Piper Alpha memorial service 2025 photo gallery

Two women hug during an emotional moment at the Piper Alpha memorial, one holding a bouquet of small white and pink flowers, with blurred crowd and rose bushes in the background. — Emotions run high as two attendees embrace during the Piper Alpha memorial service at Hazlehead Park.

Crowds gathered at the North Sea Memorial Gardens in Aberdeen to pay respects to the 167 men who died during the Piper Alpha disaster 37 years ago.

The service was carried out by UK Oil and Gas chaplain Michael Mair, marking his second time at the remembrance event.

Friends, families, colleagues and industry representatives gathered at Aberdeen’s Hazelhead Park as flowers were laid at the foot of the statue that carries the names of all those who lost their lives in a North Sea blaze which took place the night between 6 and 7 July 1988.

Man carrying a floral wreath approaches the Piper Alpha memorial, with others solemnly following behind during the commemorative event. — A man lays a wreath at the Piper Alpha memorial during an emotional service marking 36 years since the disaster.

Mair said: “This moment provides us with an opportunity to stop, to reflect, to pause upon those events and to remember those who were taken from us, and to continue to grieve.”

The importance of the North Sea’s biggest disaster cannot be overstated, and Mair said that it is necessary to reflect on the events to ensure that they never happen again.

“We honour those whose place remains within our hearts, and we commit to ensuring that the events that we remember this day are never forgotten and never repeated,” Mair said.

The findings from the Cullen Enquiry that followed it and the changes in safety culture offshore have no doubt saved countless lives.

However, a new generation of workers has entered the sector, some of whom were not born when the disaster took place.

Also, the industry has changed since the 1980s and oil production is no longer the only source of energy produced in UK waters.

Attitudes have also shifted, the chaplain told attendees, as safety has been put higher up on the list of priorities for energy firms.

“It is now 37 years since the events which we recall and bring to mind this day occurred,” Mair continued.

“In that time, the offshore industry has transformed from an industry which prioritised profit above all else, to one in which undertaking all things in a safe and controlled manner is at the forefront of everything that is done.”

Reverend Michael Mair speaks at a podium during the 2025 Piper Alpha memorial in Hazlehead Park, Aberdeen. — Reverend Michael Mair addresses the crowd at Hazlehead Park during Sunday’s Piper Alpha memorial service in Aberdeen.

The chaplain said that the annual service stands to “acknowledge and recognise the human cost of that process and the men who died because safety was not considered as carefully.”

The names of the men who died in the Piper Alpha disaster were read by two trustees of the Pound for Piper Trust, Moray Barber and Shaun Liddle, as well as three men who lost their fathers the day of the disaster, Shane Gorman, Ross Bremner and Gary Laurie, and a survivor Steve Rae.

The service also contained performances from Aberdeen-based Soprano singer Moira Dochery.

Families, friends and industry were invited to lay flowers at the foot of the North Sea memorial statue.

Industry names such as trade bodies Step Change in Safety and Offshore Energies UK laid wreaths, alongside trade unions, the Pound for Piper Trust and survivor Joe Meanen.

The UK regulator, the North Sea Transition Authority, was in attendance, alongside firms such as Wood, Shell, BP and more.