Study into North Sea safety improvements
The UK government has published a report on improvements made to the safety regime in the North Sea offshore sector since the Deepwater Horizon oil spill.
Health, Safety & Environment
Super Pumas in new scares
Two helicopters had to make emergency landings at Aberdeen Airport yesterday after warning lights came on in the cockpits.
Super Puma in Scare
A Super Puma helicopter made an emergency landing at Aberdeen Airport after a warning light came on.
Corporate culture . . . the key driver of competence & safety
The offshore industry's workforce wants and needs common global standards to improve safety and competency. And there is a critical, widespread need for companies to develop the kind of corporate cultures necessary to make credible headway with these critical issues.
Cracked gear shaft just year old
The gear shaft on a Super Puma helicopter which ditched in the North Sea in May cracked just over a year after it was made, according to a report published yesterday.
Survival capsule firm to open down under
Great Yarmouth-based Survival Systems International UK is to open its first service company in Australia.
New helicopter safety alert
Two Super Puma helicopters were at the centre of fresh safety fears yesterday.
Virus hits oil platform workers
A North Sea oil platform is operating with a reduced workforce after an outbreak of a highly contagious stomach bug.
Eurocopter boss was reassuring
There are a lot of angry and even scared people working offshore whose lives are being seriously disrupted by the fact that 19 EC225 Super Puma helicopters will remain parked, mostly at Dyce Airport, until Eurocopter finds out precisely why two members of the class suffered serious and, on the face of it, identical failures.
Union hails action by Eurocopter
Offshore union representative Jake Molloy said Eurocopter had made a good effort at trying to restore the industry's confidence in the aircraft.
Helicopter bosses say ‘sorry’ over ditchings
HELICOPTER bosses apologised last night for the latest ditchings in the North Sea - but admitted they still don't know what caused them.
Deep concern for maritime safety
The UK Government has failed to make a convincing case to justify closing two maritime rescue co-ordination centres in Scotland, according to a group of MPs.
Workers may be shipped home
Offshore firms are considering using boats as a contingency to bring workers back to shore, a union leader said last night.
Super Puma helicopters back in use
Offshore helicopter operators resumed flights of nine Super Pumas yesterday as a probe into a ditching incident continued.
Copter type grounded by AAIB report
Restrictions on the use of the model of helicopter involved in a ditching incident in the North Sea this week were imposed last night by the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA).
Our aircraft are safe, say Eurocopter chiefs
Eurocopter bosses said last night they share the concerns of the industry over the latest ditching incident, but insisted their aircraft are safe.
Pilots now voice concern over Super Puma safety
The British Airline Pilots Association (Balpa) has said there is "growing concern" among its members over the safety of Super Puma EC-225 helicopters.
Reaction: Good training praised
UK Energy Minister John Hayes has praised good training and safety standards for averting a "disaster" after the helicopter ditching.
Offshore workers frustrated as ditching probe continues
Offshore workers are "frustrated" at a lack of information on what caused a Super Puma helicopter to ditch in the North Sea, union officials said yesterday.
Gearbox crack found in ditched helicopter
A MAJOR crack has been discovered in the gearbox of the Super Puma helicopter that ditched in the North Sea earlier this week, it emerged last night.
‘Our copters are safe’ – Super Puma boss defends aircraft
THE pilots who ditched a Super Puma helicopter in the North Sea on Monday were warned that there was a problem with oil and lubrication in the gearbox, the Press and Journal can reveal.
Group to get report from Super Puma operators
A helicopter safety group will meet today to hear what operators of the latest Super Puma to ditch believe went wrong.
Gearbox problem led to ditching
A gearbox warning light was behind the latest Super Puma ditching - the same problem which grounded the helicopter fleet just six months ago.
Anxious time during ditched helicopter rescue
The man who rescued the offshore workers and pilots caught up in Monday's helicopter ditching has revealed that he originally feared two people were missing under the waves.
‘There was no panic – it was just like the drills’
One offshore worker on board the Super Puma last night described the experience as one of the safest landings he has had.