A helicopter has been stuck on a North Sea rig for two days after the discovery of a “technical issue”, combined with stormy weather conditions.
Operator CHC said the S-92 helicopter experienced the issue on the Valaris 122 rig on Monday afternoon.
Engineers were flown out to the rig to assess the problem, clearing the chopper for flight the following morning.
However, deteriorating weather conditions have meant the helicopter has been unable to depart.
Wind speeds have reached 50 knots, in excess of the 35 knot safe limit for an S-92 helicopter in the North Sea.
A picture of the helicopter was posted to the Rig Workers Rant Facebook page.
A CHC spokesperson said: “Weather forecasts suggested the earliest possible weather window would be Thursday morning, however conditions have improved and the flight is expected to depart shortly.”
Valaris, operator of the installation, has been contacted for comment.
The Valaris 122 rig has been contracted out to Shell, near the Shearwater platform around 140miles east of Aberdeen, since January of last year.
In a fleet update issued earlier this week, Valaris confirmed the Shell contract has been extended through to February of 2022.
Last month, stormy weather conditions meant that several North Sea platforms had to be downmanned as a precaution, including the CNR Ninian Southern, BP ETAP, and Serica Bruce installations.
The Valaris 122 was in headlines last year when Extinction Rebellion protestors scaled the rig whilst it was at port in Dundee.
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