Drilling and Disaster in the North Sea

Klaus Dodds looks back 50 years to a crucial – and ultimately tragic – moment in the UK’s exploitation of its oil and gas resources. 

Makeshift: the Sea Gem in position in the North SeaJust over 50 years ago a converted steel barge operating off the coastline of Lincolnshire contributed to a new chapter in Britain’s offshore history. A short film made by British Pathé declared the barge to be a ‘beacon of promise’, offering new hope that Britain would no longer depend upon coal for its energy supplies. 

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