Model Of Multifunctional Support Vessel THAROS
AssociatedAssociated with
Tharos
(Multifunctional Support Vessel)
AssociatedAssociated with
Piper Alpha
Date1979 - 1988
Object NameModel
MediumPlastic, metal, paint
ClassificationsNorth Sea Oil and Gas Industries
Dimensions86cm x 76cm x 69cm high (perspex case) 111cm high including base unit
LocationOn Display - Aberdeen Maritime Museum
Object numberABDMS025263
Keywords
In the event of a serious incident taking place Tharos was to use its fire monitors to douse any conflagration. It was capable of moving under its own propulsion system to allow it to get close or move away from a stricken installation. It was also originally equipped with a medical unit, accomodation, helicopter, cranes and other vital equipment to deal with an emergency. At the time of its commissioning in 1978 it was heralded as the future for the industry and as a major commitment by Occidental to safety.
In 1988 at the time of the explosion on Piper Alpha Tharos was alongside in its role as emergency support vessel. It proved ineffective and a number of design and operational failings were highlighted at the Fatal Accident Enquiry.
Tharos was removed from the North Sea and from its role as an Emergency Support Vessel very soon after the disaster and reconverted to its original design intention as a Drilling Support Vessel. It went through a number of name changes until 1998 when it became the TRANSOCEAN MARIANAS. In 2009 it was seriously damaged in the Mexican Gulf and its place taken by DEEPWATER HORIZON (which itself subsequently was subject to a major disaster).
In 2011, The TRANSOCEAN MARIANAS (Tharos) was again evacuated due to a major problem with the hulls leaking when working off the coast of Ghana.
The vessel was eventually scrapped in 2017.
