North Sea News

[Aviafora Newsdesk]

North Sea Air Crew Event: First Officer Becomes Poorly in Flight

The co-pilot of a CHC Super Puma helicopter had to be taken to hospital after falling ill while airborne.

The helicopter landed safely at Sumburgh Airport in Shetland just before noon on Tuesday.



The pilot was taken by ambulance to the Gilbert Bain Hospital in Lerwick for a check-up.

A spokeswoman for operators CHC said the co-pilot started feeling unwell shortly before the helicopter was due to land at Sumburgh.

She said: "It was only during the last minutes of the flight that the co-pilot started to feel a little bit ill.

"Since these helicopter are always being flown by two pilots, the aircraft landed as per normal. There were no diversions."

http://news.stv.tv/north/272465-supe...t-fell-ill/

[Aviafora Newsdesk]

Bond Takes Delivery of Second S-92

Bond Offshore Helicopters has taken delivery of its second Sikorsky S-92.

Destined for service in the North Sea oilfields, the rotorcraft was flown from the USA to Prestwick airport, Scotland, aboard a Volga-Dnepr Airlines Antonov An-124.


Bond's second S-92 delivered to Aberdeen via Antonov 124

The aircraft is one of a batch of six S-92s due to start operations with Bond. The helicopters normally arrive by sea, but on this occasion, delivery by air was deemed to be the most efficient method of bringing the helicopter to the UK and getting it into service, says Bond Aviation Group.

At Prestwick, the helicopter was transferred to a transporter truck for the final leg of the journey to Bond’s base at Aberdeen airport, in northeast Scotland: the centre of the UK hydrocarbon industry.

Final assembly and testing was carried out at the Aberdeen site, before the aircraft made its operational debut in the first week of April.

In 2013 Bond Offshore Helicopters carried 160,000 passengers to their offshore workplaces, flying more than 22,000h. The new aircraft is part of a purchase of 16 new S-92 helicopters announced in 2011 by Bond’s parent company, Avincis Group.

http://www.flightglobal.com/news/art...t-s-92-397902/

[Aviafora Newsdesk]

UK CAA Unveils Raft of Safety Actions for North Sea

The UK CAA has unveiled a series of dramatic measures stemming from the review it launched last September to improve the safety of offshore helicopter operations in the North Sea. Its primary goal is to improve the odds of passengers and crew surviving a ditching, but the exhaustive 293-page report also addresses pilot training, helidecks and a host of other safety topics. The requirements could present North Sea operators with significant cost and operational challenges.

Effective June 1, operators will be allowed to carry passengers only in seats located next to emergency exit windows. Other seats may be used if “helicopters are fitted with extra flotation devices or passengers are provided with better emergency breathing systems (EBS),” the CAA said. Beginning in 2016, no offshore flight will be allowed unless all occupants wear the improved EBS or the aircraft is equipped to float on its side.

The CAA proposes that, in addition to the usual four floats at the bottom of the airframe, helicopters should carry two more floats mounted high on the airframe to allow them to float on their side rather than turn turtle, which too often causes passengers to drown.

In the past the side-floating concept has stirred debate in the offshore industry. Trials with human subjects showed it is much easier to escape from a helicopter floating on its side than from one that is floating inverted. However, in 2011 Airbus Helicopters (then Eurocopter) expressed concern about inadvertent deployment of a float mounted near the main rotor. What’s more, floats mounted near hot turbine exhaust would have to be made of heat-resistant material, creating a weight penalty of perhaps 200 pounds.

A UK CAA spokesman told AIN, “This is less of an issue now. Thanks to the technologies manufacturers have developed, installing upper floats is feasible.” He noted that no helicopter, in the North Sea or likely anywhere else, has yet been fitted with such upper floats. He said that developing them and retrofitting the current fleet would probably take three to five years.

To comply with UK rules as of June 1, the quickest solution is for operators to use improved EBS. Such improved devices must be deployable underwater within the time an individual can typically hold his breath, the report said. The improved EBS are known as Category A, as opposed to the most common Category B. One type of Category A device is already used by commercial offshore operators in Canada.

