendations included an ever improving safety regime that made safety the number one priority offshore. The offshore safety culture we have today exists because of the Ocean Ranger. That was a gift.

Bevin says, “I was responsible for a team working on Part Two of the Ocean Ranger report – Improving Safety Offshore. We had a group of managers who organized consultative committees addressing a range of topics. In total, there were hundreds of people who worked on this initiative. People from all walks of life; operational specialists, search and rescue, emergency response, weather forecasting, loss investigation, training for emergency response, regulatory regimes and environmental affairs. We cast a wide net.”

Bevin believes that, “The industry underestimated the severity of the storm and the hostile environment we were operating in. While we had been active offshore for centuries there was not a lot of data available as input to the design and operation of mobile offshore drilling units. The industry underestimated the severity of the environment, and in combination with a series of other factors, these led to the cascading series of failures that resulted in this tragic loss of life.”

POEM: The Ocean Ranger – By Tina Olivero

try me, try me, the waves did tout
try my winds against your doubt
take a chance and find the way
rules to rest, left at bay

OFFSHORE ENERGY HALL OF FAME

Decades after the Ocean Ranger Report was published, Bevin was given the honour of being recognized for his work on the Ocean Ranger. With an unparalleled commitment and an extensive work ethic on the Ocean Ranger inquiry, Bevin LeDrew from Newfoundland, Canada was inducted into the Offshore Energy Centre Hall of Fame on September 23, 2017.

Mr Bevin LeDrew

In the warm air of a typical Houston night, industry gathered in tuxedos and gowns to recognize and celebrate the great minds that came together to set the foundation for the safe environment we now have.

Bevin says, “The award was graciously received by Dr Derrick Muggeridge and myself. We had our photographs taken and the entire event was very impressive. I’m at the end of my career, so its kind of nice to be told in a formal way that the work that was carried out made a positive contribution. A lot of people involved with the Ocean Ranger have passed now and I think it’s important to recognize their contribution. We had a total staff of about fifty people and a network of consultants and a lot of industry people and government people who volunteered their time to make the offshore industry safe. There was a huge network and we should recognize their work on the Ocean Ranger Royal Commission. The work we did then lay the foundation of where we are today. I’m very proud of that.”

Let the Ocean Ranger remind us that above all, we are never 100% guaranteed to be safe and that safety is an ongoing constant state of improvement. Those of us who reside in this province know that our offshore is a mighty sea with unforgiving forces. We understand the need to constantly improve and the importance of experience and collaboration.

Moving forward let’s keep that at the forefront of our minds for the safety of our people working offshore now, and for the safety of our kids tomorrow.