A Scots oil worker accused of murdering his colleague on a rig in Qatar has been named, as a recruitment firm stopped hiring workers for jobs in the country after the shocking incident.
Scott Forrest, who has been named by oil sources, is in police custody after the incident which took place on Monday. Forrest, who is from Aberdeenshire, was working onboard the North Oil Companies B Location facility in the Al Shaheen field when a man, believed to be his cabin mate, was found dead.
Christopher Begley, of Coatbridge, near Glasgow, was also attacked within a cabin in the early hours of Monday morning and is now recovering at home. Forrest has been arrested in connection with the alleged attacks as police in the Arabian Gulf investigate what happened.
One source said: "Someone died. Chris Begley is in hospital. It was Scott Forrest who did it."
The three men are employed by Ellon-based Film-Ocean Ltd, which provides remote operated vehicle (ROV) services to the Qatar-based North Oil Company. And an Edinburgh-based recruitment company has been slammed after advertising for roles as the news of Monday’s drama was breaking in Scotland.
Bosses pulled the ad “to avoid any confusion” and “as a mark of respect for the affected families”. The online rammy comes as rig workers took to social media to condemn conditions on board the Seafox Burj rig in the wake of the tragedy.
On Wednesday, Advance Global Recruitment advertised for “POV Pilot Techs” to work in Qatar. The ad said candidates must have “work class experience to work in Qatar” and “Qatar gas medical” - the correct medical certification.
The firm’s Personnel Coordinator, Aaron Dunsmore, posted the job on LinkedIn. The company came in for heavy criticism over the adverts, with many people mistakenly believing the jobs being advertised were those of the Film-Ocean Ltd workers involved in the incident.
The Advance Global Recruitment advert was for the same roles as those involved and also based in Qatar. But it was actually to work for a different Qatari company on a different rig in the country. And now the firm has taken down the ads in the wake of the drama.
When asked why the job advert had disappeared from LinkedIn, Cameron Taylor, Chief Operating Officer at Advance Global Recruitment, told the Record: “The job advert was placed for a job posting on a separate rig for a client who is not involved with the tragic incident in Qatar.
“To avoid any confusion and as a mark of respect for the affected families we have temporarily halted any advertising for roles in this area. Everyone’s thoughts at AGR go out to the families of those involved.”
A source said: “This is one of these ones where people have put two and two together and come up with five. The jobs being advertised on Wednesday were for a similar role to the guys involved but it was a different firm in Scotland, a different company in Qatar and a different rig out there. But all the details weren’t known at that point and folk got the wrong end of the stick.”
Meanwhile, rig workers have taken to Facebook to condemn conditions aboard the Seafox Burj in the wake of the tragedy. One worker said: “They’re all two man or four man cabins on the Seafox. All lads in the cabins are typically all on the same shift. The place is an absolute s***hole, food is s***e and so are any facilities. Oh yeah and let’s not forget it’s riddled with bed bugs.”
He added: “Nobody ever knows what their cabin mate is dealing with in his private life hence (in my opinion) the need to have split cabins for nights/days so everybody can have some privacy and ‘me’ time.”
Other workers spoke of serious problems in the oil industry, particularly in the Middle East, which can lead employees to “crack up”. One said: “The length of trips offshore has been steadily increasing. especially after Covid. Especially in the Middle East, where facilities are often minimal. Mental/emotional issues are the result. It’s surprising this hasn’t happened more often. Offshore companies take note.”
Another said: “After working offshore for many years, I can honestly say that health and safety is a front put across by management with no sincerity or intent.” A third posted: “The shifts on board in the Gulf are too long. Companies should keep personnel offshore 4 weeks maximum.”
A fellow worker wrote: “Nothing will be learned from it. Still be long trips, shared cabins. Don’t care what anybody says, sharing cabins for weeks at a time, with strangers or even fellow workmates, has its toll.” Another said: “I had to deal with a few incidents offshore where guys crack up. It can happen.”
Others said the shocking incident remained highly unusual in the industry. One said: “Usually discipline is very tight offshore and codes of conduct are well observed. But it just goes to show, it can happen any time, anywhere if circumstances allow.
“In many years working offshore in the industry, I have only ever known of a handful of occasions where tempers frayed to the point of blows being struck. This is the first I have heard of a death resulting from an incident in 40 years exposure to the offshore environment.”
Another posted: “Worked offshore for 30 years. Shared rooms/cabins with lots of strangers. Thankfully never seen/heard anything like this.”
North Oil Company, who operate the rig, were contacted for comment.
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