The report emphasized that the [Category B] EBS currently deployed are unlikely to be adequate in the event of a water impact requiring deployment at very short notice or underwater. A Category A EBS is more like a scuba system and provides passengers with immediate oxygen, the CAA spokesman said. Current Category B re-breather systems require some preparation before use.

A key issue will be to find suppliers for large quantities of this equipment. Given the seat capacity of the North Sea helicopter fleet, AIN estimates the number of EBS required could be between 1,500 and 2,000. An EBS expert at Aqualung, one supplier of category A devices, told AIN delivering such a large number by June is “doable but really tight.” A spokeswoman for another supplier, Survitec, declined to provide delivery lead time. She suggested that passengers might be trained to use Category B EBS more swiftly but training them would take time, too. The CAA itself believes implementing the measure could take one to two years.

In any case, operators have to face the prospect of mandatory empty seats. According to the helicopter safety steering group (a committee part of the Step Change in Safety organization in the UK oil-and-gas industry), the seating capacity of the North Sea helicopter fleet will be reduced by about 40 percent. “This might mean that there will need to be more flights offshore to accommodate the reduced seating capacity,” the group said. The CAA sees less impact and estimates the rule will reduce North Sea seating capacity by only 10 to 20 percent.

Sea State Certification

To reduce the threat of capsizing after a ditching, flights in the most severe sea conditions (above sea state 6) will be prohibited beginning June 1. As of September the requirement will be even stricter, as operations will be prohibited when the sea conditions exceed the certified ditching performance of the helicopter. For most modern types, which are certified to sea state 6, the regulation will ground 1.4 percent of operations, the report estimates.

The CAA also suggests that the way in which ditching compliance is demonstrated is deficient. For example, a demonstration might use a downscaled model in a water tank, with smooth and regular (albeit relatively high) waves. The UK CAA is thus considering a downgrade of the claimed buoyancy performance of existing helicopters by one sea state. “We want the airframers to give more evidence to prove their claim…or make it more realistic,” the spokesman said.

Other practical changes include adding hand holds next to push-out windows and restricting passenger size. The latter measure will be enforced from April 1 next year to ensure body size does not exceed the dimensions of push-out window exits.

Life rafts and lifejackets are to be improved, too. The CAA wants to make sure that survivors can launch life rafts regardless of the helicopter’s attitude, and it will mandate that all life jackets be self-righting.

The CAA, citing excessive differences in the way different companies operate the same types of helicopter, also wants to see more harmonization in pilot training. The review found an issue with loss of control associated with sophistication and automation.

Finally, the CAA intends to assume responsibility for the certification of UK helidecks. It expressed concern that recently introduced helicopters have been permitted to operate on older helidecks that were built for lighter machines. The CAA will review, by the third quarter, whether such operations should continue.

There are 228 helideck-equipped fixed installations and up to 100 mobile helidecks on the UK continental shelf. The industry’s core workforce (those spending 100 or more nights per year offshore) numbered 25,760 in 2012. In the same year, more than a million passengers flew on 141,000 sectors in 86,000 flight hours.

Asked about the economic impact of the measures, the CAA spokesman cited no figures but said that all actions and recommendations are achievable. Operators and manufacturers provided little reaction. Sikorsky, Airbus Helicopters, Bristow and Bond Offshore said they are studying the review’s actions and recommendations.

Does Norway do it better?

A recently released UK CAA report compares the UK’s safety performance with that of Norway, its neighbor for North Sea oil-and-gas activity. At 0.34, the UK’s fatal accident rate per 100,000 hours appears to be three times that of Norway. The calculation was based on seven accidents in the 20 years between 1992 and 2012. However, statisticians said the rate difference on that small a number of accidents is not significant.

The CAA intends to establish an offshore helicopter safety forum this year to drive forward the actions it has identified and liaise with Norway to share experiences and best practices.

http://ainonline.com/aviation-news/2...s-north-sea

[Aviafora Newsdesk]

Precautionary Landing: Aberdeen

A CHC Sikorsky S-92 returning to Aberdeen from a North Sea oil platform has encountered a technical alert after an engine warning light illuminated on the aircraft's flight deck earlier today.



