The Byford Dolphin Accident | A Short Documentary | Fascinating Horror · Fascinating Horror
讲述1983年北海水下钻井平台Byford Dolphin事故的纪录片，适合练习英语听力与灾难类词汇。
On the 5th of November, 1983, a diving bell was winched up out of the dark, choppy waters of the North Sea.
1983年11月5日，一个潜水钟被从北海那黑暗且波涛汹涌的海水中吊了上来。
Two dive tenders, approaching the end of a long shift, attached the diving bell to a pressurised habitat,
两艘潜水支援船在完成漫长的工作班次后，将潜水钟连接到加压生活舱上。
so that the divers inside the bell could crawl safely out.
这样，钟形罩内的潜水员就可以安全地爬出去了。
It was the early hours of the morning.
那是清晨的时分。
A stinging rain was falling, and the rig on which they worked was deafeningly noisy.
一阵刺骨的雨正在倾泻而下，而他们正在工作的钻井平台上噪音震耳欲聋。
They were tired.
他们累了。
They were cold.
他们感到很冷。
And one of them was about to make a mistake that would lead to one of the deadliest accidents in the history of commercial diving.
其中一个人即将犯下一个严重的错误，这个错误最终导致了商业潜水史上最致命的灾难之一。
The Byford Dolphin drilling rig was constructed in 1974 in a shipyard in Norway.
Byford Dolphin钻井平台于1974年在挪威的一家造船厂建造完成。
It was owned and operated by Dolphin Drilling, a company headquartered in Norway, and controlled by a holding company headquartered in Scotland.
该钻井平台由总部位于挪威的 Dolphin Drilling 公司拥有并运营，该公司实际上受一家总部位于苏格兰的控股公司的控制。
The rig was used to drill for oil in between the two countries, in the harsh cold water of the North Sea.
这台钻井设备被用于在两国之间的海域（即北海冰冷的海水中）进行石油勘探作业。
The Byford Dolphin was a semi-submersible rig – a name given to a type of rig that has significant parts above and below the surface.
Byford Dolphin”是一种半潜式钻井平台（semi-submersible rig）——这种钻井平台的大部分结构都位于水面之上或之下。
In the case of a rig like the Byford Dolphin, most work was carried out from an elevated platform above the water.
对于像 Byford Dolphin 这样的钻井平台来说，大部分工作都是在水面上方的平台上进行的。
Below could be found ballast tanks that kept the platform stable.
下方可能装有压载舱，这些压载舱有助于保持平台的稳定性。
Drilling would take place on the sea floor far, far below.
钻探作业将在海床深处进行，那里距离海面非常非常遥远。
While the rig was equipped with engines, these were used only to counteract drift and keep it in position when drilling.
虽然该钻井平台配备了发动机，但这些发动机仅用于在钻井过程中抵消平台的漂移趋势并使其保持固定位置。
For moves of any significant distance, the rig would be towed by tugboats.
对于任何距离较远的移动，钻井平台都需要由拖轮来牵引。
Another feature of the Byford Dolphin was its saturation diving facilities.
Byford Dolphin号的另一个特点是它配备了用于饱和潜水（即在水下停留较长时间且不换气的潜水方式）的设施。
The rig was capable of drilling down
该钻井平台具备向下钻探的能力。
to a depth of 6,100 meters (or
深度达到6,100米（或
20,000 feet), and to support this it was necessary to have divers on hand who could work at extreme depths,
（高度约为20,000英尺）。为了完成这项任务，必须配备能够在极端深度下工作的潜水员。
carrying out maintenance and repairs.
进行维护和修理工作。
Diving to great depths is dangerous for a number of reasons.
潜水到极深的深度存在诸多危险因素。
Weather, wildlife, extreme cold and poor visibility all make the work hazardous…
恶劣的天气、野生动物、极端的寒冷条件以及能见度极低的情况，都使得这项工作充满危险……
but the immense pressure exerted on the bodies of divers by the water all around them is by far the greatest danger.
然而，对潜水员身体造成巨大压力的因素，无疑是周围水域所施加的力——这无疑是最大的危险。
As a diver descends into the depths of the ocean, the pressure increases to the point that nitrogen gas,
当潜水员潜入海洋深处时，水压会逐渐增加；当压力达到一定程度时，氮气……
naturally present in the body as a result of breathing, can dissolve into the bloodstream.
这种物质由于呼吸作用而自然存在于人体内，能够溶解到血液中。
This isn’t problematic until the diver ascends, and the pressure drops.
在潜水员上升、压力随之下降之前，这并不会引发任何问题。
At this point, as the pressure decreases, the dissolved nitrogen emerges from the blood, and can form bubbles that block circulation,
此时，随着压力的降低，溶解在血液中的氮气会从血液中释放出来，并可能形成气泡，从而阻塞血液循环。
resulting in pain, paralysis, muscle spasms and heart problems.
这会导致疼痛、瘫痪、肌肉痉挛以及心脏问题。
These serious symptoms of decompression sickness are sometimes known as “the bends”…
这些由减压病引起的严重症状有时被称为“减压病发作”（或简称“‘the bends’”）。
as, even in mild cases, they can be so uncomfortable that they make the sufferer double over in pain.
因为即使在病情较轻的情况下，这些症状也会让人感到非常不适，甚至会导致患者因疼痛而弯腰痛苦。
In severe cases, they are fatal.
在严重的情况下，这些疾病可能会致命。
To avoid this fate, it is imperative that divers return from deep dives extremely slowly.
为了避免这种危险，潜水员在完成深潜后必须极其缓慢地返回水面。
A gradual ascent allows the dissolved nitrogen to emerge from the blood slowly, without causing harm.
通过缓慢的上升过程，溶解在血液中的氮气可以逐渐释放出来，而不会对人体造成伤害。
The length of time needed for a safe ascent only grows longer the deeper a diver goes, or the longer they spend at depth.
为了安全地上升，所需的时间会随着潜水员下潜深度的增加或他们在深水区域停留时间的延长而变得更长。
A dive of a few minutes, therefore, can require a decompression time of ten hours or longer.
因此，一次持续几分钟的潜水可能需要长达十小时或更长时间的减压过程。
Of course, this makes carrying out regular maintenance at depth difficult.
当然，这使得定期进行深入的维护工作变得非常困难。
Having divers decompress for up to fifty hours after each shift is impractical…
要求潜水员在每次轮班后花费长达50小时的时间来进行减压处理，这是不切实际的……
particularly when it might be necessary for work to be done on a regular, even daily basis.
尤其是在某些情况下，可能有必要定期（甚至每天）进行相关工作。