SENATORS’ STATEMENTS — Ocean Ranger Disaster

Honourable senators, in the early hours of February 15, 1982, the semi-submersible Ocean Ranger drilling rig sank 300 kilometres off the coast of Newfoundland, costing all 84 crew members their lives.

The Ocean Ranger, which in the six years prior had seen service off the coasts of Ireland, Alaska and New Jersey, began exploratory drilling in the Hibernia oil field in November 1980. It was the largest and most advanced drilling rig of its kind.

This is not the first time I have spoken here on the anniversary of this tragedy, and it won’t be the last. But what struck me in getting ready to speak today was one sentence in a document I read that recalled both the disaster and its aftermath:

The loss of the Ocean Ranger was not just a terrible tragedy, but also a wake-up call to the oil industry, the provincial and federal governments, and the people of Newfoundland and Labrador. . . .

It often takes a tragedy before we hear the wake-up call, and if enough time passes between lessons, we settle into complacency and have to learn all over again — more times than we would like, it’s at the cost of human life.

The Ocean Ranger sinking remains the deadliest offshore drilling accident in Canadian history.

Recently, the Ocean Ranger Legacy Foundation was formed, and among its objectives is to seek the return of artifacts from the rig from Ottawa to Newfoundland and Labrador. The intention is to create a permanent exhibit that will honour the victims, promote safety, memorialize the disaster and educate the public. A permanent exhibit — more than any annual statement in the Senate — will be a constant reminder of the indomitable power of nature and help guard against our complacency when confronting it. Moreover, Newfoundlanders and Labradorians will become the stewards of the memory of the Ocean Ranger, as they rightfully should.

Honourable senators, the Ocean Ranger Legacy Foundation has been working since 2024 to make this happen. Their strategic goals for 2026 are the return of the artifacts housed at the Canada Science and Technology Museum in Ottawa and finding an appropriate location for their permanent display in Newfoundland and Labrador. I will be doing what I can to support the government-to-government discussions leading to this artifact repatriation, and I hope many of you will join me.

Honourable senators, the Ocean Ranger must never become a footnote in our history. It must remain a warning written in memory so that safety is learned through remembrance, not relearned through loss. Thank you.