CHC Scotia, which operates the S92 Sikorsky aircraft, said a warning light came on signalling a problem with one of its two engines.

All 16 passengers and two crew landed safely at Aberdeen Airport where the helicopter was inspected by engineers.

http://news.stv.tv/north/269009-heli...warning-light/

[Aviafora Newsdesk]

Precautionary Landing: Aberdeen

A Bond Helicopters Sikorsky S-92 has made a precautionary landing at Aberdeen Airport in response to a technical warning which occurred in flight.

The aircraft was flying to the ENSCO 100 jack-up rig in the North Sea when the warning light illuminated prompting the pilot to return to Aberdeen at around 12.55pm on Thursday.

It is understood the technical warning was related to the condition of one of the aircraft's engines.

A spokesperson for Bond said the decision to return was "purely precautionary".

The incident came on the day a fatal accident inquiry published its findings into a 2009 Bond helicopter crash that killed 16 people.

http://news.stv.tv/north/268441-bond...e-light-alert/

[Aviafora Newsdesk]

New Helideck Lighting Required for North Sea Ops from March 2018

JT Day Pty Ltd has released a new touchdown and positioning system for helipads designed to significantly improve the safety of helicopter pilots and passengers.


The new Orga 'Circle-H' system

Designed by Orga, a specialist manufacturer of aviation lighting and developed in collaboration with the UK Civil Aviation Authority (UK CAA), the new Circle-H system creates the ‘H’ via a miniature LED lighting system.

This system is expected to become mandatory for replacing the painted ‘H’ on oil and gas infrastructure landing decks.

According to a report published recently by the UK CAA, the CAP 1077 system has been tested extensively at various test sites, the results of which have led to the UK CAA making the new touchdown and positioning system mandatory in British territorial waters from 2018.


The Orga helideck lighting system was developed in collaboration with the UK's Civil Aviation Authority

Jan Piet Stock, General Business Manager at Orga explains that the CAA has been seeking solutions for years for improving the safety of helidecks, given that the current markings of the circle and H lit by floodlights have not been effective in all weather conditions. The UK CAA worked with Orga on a safer and more visible solution to improve safety and minimise the number of offshore accidents.

The new touchdown and positioning system consists of an LED-lit Circle-H, with the touchdown lighting system (H) featuring specially developed LED modules built up of seven separate components to together form the full H. The components are semi-flexible and made of low-profile stainless steel plates with a special anti-slip coating. The housing of the LEDs is made of offshore resistant and fully sealed marine plastic of high quality.

The touchdown and positioning system is suitable for use in explosive atmospheres of zones 1 and 2 and is fully certified to comply with CAA-UK CAP 437; Offshore helicopter landing areas - Guidance on standards, February 2013, chapter 4 and appendix C; IECEx DEK 11.0072; Ex e mb [ib] IIC T6 Gb; IEC 60079-0, IEC 60079-7, IEC 60079-11 and IEC 60079-18.

http://www.ferret.com.au/c/jt-day/ne...ipads-n2511876

[Aviafora Newsdesk]

North Sea Oil Worker Dies after Falling from Harding Platform

A North Sea oil worker has died after falling from a platform in the early hours of this morning.

The 62-year-old fell from Taqa’s Harding Platform into the sea. Police were alerted around 3am.



The man was taken to Gilbert Bain Hospital in Shetland by helicopter but police said he later died.

Police Scotland said no further details were available and Taqa, which has a base in Westhill, could not be contacted for comment.

A full investigation is under way.

http://www.thecourier.co.uk/news/sco...tform-1.243368

[helihub]

AW189s on the North Sea

I'm hearing that Bristow's first two AW189s will be delivered to Norwich, but not until late March or early April.

Now that we have EASA certification, what's the delay for?

[Aviafora Newsdesk]

New Safety Measures to be applied to UK Offshore Helicopter Operations

The UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) today announced a series of measures to increase the safety of offshore helicopter flights. The changes are the result of a comprehensive review of offshore helicopter operations undertaken in conjunction with the Norwegian CAA and the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) and advised by a panel of independent experts.

