Ian Garden - Offshore Safety, False Positives & Speaking Up

Ian Garden - Offshore Safety, False Positives & Speaking Up

In this episode of Wind, Waves & Wells, I sit down with Ian Garden, Managing Director of RigDeluge and creator of the False Positives documentary. Ian discusses concerns he has raised over more than a decade regarding offshore firefighting systems, emergency response planning, rescue capability and what he describes as the growing gap between safety messaging and operational reality. We talk about HSE investigations, platform shutdowns, speaking up in the industry, leadership, accountability and why Ian believes the offshore sector needs to focus more on action and less on optics. Whether you agree with Ian or not, this is a conversation that raises important questions about safety, culture and the future of the UK energy industry. As always, the purpose of this podcast is to provide a platform for discussion and allow listeners to make up their own minds. Timestamps 00:00 Introduction 00:18 Who is Ian Garden? 01:10 Building RigDeluge and lessons from offshore 04:30 The origins of False Positives 07:12 Documenting concerns since 2013 08:11 Early firefighting system trials and resistance to change 11:20 Flare boom safety concerns 14:00 Taking concerns to regulators 15:10 Six firefighting systems that should have been condemned 18:00 Refusing to continue work on an unsafe asset 19:50 Escalating concerns to the HSE 22:20 Platform shutdowns and industry response 25:50 Being NRB'd and speaking up 28:10 Has offshore safety improved since Piper Alpha? 30:15 Safety culture versus safety performance 32:00 The gap between onshore messaging and offshore reality 33:20 Why False Positives was created 35:30 Industry reaction to the documentary 36:30 Why people are reluctant to speak up 40:00 The 124kg rescue capability debate 45:45 Government policy and the future of the North Sea 50:05 Ian's vision for the UK's energy future 52:00 Politics, energy policy and investment 57:10 What if a major incident had happened? 58:00 Firefighting systems and reliability concerns 01:00:15 Will there be a False Positives 2? 01:02:10 Why Ian continues to challenge the industry 01:11:00 The personal cost of speaking out 01:14:00 Proudest career moment 01:15:20 Leadership, accountability and integrity 01:18:30 Safety in numbers and collective action 01:20:30 Paperwork versus real safety 01:21:00 What happens next? 01:24:00 Final thoughts

Keeley Bell - Five Years Sober, One Mission: Changing Offshore Culture

What happens when an offshore driller hits rock bottom and decides to rebuild his life from the ground up? In this episode, I sit down with Keeley Bell, founder of Silverback GRIT, to discuss offshore life, addiction, mental health, leadership, fitness, and why the energy industry needs to start taking care of its people as seriously as it takes care of its equipment. Keeley shares his journey from the drilling rigs of the Gulf of Mexico to becoming a passionate advocate for mental resilience and personal transformation. From battling alcoholism and surviving a heart attack to building a company focused on improving the wellbeing of offshore workers, this is an honest conversation about the realities many people face but few talk about openly. The discussion covers offshore culture, isolation, leadership, fitness, sleep, nutrition, mental health, family life, and what companies can do to better support their workforce. Most importantly, it is a reminder that no matter how difficult things get, there is always another day to keep moving forward. 00:00 Introduction 00:48 Life as an offshore driller in the Gulf of Mexico 02:25 Offshore rotations and the drinking culture 05:30 The story behind Silverback GRIT 09:13 Bringing mental health conversations offshore 12:32 Hidden pressures of offshore life 13:52 Why being open about your struggles matters 17:03 Is there a mental health crisis in the industry? 18:36 Breaking the culture of bottling things up 21:01 Hydration, sleep and physical wellbeing offshore 23:53 Isolation and building support systems 29:06 Offshore vs onshore culture challenges 31:47 Is the industry finally changing? 34:03 Leadership, generations and culture shifts 37:02 Fitness, longevity and staying physically capable 39:16 Offshore weight limits and workforce health 43:56 Why people are the most important safety barrier 46:40 Advice for younger workers entering the industry 48:28 The future of Silverback GRIT 50:10 Advice for anyone currently struggling 53:10 Keeley's proudest moment 54:56 Final thoughts and closing remarks

