Safe and cost-effective pipe storage facility in Bocholt (Germany)

In late 2005, Hurricanes Katrina and Rita tore through the Gulf of Mexico. Armed with several days of advance warning, countless workers were evacuated to safety from the nearly 300 rigs that the two storms destroyed or severely damaged. Without causing a single casualty on an offshore oil platform, these storms inflicted an estimated $100 million of damage in the Gulf alone. As the winds died and the waters calmed, the scope of the damage became clear - a decommissioning and salvage operation of unprecedented scale lay ahead. The past two years have seen the oil companies roll out their plans and commence these operations which can only be described as object lessons in safety and risk reduction.