The measures include:

• Prohibiting helicopter flights in the most severe sea conditions, so that the chance of a ditched helicopter capsizing is reduced and a rescue can be safely undertaken

• Pending further safety improvements to helicopters, passengers will only be able to fly if they are seated next to an emergency window exit to make it easier to get out of a helicopter in an emergency (unless helicopters are fitted with extra flotation devices or passengers are provided with better emergency breathing systems)

• Requiring all passengers to have better emergency breathing equipment to increase underwater survival time unless the helicopter is equipped with side floats

There will be important changes to the way pilots are trained and checked. And the CAA will take on the role of approving each offshore helideck, ensuring they meet strict safety standards.

There are a number of recommendations to EASA, as the regulator for helicopter certification and airworthiness. These include enhancing the safety of helicopters; establishing a review of offshore helicopter accidents and incidents with national aviation organisations, such as the CAA, to highlight safety issues and develop remedies; and, the development of standardised helicopter operating information for pilots.

In the meantime, the CAA is expecting helicopter operators to make improvements to helicopters and survival equipment including:

• Fitting side floats
• Implementing automatic flotation equipment
• Adding hand holds next to push out windows
• Improvements to life rafts and lifejackets

And the Offshore Petroleum Industry Training Organisation (OPITO) is expected to improve survival training for offshore workers.

CAA Chair Dame Deirdre Hutton said: “The safety of those who rely on offshore helicopter flights is our absolute priority. The steps we are announcing today will result in significant improvements in safety for those flying to and from offshore sites in the UK and potentially worldwide.

“We expect helicopter operators, the oil and gas industry and EASA to move forward with recommendations to them as soon as possible. For our part, the CAA is already taking forward actions directly under our control. We will monitor and report regularly on progress, so that people can have confidence that these important changes are being implemented as quickly as possible.”

In gathering evidence for the review the team engaged with trade unions representing industry workers and pilots, the oil and gas industry, helicopter operators, manufacturers, government, regulatory bodies and other experts in the field, as well as analyzing available data and reports.

Whilst each organisation will be accountable for implementing the recommendations under their control the CAA will establish and chair a new safety forum that will actively promote delivery of the recommendations and publicly report on progress.

http://www.caa.co.uk/application.asp...5&appid=7&news

[Savoia]

You'll forgive my ignorance but I'd rather ask and discover the facts (if possible).

Was it the case (do you know) in the 70's that those who were given ab-initio training by Bristows were bonded for a number of years but (crucially) without any salary deductions? In other words they were bonded for 'x' number of years service which, in Bristow's perspective, warranted their investment. So, in return for being taught to fly you were committed to a seven or ten year contract (or whatever it was).

But .. that now .. those 'sponsored' by the company have the training bill deducted from their salary until they pay it off ??

[Phil Croucher]

But they won't listen - there has been a shortage for the last 30 years, only it has been masked by recessions, etc. I guess Bristows school is their attempt of maintaining a good supply.

[Savoia]

In the late 70's whenever I landed at Redders (Redhill) there would be a small fleet of 47's which were used to deliver ab-initio training to Bristow students who would (normally) go on to occupy the left seat of an S-61. Do you suppose every last one of them were bonded for 'x' number of years until they 'paid-off' this cost?

What is the current attitude of North Sea operators towards providing ab-initio training? I ask because (from what I can see) this is the only certain way of replenishing the talent pool.

[Phil Croucher]

This has been coming for some years - the average age of the industry has got to be in the region of 57 or so, so I reckon over the next 2-3 years the whole industry will change over.

Phil

[Aviafora Newsdesk]

Warnings of North Sea Helicopter Pilot Shortage

NORTH Sea helicopter operators are struggling to attract experienced pilots to operate crucial offshore flights.

The once steady stream of trained crew, drawn from former military personnel, has “all but dried up”, forcing operators to look for people willing to pay £100,000-plus to fund their own pilot training.

Flying helicopters in the North Sea remains an “aspiration career”, according to Captain Colin Milne, chairman of the helicopter affairs committee of the British Airline Pilots’ Association, but unless fresh recruits can be found the industry will face a shortage of skilled pilots.


