Ocean Ranger was a semi-submersible

mobile offshore drilling unit that sank in

Canadian waters on 15 February 1982. It
was drilling an exploration well on the
Grand Banks of Newfoundland, 267
kilometres (166 mi) east of St. John's,
Newfoundland, for Mobil Oil of Canada,
Ltd. (MOCAN) with 84 crew members on
board when it sank. There were no
survivors.
Geographical Conditions

Hibernia Oil Field

The Hibernia oil field

relative to Newfoundland
and St. John's. The
location of the Hibernia
oil field means that oil
rigs operating in the area
must be able to handle
such threats as icebergs
and severe storms.
 The Grand Banks have been extensively explored
for oil since 1966. The first major find was the
Hibernia oil field, discovered in 1979. This was the
area the Ocean Ranger was exploring in 1982.
Work to develop Hibernia began in 1990.
 Newfoundland's Grand Banks are a series of
raised underwater plateaus located off the
southeast coast of the island. The relatively
shallow water and warm Gulf Stream current allow
marine plants and animals to flourish, making the
Grand Banks one of the world's most renowned
fishing areas. It is also rich in petroleum reserves.
The area is particularly hazardous since the
steepest waves off the coast of North America are
generated there.
 Disaster

 On Sunday, 14 February 1982, the Ocean

Ranger was drilling at Hibernia well J-34. It had 84
people on board, including 56 Newfoundlanders.
At 8:00 am the rig received a weather report
stating that a strong winter storm, with winds of 90
knots and waves of up to 37 feet, was forecast to
pass over its location later that day and during the
night. The Ranger continued to drill until around
4:30 pm, when it “hung off” (disconnected its drill
pipe and retracted it for safety) and prepared to
ride out the storm.
 The storm was in full swing by 7:00 pm when two other rigs
in the area, the SEDCO 706 and the Zapata Ugland, reported
being hit by an unusually large wave, which did some slight
damage to SEDCO 706. Shortly after, the two rigs and
nearby support vessels began to overhear radio chatter from
the Ocean Ranger that referred to broken glass and water,
and to switches and valves that seemed to be operating by
themselves. The Ranger confirmed to the other rigs just after
9:00 pm that a portlight, or window, had been broken in the
ballast control room, but it had been cleaned up and didn't
appear to be anything serious. A radio operator on shore
received the regular weather report from Ocean Ranger's
weather observer at 11:30 pm, and there was no indication of
problems.
 Around 1:00 am on Monday morning, however,
Mobil's senior manager on the Ocean Ranger
contacted the shore to report that the rig was
listing. Shortly afterwards, the Ranger called the
supply vessel Seaforth Highlander, which was on
standby for the rig in case of emergencies, and
asked it to move in closer. By 1:10 am the Ocean
Ranger was sending out Mayday calls. The final
message received from the Ocean Ranger was at
1:30 am, when the radio operator advised that the
crew were heading to lifeboat stations.
 This was clearly a major emergency. The two
nearby rigs dispatched their standby vessels, but
because of the storm's violence, it was very difficult
for them to make headway. Searching for survivors
proved to be even harder. The Seaforth
Highlander spotted flares from a lifeboat at 2:21
am and headed towards it. The lifeboat was
damaged but there were men aboard.
The Seaforth Highlander was able to get a line
attached to the lifeboat, and the first mate came
within feet of grabbing one of the men. But the
heavy seas snapped the line and capsized the
lifeboat, and ultimately the Seaforth
Highlander was unable to rescue a single men.
 The Ocean Ranger was still afloat at 2:45 am
when the supply ship Boltentor came within visual
range. She was listing heavily and waves were
breaking over the deck. There was no sign of any
people aboard and the lifeboats were gone. Shortly
afterwards the ships in the area lost radar contact
with the Ocean Ranger as it finally capsized and
sank.
 Problems
 Violent Storm and Huge Waves

The storm was classified a "Sea State 8," which

means waves averaging 15 metres high with 70-
knot winds. Meteorologists called it a "10-12 year
storm" -- a storm that severe happens
approximately every 10 to 12 years. The waves
were described as "high and short," meaning they
were tall with a short distance between them. This
sort of wave has very steep slopes, and often
breaks, slapping anything in its path with a massive
wall of water.
 The Design of Ballast Control Room
A large wave appeared to
cause a broken portlight.
The broken portlight allowed
the ingress of sea water into
the ballast control room;
The ballast control panel
malfunctioned or appeared to
malfunction to the crew.
As a result of this malfunction
or perceived malfunction,
several valves in the
platform's ballast control
system opened due to a short-
circuit, or were manually
opened by the crew
Structure
The structure of the Ocean Ranger was similar to that of
many other semisubmersibles operating in Canadian
offshore areas and throughout the world . The rig
consisted of two pontoons, eight vertical columns, an
upper hull with two decks, and a supporting framework of
braces and trusses . The two pontoons each contained
16 tanks that served as storage for ballast water, fuel oil
and drill water . A pump room and propulsion room were
located in the tapered section of the stern of each
pontoon . Each pump room contained pumps, piping and
valves associated with the pontoon tanks and bilge
pumping system . Each propulsion room also contained
two electric propulsion motors and their control panels as
well as the hydraulic motors and controls for the steering
system .
The Innovation
 Conclusion
 Ocean Ranger was a semi-submersible mobile offshore
drilling unit that sank in Canadian waters on 15 February
1982 with 84 crew members on board and there’s no
survivors
 A storm knocked down the rig and broke the ballast control
room window, also called portlight, damaging equipment that
causes malfunctions so that the balance is lost
 As a result of this malfunction or perceived malfunction,
several valves in the platform's ballast control system opened
due to a short-circuit, or were manually opened by the crew
 The Ocean Ranger was listing heavily and waves were
breaking over the deck. Shortly afterwards the ships in the
area lost radar contact with the Ocean Ranger as it finally
capsized and sank.