It's been three decades since the Piper Alpha disaster claimed the lives of 167 men.

Just two months later, workers in the North Sea were again forced to leap for their lives from a burning oil rig.

The fire on the Ocean Odyssey killed one man when it exploded 150 miles east of Aberdeen on September 22, 1988.

There were 67 workers on board as gas began escaping from a well, allowed to build up by a lack of drilling mud.

A subsequent inquiry blamed managers for not following safe and correct drilling practices.

Greg Manning was the first helicopter pilot on the scene and spoke to radio operator Timothy Williams.

Speaking to STV, Mr Manning recalled: "He said to me in a very calm, collected everyday normal voice, 'How do I get out of here?'.

"All I could do was explain to him where the worst of the fire was.

"When I'd finished the transmission he came back and said to me, 'I'll see what I can do' and on that transmission there was some distress and panic in his voice.'

Mr Williams had reached a lifeboat, but had been asked to return to his post by the offshore installation manager.

He was the only fatality; just 25 years old, it was his first trip offshore.

The subsequent fatal accident inquiry criticised the decision to send him back to the radio room.

All other crew escaped by lifeboat or by jumping into the sea.

Brian Kerr, from Forres, was an electronic technician on the Odyssey. He helped Williams put on his survival suit but never saw him again.

He said: "It's a totally different industry now. Safety compared to any other industry is incredibly impressive. That all happened because of Piper and the Ocean Odyssey."

The Odyssey caught fire again in 1989 after being towed back to Dundee Harbour.

It ended its life as an ocean-going satellite launch pad.

But, overshadowed by Piper Alpha, its dramatic past has largely been forgotten.