North Sea strikes: Apache platform walkout from Wednesday threatens UK fuel supplies, Unite warns
More than 160 offshore rig workers at five Apache platforms will stage a 24-hour strike from 6am on Wednesday, in action the Unite union warns could severely disrupt UK fuel supplies through the Forties Pipeline System.
North Sea strikes: Apache platform walkout from Wednesday threatens UK fuel supplies, Unite warns
The new 24-hour stoppage
Offshore workers strikes at Apache are set to begin this week: the Unite union announced on Monday that a 24-hour walkout, starting Wednesday, would involve more than 160 rig workers - action it warned could severely disrupt UK fuel supplies in the latest of the North Sea strikes.
Unite expects the stoppage to begin at 6am on Wednesday, saying Apache has shown no willingness to settle the dispute.
Forties pipeline in the frame
The workers involved are at five Apache oil platforms linked to the Forties Pipeline System, which handles about 30% of the UK's oil production. Unite claims that a halt in production could lead to a sharp drop in pressure across the pipeline system and disrupt supplies of fuel to the UK.
- The five Apache platforms feed into the Forties Pipeline System, responsible for roughly 30% of UK oil production
- Unite says production halting could sharply lower pressure across the system
- Ineos, the Forties pipeline's owner, did not respond to a request for comment
Talks stall and walkouts stack up
Pay talks between union leaders and Apache are due to continue through the Acas mediation service on Wednesday. Apache has offered a 4% pay increase and said it plans to use experienced contractors to keep production running during the strike, adding that it expects no impact on other companies using the Forties pipeline even if all five platforms stopped.
"Our offer provides a 4% pay increase for employees in the bargaining unit"
An Apache spokesperson made that offer while arguing that employees' earnings already place them among the highest earners in the UK.
The Apache walkout follows separate action already planned by workers at oil services company Wood Group, contracted to Harbour Energy's Britannia, Jasmine, Judy, Lomond and North Everest platforms.
- Wood Group's 48-hour strike was already planned to start on Tuesday
- Wood Group said only eight of the 150 employees contracted to the affected Harbour platforms took part in earlier strike action this month, and operations were not disrupted
- A third 48-hour strike is planned for 3 November, according to Unite and RMT
North Sea backdrop
The disputes sit against a shifting industry landscape. Texas-based Apache plans to end all its North Sea operations by the end of 2029, blaming the onerous financial impact of the government's windfall tax, under which oil companies pay 78% total tax on profits. Harbour Energy, the UK's biggest North Sea oil producer, has blamed the tax regime for scaling back UK investment, saying it would cut 100 offshore jobs after reducing its workforce by about 600 since 2023.
The industrial action also comes ahead of the budget on 28 October and an imminent decision on the fate of the Jackdaw gas project, amid winter energy supply concerns tied to the wars in the Middle East and Ukraine. The next step is Wednesday's Acas session, while the third 48-hour strike remains planned for 3 November.
