Ocean Ranger Oil Rig Disaster

Valentine's Day, 1982: a terrible storm rages off the coast of Newfoundland. On the Grand Banks, the Ocean Ranger, the world's mightiest drilling rig, is pounded by waves more than 20 metres high. At the height of the storm, the "indestructible" rig begins to tip over, then capsizes. All 84 men on board – 56 of them from Newfoundland – perish. It is Canada's worst tragedy at sea since the Second World War.

Sunday, Feb. 1 at 7pm ET - The tale of the worst oil rig accident in North American history. Using digital animation, the gripping story is recreated to examine the disaster first-hand.

The Ocean Ranger Disaster will premiere on Sunday, February, 1 at 7 p.m. ET (check local listings). This 60-minute documentary, filmed in Newfoundland, chronicles the worst offshore drilling accident in North American history. The Ocean Ranger sank on Feb. 15, 1982 – this year is the 22nd anniversary of the disaster.

The Ocean Ranger Disaster is the heart-wrenching story of a disaster that devastated Newfoundland and shocked the world. In the early morning hours of February 15, 1982, the Ocean Ranger, a giant oil-drilling rig faltered and sank. All 84 crew members were lost.

Now 22 years later, by blending filmed re-enactments, cutting-edge computer graphic technology, poignant interviews and contemporary archival material advances in animation, CineNova has re-created the events of that night. The Ocean Ranger Disaster tells the complete story of the startling chain of events that resulted in tragedy. It not only recalls what happened that day but also takes us out "on deck" to experience the disaster first-hand. What really happened that fateful night? How could a seemingly indestructible rig sink?

"By exploring the causes of this tragedy, the film is a tribute to the lives lost and those left behind, and acknowledges the heroic deeds of those who tried to save the men of the Ocean Ranger," said Bob Culbert, CTV’s Vice President of Documentaries.

Like the Titanic, the Ocean Ranger was the biggest of its kind – 25,000 tons with a deck bigger than two football fields – touted as an unsinkable oil rig and designed to drill in seas too treacherous for others. It was built to withstand 110-foot waves and 100 mile-an-hour winds. And like the Titanic, the Ocean Ranger challenged the sea in one of the most dangerous areas on earth – the North Atlantic. Its crews lived on it for two months at a stretch as it sucked oil from the seabed, 220 feet down. The drilling went on 24 hours a day, mostly in fog and storm-tossed conditions.

Tragically, in yet another echo of the Titanic, the Ocean Ranger succumbed to a combination of design problems, a cascade of human error, and the awesome might of the ocean.

The Ocean Ranger Disaster is produced by CineNova Productions, Inc. in association with CTV Inc. The executive producer is CineNova chairman and CEO David Lint, with his partners Jane Armstrong producing and Christopher Rowley directing. CineNova is an innovative Canadian production group with an international reputation for dramatic factual programming. CineNova's work combines a wide range of Canadian creative talent to bring true stories to the international television and large format (IMAX) film markets.

Its productions have won many creative awards including an Emmy nomination. Previous credits include “Cleopatra’s Palace: In Search of a Legend”, “The Mystery of the Edmund Fitzgerald”, "Mission: Northwest Passage" and "Raising the Kursk".

The Ocean Ranger Disaster is funded through the BCE-CTV Benefits Package, and is one of a number of titles in CTV's growing documentary slate scheduled for broadcast in the coming months. Other titles include Race of the Century, Dangerous Obsessions,, Ronnie Hawkins: Who Do you Love?, Sunday Night, and Team Spirit.