Exclusive Sundowner, in partnership with Energy Club WA: Piper Alpha, Surviving the world’s worst offshore oil industry disaster
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Society of Petroleum Engineers WA together with Energy Club WA are proud to present details of an exclusive sundowner, on Wednesday 6th of May.
About the Presentation
During the evening of Saturday 6 July 1988, 167 men tragically lost their lives following an explosion on the Piper Alpha offshore oil platform in the North Sea. According to the UK Dept of Energy Lord Cullen’s Public Inquiry following the tragedy, the disaster should have been avoided. Ed Punchard – a Curtin Marine Science graduate and diver working onboard the oil platform at the time of the explosion, managed to escape alive without harm.
In this presentation, Ed will discuss the issues that led to the explosion and present video clips explaining how the tragedy occurred, details of the results of the Public Inquiry of which he was a major participant, and personal lessons of how he worked through the aftermath of the disaster. Ed promotes education on best safety practices in the offshore industry. He does this through presentations and pursuing funding of safety scholarships to research students who develop products and services for improving offshore industry, currently through OPITO, the Scottish Offshore Petroleum Industry Training Organisation. He follows a simple principle – Take something bad and turn it into a force for good.
About the Event
Price: SPE or ECWA Member $30
Date: Wednesday, 6 May 2026
Location: The Aviary – the Loft
Address: 140 William Street, Perth WA
Time: 5pm to 8pm