NORTH SEA OIL ...the Story within the Threads
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...or read on to learn the story within the threads!
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Created to pay tribute to the legacy of the North Sea Oil and Gas Industry, this tartan recognises the immense economic impact of Scotland’s “black gold” while also acknowledging the challenges, risks, and resilience of those who worked offshore to build it.
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While the design celebrates industry, it also carries a quiet note of remembrance. The ‘flame’ woven into the tartan, inspired by the glowing flare booms of offshore rigs, honours both the energy of the sector and — with respectful solemnity — those lost in its service, including the lives affected by Piper Alpha (6th July 1988), the world’s deadliest offshore disaster.
North Sea Oil
Registered at the Scottish Register of Tartans
Tartan Registration Number - 10766
Tartan creation date - 16/06/2009
Registration date - 16 January 2013
Category of this tartan - Commemorative
North Sea Oil ® is UK Registered Trademark No. 2653520 & 3169334
Scotland’s Black Gold ® is UK Registered Trademark No. 3061354
UK Registered Designs - 4033866, 6104311, 6104312, 6104313, 6104314
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The Rationale
Created to pay tribute to North Sea Oil, the tartan not only recognises the economic significance of oil, Scotland's black gold, but also remembers the challenges ...and personal sacrifices made by oil and gas workers in the North Sea Oil and Gas Industry.
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Crude oil
…in a pickle jar!
The tartan also pays tribute to Brendan McKeown OBE (1925-2011), the petroleum engineer famously credited with bringing ashore the UK's first sample of North Sea Oil in a pickle jar on the 16th September 1969. This inaugural finding of the first commercialised North Sea oil well has been recognised as a seminal moment in Scotland's industrial history.
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The North Sea Oil Tartan was established as a commemorative tartan 45 years after this historic discovery, on the 16th September 2014.
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The tartan acts as a respectful memorial, honouring the many lives shaped by — and in some cases lost to — the hazardous offshore environment. The ‘flame’ motif, inspired by the glowing flare booms of oil rigs, serves as a symbol of light, heat, and the energy at the heart of the North Sea industry.
Woven into that flame are threads of remembrance, quietly acknowledging those who made the ultimate sacrifice — including the men lost in the tragedy of Piper Alpha, 6th July 1988 — the world’s deadliest offshore oil disaster.
A flame of remembrance...
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The colours & geometry depicts the Exploration, Discovery and Development of North Sea Oil and Gas fields
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The BLACK, BROWN AND GOLD together create the colour palette of raw crude oil, the brightest element in the tartan (the gold accent) also alluding to the iconic burning flare stacks of the North Sea oil rigs.
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The BLACK square (or pivot) in the tartan represents the discovery and development of the oil well, with the emanating black stripe depicting the extraction and flow of oil for development and commercialisation.
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The BLUE represents the North Sea, while its intersection with BLACK in the weave produces a deepened shade — symbolising the gas industry.
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The Oil Capital of Europe
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The alternating LIGHT and DARK GREY STRIPES represents the sedimentary nature of the sea bed ...with the pivot itself depicting a seismic grid, or map. The three prominent lighter grey stripes also significantly representing the three castles of Aberdeen City's Coat of Arms.
Due to this enterprising city's long term contribution to the development and commercialisation of North Sea oil, it became known internationally as the Oil Capital of Europe.
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