Reflected Rig
The Transocean Wildcat cold-stacked in the Cromarty Firth
This photo was taken on January 4, 2006 using a Fujifilm FinePix S7000.
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johnbardwell added this photo to his favorites. (78 months ago)
PhillipC (78 months ago | reply)
What is cold-stacked?
brandonrhodes (78 months ago | reply)
The lighting looks very early-sunset-ish for a photo taken at 3:30pm; but I suppose sunsets come early in Scotland this time of year.
You often use what sound like technical terms (“cold-stacked”) when speaking of rigs. Does everyone in a village like yours develop a basic vocabulary with which to discuss the rigs that are constantly in view (and perhaps on which some residents work), or does particular interest or experience on your part lead to your very specific descriptions?
DavidHerd (78 months ago | reply)
Beautiful colour and composition.
ccgd (78 months ago | reply)
Sorry Guys for using "technical" terms without explaining - when oil drilling rigs are not active, and being stored awaiting a contract they are "stacked". If they are kept in full working order, ie ready to be towed to a drilling location at perhaps a few days or a weeks warning they are "ready" stacked (or hot stacked).
If they are basically moth-balled, and all the equipment is shut down and only manned with a skeleton crew - they are "cold stacked".
If you are interested in the full terminology, look here for a list of rigs and their status. This particular rig has been stored in the Cromarty Firth for a few years now, and as it has not been hired by any oil company - as the oil price is so high demand for rigs is at very hot - that suggests that it requires significant investment to get it back to full working order.
Interesting point Brandon about terminology. I do not work in the oil industry but have an interest in matters marine, and mechanical, and an obvious interest in photographing such structures. Excepting those who work directly with and on rigs, most folk about I would talk to about the oil industry locally - (fishermen, ferrymen, fellow office workers etc) would be familiar with such terminology, in the same way that I suspect that the workings of a blast furnace would be more commonly understood in a steel town, than a say a lumber town, or one with a biomedical industry.
Remember I also post these images to the oil well pool, where people are active in the oil industry.
One final point - and perhaps a pedantic one (grin) but Cromarty - where I live - is a town not a village. I'll agree it's a very small town - only 600 souls in the town and 800 in the Parish, but has been a town for 1000 years, and a burgh for the past 800. In fact I can trace one branch of my family tree directly back to a John Urquhart who left Cromarty in 1410 to buy a farm in Orkney, when Cromarty was the second biggest town in the Highlands after Inverness.
Inverness is now a thousand times bigger than Cromarty.....
brandonrhodes (78 months ago | reply)
What is this — more technical terms? You respond as though a “village” is not simply a “small town”, but something distinct — and, one guesses from your reaction, decidedly less prestigious!
ccgd (78 months ago | reply)
Legally there are no villages in Scotland - the term - though vague - is an English one. Generally speaking "habitations" in Scotland start at a "township" (an agricultural community), Towns - a trading community, often offered particular trading privileges, such as international trade, through a charter from a local Baron - making it a Burgh, or from the King - making it a Royal Burgh.
Cities were large towns that had a royal charter letting them be cities - without the charter you could be largest town in Christendom, but not a city.
:-)
Of course this all very "muddy" these days, and since the creation of the UK in 1707, the concept of the village (as a new created settlement for a particular agricultural purpose) has appeared in Scotland. But any "settlement" that existed before about 1750 - of any size - is a town, and many of us get quite vexed when our little towns get called villages.
Some might say this a reaction to creeping Anglicisation, others (including my wife) might just say it the reaction of grumpy older men with too much time on their hands (and on Flickr)....
DavidHerd (78 months ago | reply)
lol . . . interesting though.
jim_moore (78 months ago | reply)
Calum... great shot! Were they not planning on converting some of these to 5-star hotels with casinos and the like on them?
latentsifier and Atreus added this photo to their favorites.
ccgd (78 months ago | reply)
There has been occasional talk over the years, but nothing very concrete. Brookmyre's comic action novel One Fine Day in the Middle of Night is set in a rig that has been converted to a Hotel/Holiday Resort in the Cromarty Firth. It is destinated for warmer waters but - as in all Brookmyres book's murder, mayhem and the little guy getting the upper hand - happens first.
A fun read.
Dr. S. Calvin added this photo to their favorites. (78 months ago)
boatman57 (77 months ago | reply)
Very interesting reading about the towns, villages etc. got into reading and forgot I was leaving a comment on the picture!
Dietrich Bojko Photographie (77 months ago | reply)
Great reflection!!! (1-2-3)
lukasd2009 [deleted] (77 months ago | reply)
Great shot!
"123"
Diana Stainton (77 months ago | reply)
i love the vertical line, colours, reflection - amazing!
(123)
.Gareth. and meowhous added this photo to their favorites.
mind the goat (74 months ago | reply)
Good reflection, like the way the harsh matal structure is softened and distorted.
(theme of the week)
SF buckaroo, Harry Willis, eisenrah, and Adolfo J. Rodríguez added this photo to their favorites.
Adolfo J. Rodríguez (58 months ago | reply)
Beautiful reflections
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http://bighugelabs.com/flickr/dna.php?usernam e=14551451@N00 (?)
Hesspoint (37 months ago | reply)
Awesome
Andrey Nikitushkin, naqqash7, wickamoo, rancho316, and 2 other people added this photo to their favorites.
charlespottle (18 months ago | reply)
Great shot. I like this a lot
alexcannotstop97 and j2010m62 added this photo to their favorites.