North Sea helicopter pilots needed

“The Central and Northern North Sea, operating out of Aberdeen and Shetland, is the helicopter equivalent of long-haul Boeing 747 flights for fixed-wing pilots. It is highly demanding and we need people of the top calibre,” he told Scotland on Sunday. “But I’d say we have mopped up everybody at all suitable for that very top layer of the industry. Where are the next lot of pilots going to come from?”

Significant new investment in the North Sea is expected to increase the pressure on operators to have a healthy supply of qualified pilots. Milne said the industry should be braced for a “huge ramp-up” of demand for their services.

The pilot shortage has arisen because fewer armed forces-trained pilots are available. “The traditional sources of supplies – the armed forces – have pretty well dried up, although clearly when the civilianisation of Search and Rescue starts in two years’ time, there will be guaranteed places for quite a large proportion of military SAR pilots,” said Milne.

Up to 80 per cent of applicants for a pilot’s post in the UK oil and gas sector fail to make the grade, an industry source said. Recent helicopter crashes, including the Clutha tragedy in which a police helicopter crashed into a Glasgow pub and the Super Puma disaster in which four oil workers lost their lives, highlight the dangers involved.

For those who can afford it, pilot training is available at an initial cost of £100,000 but loans are difficult to come by. “The only way this is going to be financed in the future is the bank of mum and dad. Flying becomes a career reserved to only the few men and women who can afford to fund the training,” warned Milne.

Three operators employ most of the pilots in the North Sea: Bristow, CHC and Bond Offshore Helicopters. Bristow sponsors four through training each year and runs an academy in Titusville, Florida. A spokeswoman said: “Academy recruits make up some 30 per cent of the Aberdeen intake.”

A CHC spokesman said: “The market is competitive and may become more so. We are employing new ways to bring highly trained people in, including a unique partnership with Wings for Warriors.”

The charity assists former soldiers and marines injured in Iraq and Afghanistan to get civilian jobs. The spokesman added: “We have already employed one pilot and hope to employ more Wings for Warriors candidates.”

A Bond spokesman said: “We continue to employ pilots from military and civilian backgrounds. In 2013 we recruited an additional 35.”

http://www.scotsman.com/news/transpo...tage-1-3299559

[Aviafora Newsdesk]

Oil Industry Helping Accuracy of Weather Forecasts

WEATHER data reports obtained from over 104 oil and gas platforms and installations across the North Sea are now being used to improve forecasts by the Met Office, as well as improving the safety of offshore helicopter flights, it was revealed today.


Oil and gas platforms and installations are helping the Met Office improve the accuracy of weather forecasts

Helimet was originally established by Britain’s oil and gas industry as an internet-based weather data network, designed to share data between UK offshore installations and helicopter operators.

But Oil & Gas UK has announced that the system is now being used to enable forecasters to predict and analyse weather patterns more accurately than ever before.

Robert Paterson, the health and safety director of Oil & Gas UK, said: “Helimet is an internet-based weather data network originally designed to share data between UK offshore installations and helicopter operators. This collaboration is a great example of how cutting edge data technology, driven by the oil and gas industry can be of great value to other areas.”

He explained: “Helimet uses a network of automated weather stations located on offshore oil and gas platforms and mobile installations. They provide detailed reports of cloud, visibility and weather and in some instances, information of wave conditions. These data are fed into a network allowing more accurate definition of the weather across the North Sea, an area prone to adverse weather conditions.”

Mr Paterson added: “The safety of the offshore workforce is the absolute priority for the offshore oil and gas industry. Up to date and accurate weather forecasting allows the managers of installations in the North Sea to operate in a safe environment and the helicopter pilots to fly as safely as possible.“

John Mitchell, the Met Office’s metocean advisor, said data from Helimet was making a significant contribution to the Met Office’s ability to accurately monitor and provide weather advice.

Said Mr Mitchell: “Accurate guidance is critical to the safe and efficient operation of not only the oil and gas industry but also the wider offshore renewables, shipping and aviation activity.

