110m Pounds Piper Alpha claim

AN OIL company yesterday began a pounds 110m court action to try to recover compensation paid after the Piper Alpha platform disaster in which 167 men died.

Elf Enterprise Caledonia Ltd is seeking to reclaim the money from 24 contractors.

In all, 141 actions have been raised by Elf Enterprise, the direct successors to Occidental, operators of the North Sea platform at the time of the disaster in 1988.

Elf claims the contractors are liable to indemnify it against liability over the injury or death of employees of the contractor. The contractors deny liability and claim the operators were solely at fault.

The hearing was adjourned until today.