The offshore energy industry has marked 38 years since the Piper Alpha disaster, with tributes paid to the families, friends and colleagues of the 167 men who lost their lives.

The disaster unfolded in the North Sea on the night of 6 and 7 July 1988, when the Piper Alpha platform was destroyed by explosions and fire in what remains the world’s deadliest offshore oil and gas disaster.

For communities across Scotland, and especially those with deep ties to offshore work, the anniversary remains a moment of quiet remembrance and lasting significance.

Many of the men who worked offshore came from coastal, Highland and island communities where the North Sea industry shaped livelihoods, families and futures.

Piper Alpha was more than an industrial disaster.

It was a human tragedy that left empty chairs at kitchen tables, changed families forever and forced an entire industry to confront the true cost of failure.

The Cullen Inquiry that followed reshaped offshore safety, with 106 recommendations that transformed regulation, working practices and the way major hazards are managed at sea.

Its legacy can still be seen today in the safety case regime, in stronger systems of accountability and in the understanding that offshore safety must never be treated as paperwork or routine.

OEUK marked the anniversary by reflecting on the lives lost and the continuing responsibility to protect those who work offshore.

David Whitehouse, chief executive of OEUK, said:

“As we mark the anniversary of Piper Alpha, our thoughts are with the families, friends and colleagues of those who lost their lives.

“Their loss continues to be felt across our industry and will be for decades to come.

“As an industry, we have a responsibility to provide the energy the UK relies on every day, and to do so in a way that keeps our people safe, first and foremost.

“OEUK supports the sharing of best practice and lessons learned, helping to ensure emerging issues are identified and addressed.

“Together, our members are committed to continuous improvement in safety performance across the industry.

“Health and safety is not an option, it is a necessity.

“We remain vigilant, relentless, and never complacent in our commitment to ensuring everyone stays safe offshore and returns home safely once they hang up their hard hats.”

Thirty eight years on, Piper Alpha remains a warning written in fire, loss and hard learned lessons.

For the families left behind, the anniversary is not history.

It is memory.

For the offshore industry, it is a duty.

For Scotland, it is a reminder that every worker who leaves home for a platform, vessel, harbour, yard or rig must be given every chance to return safely.