In addition, coastal communities will benefit through the more accurate analysis of wave activity and potentially damaging surge events as recently experienced along the east coast of England.”

http://www.scotsman.com/news/scotlan...asts-1-3295680

[Aviafora Newsdesk]

Gales Leave Workers Trapped Offshore

HUNDREDS of oil workers are being trapped on North Sea platforms due to the strong gales that have been blowing for the past three weeks.

Bristow Helicopters who ferry workers on and off oil and gas rigs throughout the East Shetland Basin say this has been the worst spell of extended bad weather they have encountered in recent years.



Base manager at Shetland’s Scatsta airport Colin Jones, which handles fixed wing and helicopter flights exclusively for the offshore industry, said they had a “significant backlog” due to the weather.

“There is a lot of frustration and we are doing our very best. We take every opportunity to operate when it is safe to do so but unfortunately we have no control over the weather,” he said.

“It is unprecedented in recent years to have such consistent winds from the south east in the basin.”

Last summer when fog disrupted offshore flights, oil companies used oilfield supply boats to ferry workers to and from the platforms.

However with seas as high as 12 metres over the past three weeks, even boats are out of action.

Friday night and Saturday morning see the winds peaking with gust of Force 10 or 11 in Shetland being forecast.
Bristow say they will take any opportunity to operate and will be waiting for weather windows over the weekend.

Environment agency SEPA has issued a flood warning for the whole of Shetland, especially for areas exposed to the sea from the south east at peak tides at 11.30pm on Friday and 11.45am on Saturday.

Ferry operators Serco NorthLink have cancelled both north and southbound sailings of their ferries between Lerwick and Aberdeen on Friday night.

The company hopes the ferry Hjaltland will be able to sail south from Lerwick on Saturday and go on to dry dock for two weeks, during which only the Hrossey will serve the isles.

Both of the company’s freight boats Hildasay and Helliar have cancelled their Friday night sailings.

Sumburgh airport operated more or less on schedule throughout Friday, however the evening flights to and from Aberdeen have been cancelled.

Inter island operators Direct Flight cancelled flights to and from Fair Isle and Foula on Friday, but hope the weather eases enough on Saturday lunchtime to make it to Foula if there is demand.

Shetland’s inter island ferry service operated largely as normal throughout Friday, but was preparing itself for disruption on Friday night as the winds started to build up.

The Whalsay, Yell and Bluemull Sound services were suspended just before 7pm.

http://www.shetnews.co.uk/news/7934-...apped-offshore

[Aviafora Newsdesk]

• By Charlie Gall

Pilots call for Piper Alpha-style inquiry as MPs begin probe into Shetland helicopter deaths

A HELICOPTER pilot yesterday backed his professional body in calling for a Piper Alpha-style inquiry before a judge to examine the safety of offshore flights.

Captain Colin Milne, who gave evidence to MPs meeting in Aberdeen yesterday, has called for a legal hearing along similar lines to Lord Cullen’s probe into the 1988 Piper Alpha tragedy.


Capt. Colin Milne

Their call came hours before Captain Colin Milne gave evidence to MPs meeting in Aberdeen.

The transport committee heard from industry and workers representatives following last summer’s fatal chopper crash off Shetland.

Milne said a legal hearing along similar lines to Lord Cullen’s probe into the 1988 Piper Alpha tragedy in which 167 men died could explore the “amount of control exercised by the offshore helicopter transport regime”.

Milne, representing pilots association BALPA, said similar scenarios caused successive tragedies.

He said pilots wanted to operate to a “high minimum standard” under a regulator ensuring safety was not to be competed on.
The pilot said: “It shouldn’t take accidents and people dying for that to happen. We should not be learning the same harsh lessons again and again.”

Unite union regional organiser John Taylor said he believed there were commercial pressures in the industry.

But Bristow Helicopters director Mike Imlach said: “If I don’t have the full parameters of safety and crews on the aircraft we will not fly irrespective of commercial pressure we may receive from a client.”

The transport committee review was instigated after a CHC-operated Super Puma crashed in August, killing four offshore workers.
There have been 3.6million offshore flights in the North Sea in five years – half on controversial Super Pumas.

http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/po...nquiry-3068180