Oil Rig Storm How Workers Survive the North Sea

What really happens on an oil rig in a storm? Follow Rookie through his very first North Sea storm, from a 3 a.m. wave slam to the calm morning after.
Hurricane-force winds, 10,000-year waves and the rogue wave that changed how engineers think. This is how oil rig workers actually get through it.

Rookie has just started his first two-week trip offshore, and it's January. In this animated explainer we look at why the North Sea is one of the roughest places to work, how crews see a storm coming days in advance, and what changes on board when it hits: cranes stop, outside decks close and helicopters stay on the ground.

We also go below the waterline. How does a steel platform stand on the seabed? What is the "air gap", and why are platforms built for a wave so rare that nobody has ever seen one? You'll hear about the famous Draupner wave from 1995, the Ekofisk platforms that were lifted six metres, and why Norway's offshore safety rules are as strict as they are.

Offshore Rookie is made in Haugesund, right in the middle of Norway's offshore community. We do our best to get every fact right, but if you work offshore and something sounds off, tell us in the comments. And tell us: what was your first storm like?

CHAPTERS
0:00 3 a.m. – the wave hits
0:17 Meet the Rookie
0:46 Why the North Sea is so rough
1:35 Seeing the storm coming
2:59 Built for a wave nobody has seen
5:12 The Draupner wave
6:22 Life inside the storm
8:08 Why the safety rules are so strict
9:36 The morning after
10:34 Next episode

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