John Underhill - Oil, Gas & Renewables: Why It’s Not Either Or

This episode is one of the most balanced and honest conversations we’ve had on the podcast. John Underhill, Professor at the University of Aberdeen and Director for Energy Transition, joins me to break down what’s actually happening in the energy world right now. This isn’t about picking sides. It’s about understanding reality. We get into the North Sea, the role of oil and gas in the transition, the truth behind emissions reporting, and why energy has suddenly become such a political battleground. John brings decades of experience across academia and industry, and gives a perspective that cuts through a lot of the noise. We also talk about: • Why the UK has become more dependent on imports • The unintended consequences of how emissions are measured • The real challenges of transitioning from oil and gas to renewables • Why job losses in traditional energy are not being replaced like for like • Whether the North Sea still has a future • The idea of “energy addition” rather than just transition • Why energy has become so divided and politicised • And what a realistic energy future actually looks like If you want a proper, grounded view of where we are and where we’re heading, this is one worth listening to. 00:00 – Intro 00:24 – Introduction to John Underhill 01:27 – Working in the North Sea during its peak 02:49 – Academia vs industry experience 05:17 – What a day looks like in energy today 07:37 – Why energy has become centre stage 11:49 – The role of oil and gas in the transition 14:19 – The global reality of fossil fuel dependence 16:47 – Addition vs transition mindset 19:41 – The truth about emissions reporting 23:26 – Are we just shifting emissions elsewhere? 26:04 – Domestic vs imported energy and carbon footprint 29:45 – Global emissions and energy realities 32:00 – Impact on communities and jobs 37:10 – Can renewables replace oil and gas jobs? 40:23 – The reality of offshore wind jobs 42:41 – Skills gaps and retraining challenges 47:09 – How much is left in the North Sea? 49:41 – Tax policy and investment challenges 55:39 – Why energy has become so divided 58:16 – The real state of the energy transition 01:00:51 – Challenges with hydrogen and new technologies 01:03:14 – Public perception and community pushback 01:06:22 – Proudest career moment 01:08:54 – Independent thinking in energy 01:13:42 – Unique career experiences and insights 01:18:12 – Final thoughts

Juan Cottier - Geology & Why the Oil Industry Is Eating Itself

This one is a proper deep dive into the world behind the wells. Juan Cottier joins me to break down what geology actually is, how it fits into oil and gas, and why it’s one of the most misunderstood parts of the industry. We get into how oil is really found, the different stages from exploration through to production, and why geologists spend their careers making decisions with incomplete data. But this goes well beyond rocks. We talk about the disconnect between offshore and the office Why careers in oil and gas are becoming more unstable How the industry has changed over the last 30 years And one of the biggest points in this episode: Why the oil industry might actually be “eating itself” Juan also shares stories from working across the world, including West Africa during civil unrest, and gives a brutally honest view on where the industry is heading. This is one for anyone in energy who wants to understand what’s really going on beneath the surface. 00:20 Introduction 01:30 Career background 03:00 What is geology 05:30 Getting into oil and gas 07:30 Working with limited data 09:30 Oilfield lifecycle explained 11:30 Arrogance in geology 12:30 Development vs production work 14:30 Why he supports oil and gas 16:30 Global experience 18:30 Offshore life realities 20:30 Offshore vs office disconnect 22:30 Decision making on wells 24:30 Team collaboration 26:30 Career instability 29:00 Fewer young geologists 31:00 Career advice 33:00 Norway vs UK 36:00 Norway model explained 39:00 UK missed opportunity 40:30 Knowledge gap 42:00 Industry eating itself 44:00 Debt and private equity 47:00 Layoffs and cycles 49:00 Social media presence 51:00 Humour in industry 52:30 Career reflections 54:30 Family decisions 56:00 Biggest finds 57:10 End

The Jim & Joe Show - Oil Chaos, OPEC Moves & Offshore F*ck Ups

Another one from the Jim & Joe Show and this one goes everywhere. We start with what’s kicking off globally UAE, OPEC, the Strait of Hormuz, and where oil prices could be heading Then it turns into exactly what you’d expect Stories from offshore that probably shouldn’t be told Close calls Absolute chaos And a few moments where things could have gone very wrong From diesel spills to dropped gear, to nearly turning the North Sea fluorescent green… Yeah… it’s one of those episodes Bit of the usual speaking rubbish and putting the world to right. 00:20 – Catch up and what’s been happening 01:00 – UAE, OPEC and what it could mean 02:30 – Oil production limits and tensions in the Gulf 04:00 – Pipelines, supply routes and global oil flow 06:00 – Iran, fibre optic cables and global disruption risk 07:30 – Oil prices and potential 24 percent jump 08:30 – Tanker prices and market pressures 09:30 – Renewables overtaking coal and China’s role 10:30 – What’s happening in drilling right now 11:30 – New contracts and industry movement 12:30 – Global instability and long term outlook 14:00 – Politics, Trump and global positioning 16:00 – UK politics, Labour and energy influence 18:00 – Offshore segment begins – biggest regrets and f*ck ups 19:00 – Joe’s diesel spill story offshore 22:30 – Lessons learned and close calls 23:30 – Jim’s dropped collar incident 27:00 – How bad it could have been 29:00 – More offshore chaos and near misses 33:00 – Crude spill and trying to cover it up 36:00 – Cleaning it up without getting caught 38:00 – Jim’s fluorescein disaster story 42:00 – Turning the sea green and full panic mode 45:00 – Covering tracks and getting away with it 47:00 – Talking about OIM Chris and offshore leadership 49:00 – OEUK episode and industry reactions 51:00 – Closing thoughts Show Sponsors: https://elite360x.nl/vital-30-business-vitality/