North Sea oil field reaches 50th anniversary

The hulking Forties Alpha oil platform was one of the first in the North Sea

A North Sea oil field has reached its landmark 50th anniversary.

The Forties field - which was one of the most important in the establishment of the industry in the area - was inaugurated in Aberdeen by Queen Elizabeth II on 3 November 1975.

The field, which is linked by a pipeline to Cruden Bay in Aberdeenshire and then on to the Grangemouth refinery, has been visited by royalty and in the 1980s even hosted TV performances from pop stars Cilla Black and Bucks Fizz.

It had been expected to end production in 2010 but remains in operation today, and has produced approximately 2.86bn barrels of oil.

The Queen inaugurated the flow of oil by pushing a gold-plated button in BP's control centre

The Queen inaugurated the flow of oil by pushing a gold-plated button in BP's control centre at Dyce near Aberdeen.

Prime Minister Harold Wilson also attended with the Scottish Secretary and other senior cabinet colleagues.

The ceremony to mark the field's official opening was marked by what was then Scotland's largest-ever police operation.

Officials were worried by threats to disrupt the ceremony or bomb the pipeline.

Bucks Fizz staged a performance on the platform in the 1980s

The Forties field was acquired by the US-owned Apache Corporation in 2003.

It now comprises 133 platform wells, six subsea wells, six topside platforms, and more than 165 miles (270km) of pipeline.

However, its long-term future is unclear.

In November 2024 Apache said it had suspended new drilling and would end all its operations in the North Sea by 2029.

Marking the Forties field's half-century, Apache said it stood as a testament to Scottish grit, industrial excellence, and enduring human spirit.

The long-term future of the platform is uncertain