The offshore sector may still be mired in recession at present, but the need to retain a vigilant eye on fire safety remains as vital as ever. To some degree, offshore oil and gas companies are still haunted by the blaze and explosion that destroyed the Piper Alpha oil production platform in July 1988, a tragedy that resulted in some much-welcomed 'toughening up' of offshore safety requirements. All the same, fire-related incidents still occur aboard many offshore assets, putting the burden on owners and operators to ensure that safety standards do not slip. This burden becomes more onerous when one considers that the majority of offshore companies are scaling back their budgets at present, as well as warm-stacking and cold-stacking some of their most valuable vessels and rigs.
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