Blair dons day-glo suit for oil rig visit
Tony Blair looked a little embarrassed today, after he was asked to don a florescent yellow survival suit during his visit to a North Sea oil platform.
His visit was to stress the importance of the oil and gas industry to the UK economy. Both he and Scotland's First Minister, Jack McConnell were asked to put on the bright suits for their tour of the £1.5 billion Buzzard platform, located 65 miles off Aberdeen.
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Tony Blair joined Scotland's First Minister, Jack McConnell, on a visit to a North Sea oil platform
The installation, which began operating in January, is expected to make the UK a net exporter of oil when it reaches production levels of 200,000 barrels a day.
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Both leaders spent a brief period on the outer platform after disembarking from their Puma Mark I helicopter before heading inside for a tour of the seven levels.
They were accompanied by Phil Oldham, managing director of platform operator's Nexen Petroleum UK Ltd, and operations director Ian Sharp.
Among the areas they saw were the main control room where operators scrutinise up to 13 computer screens which monitor all aspects of platform operations from drilling to onboard power generation.
The Prime Minister told workers he had visited several oil rigs before but found the facility "pretty smart".
The platform, where production staff work two weeks on, three weeks off, drills about 10,000ft below the seabed for oil.
