Cromarty Firth oil rig is pressed into service for hit SAS show
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A Cromarty Firth oil rig is set to have a starring role in televsion’s toughest reality show, SAS: Who Dares Wins.
The Well-Safe Guardian, currently moored in the Port of Cromarty Firth, is one of the locations where a group of civilian volunteers will be tested by a team of special forces veterans.
Aberdeen based decommissioning company, Well-Safe Solutions, took part in last summer’s shoot with strict Covid procedures in place aboard the semi-submersible rig.
Well-Safe carried out a third-party review of the risk assessments required to undertake filming to ensure all major accident hazard risks were identified and mitigated.
Alex Bohanna, director of operations at Remote Trauma, an independent health and safety consultancy agency working alongside production company Minnow Films, said: “Often working in remote and inhospitable environments for our shoots, it is our job to ensure we keep our people safe from harm. The Well-Safe personnel complemented our belief in safety and exceeded our expectations.”
“The planning process that Well-Safe instigated leading up to the shoot day followed clear and structured procedures.
“Time was taken to understand the risk involved in the task and apply barriers and mitigation to enable the activities to be carried out safely.”
SBS veteran and show star Jason Fox said: “Gaining access to the Well-Safe Guardian and working closely with their team for our task enabled a rare filming opportunity like this to be possible.”
Benjamin Leigh, the executive producer for the series, added: “We understood through the planning process there were several hoops to jump through before we could gain access to a location such as the Well-Safe Guardian.
“The communication and planning that Well-Safe instigated throughout the entire project displayed professionalism, diversity and courage, giving us the chance to film an epic task in an incredible location.”
The Cromarty Firth is one of a number of Highland locations which will be seen in this year’s series, with the Isle of Raasay one of the key locations for the shoot.
The new series of SAS: Who Dares Wins begins screening on Sunday, May 9, on Channel 4 at 9pm.
