An oil and gas company has been fined £300,000 after three offshore workers were trapped in a flooded lift shaft on a North Sea platform during a potentially life-threatening incident.

The crew members were descending in a lift inside one of the platform legs on Ithaca Energy’s FPF-1 floating production facility during a night shift on 10 December 2020 when seawater began pouring into the shaft. The lift was stopped just in time, with the men already knee-deep in water.

Investigators revealed that the crew had been sent to inspect the base of a sub-sea column, but due to equipment failures and incorrect procedures, water had begun flooding the lift shaft unnoticed.

Critically, no alarm system was in place to detect water ingress at the base of the shaft, leaving the platform’s control room unaware of the hazard. As the lift descended, the workers noticed a sudden "rush of air" before the base of the lift struck the rising water. Quick action by the crew, using an emergency stop button, prevented the situation from escalating further. All three returned safely to the main deck without injury.

This fine should serve as a stark reminder to offshore operators to remain vigilant. It was only through good fortune that this incident didn’t end in tragedy

Watermarks later showed that the water inside the shaft had risen to nearly 1.5 metres, but Ithaca’s own review suggested the level could have reached over three metres—potentially trapping the workers and preventing escape through the lift’s top hatch.

Following the incident, GB's Health and Safety Executive (HSE) issued Ithaca Energy (UK) Limited with an improvement notice, and the company suspended all confined space work until February 2021 to conduct a full safety review.

The firm admitted to breaching regulation 4(1) of the Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations, and section 33(1)(a) of the Health and Safety at Work Act.

HSE Inspector Ian Chilley described the event as 'terrifying' and added: 'We are just thankful that no physical harm came to the workers. This fine should serve as a stark reminder to offshore operators to remain vigilant. It was only through good fortune that this incident didn’t end in tragedy.'

When passing sentence at Aberdeen Sheriff Court, the sheriff remarked that the case served as 'another reminder of the need for rigorous adherence to health and safety in the oil and gas industry'.

Source: IOSH Magazine

Comment: "This situation could have resulted in a loss of life. Daily inspections of safety-critical equipment and processes should be standard practice in all high-risk environments."