Piper 25, a three-day event to be held at Aberdeen Exhibition and Conference Centre from 18 to 20 June 2013 and principally sponsored by Talisman Sinopec Energy UK Limited, will bring together people from across the global oil and gas industry to reflect on the lessons learnt from the tragedy, review how far offshore safety has evolved since and to reinforce industry commitment to continuous improvement.

 The event will feature high profile international speakers from a diverse range of backgrounds. Those confirmed so far include:

• Keynote speaker –  Lord Cullen, who chaired the public inquiry into the disaster. His report made 106 recommendations which have since transformed the way safety is managed offshore. 
• Judith Hackitt CBE, chair, Health and Safety Executive 
• Jake Molloy, regional organiser, RMT 
• Bob Fryar, executive vice president for safety and operational Risk, BP 
• Professor Andrew Hopkins, Australian National University 
• The Hon. Mr Justice Haddon-Cave QC, chair for the review of the wider issues surrounding the loss of the Nimrod aircraft 
• John Bresland, past chairman of the US Chemical Safety & Hazard Investigation Board 
• Jane Cutler, chief executive officer, National Offshore Petroleum Safety and Environmental Management Authority (NOPSEMA) 
• Miranda Taylor, director - Environment, Safety & Production, Australian Petroleum Production & Exploration Association Limited (APPEA) 
• Thad Allen, senior vice president, Booz Allen Hamilton, former commandant US Coast Guard (incident commander, Deepwater Horizon response) 

With Piper Alpha as a central theme, the conference will also explore broader safety issues and will feature a series of technical presentations run in parallel – each focusing on a different theme. These include: 

• Safety management systems and control of work 
• Major hazard management and safety technology 
• Human and organisational factors 
• Emergency preparedness and response 
• The work of FABIG – The Fire and Blast Information Group 

Oil & Gas UK’s health and safety director, Robert Paterson, said: “Piper Alpha is still the world’s worst offshore disaster, claiming the lives of 167 men.

“The purpose of this conference is to mark the 25th anniversary of this tragedy by gathering together some of the world’s foremost experts in their field to not only reflect on the lessons we’ve learned in the intervening quarter of a century, but to openly challenge and debate how we stimulate the industry’s determination to continuously improve safety performance to ensure the next 25 years and beyond never see a repeat of this disaster.

“Our message is that Piper 25 will be open to everyone with an interest in safety – whether they have a direct interest in Piper Alpha itself or in offshore safety more generally. We expect around 700 people from all over the world to join us for what promises to be a very special event.”