A leading oil and gas trade unionist has demanded answers from Eurocopter over the safety of its helicopters – before more people walk away from the sector.
Jake Molloy said there was growing concern in the industry after what was the fourth accident involving the French manufacturer’s Super Puma aircraft in just over three years.
He said it was crucial that workers were told what went wrong and why. “People have worried about flying offshore for years and this latest incident will cause more people to walk away,” he said.
“Most workers will look at the bigger picture and the fact that there are 40 flights every day and the chances of them being involved in an incident are small.
“Inevitably, after any incident, you get a number of people who decide that’s it for them, and they no longer have the confidence in helicopters and they leave the industry.
“That is why it is crucial that whatever has gone wrong is communicated as soon as possible.”
The latest ditching was the fourth serious helicopter incident since February 2009.
In May all 14 passengers and crew on a Bond-operated Super Puma were rescued after it ditched about 30 miles off the coast of Aberdeen.
It was on a scheduled flight to a platform at the time. Just last week accident investigators revealed that the crew had been given a false alert over the failure of the main gearbox cooling and lubrication system.
Sixteen people died when a Super Puma – also operated by Bond – plunged into the sea in April 2009.
Its gearbox failed while carrying the men to Aberdeen.
The helicopter had been returning from the BP Miller platform when it went down off the Aberdeenshire coast.
The disaster happened about six weeks after another Bond Super Puma with 18 people on board crashed in the North Sea as it approached a production platform owned by BP.
Everyone survived that accident.
Mr Molloy said: “There is inevitably going to be questions and concerns and we need to provide assurances, not just to the workers but to their families, that the primary means of transporting them to and from work is safe.
“We really need CHC to up their game and communicate as soon and as transparently as possible so that we can assess what could or should be done to ensure safety going forward.”
Last night Eurocopter spokesman Stephane Chery said that the firm would be launching an “urgent” investigation into the latest incident.
However, he said he could comment no further on the incident until more information became available.
Oil & Gas UK’s health and safety policy manager, Bob Lauder said: “Oil & Gas UK is pleased to hear that all 19 people on board this helicopter have been successfully rescued.
“This is testament to the skill of the pilots, as well as the comprehensive survival training which all offshore workers must undergo to prepare them for this type of situation.
“We now await more information on the cause of this incident.”
The Helicopter Safety Steering Group set up in 2009 will hold a meeting tomorrow to discuss the incident, but Mr Molloy hopes CHC will issue its own report before then.
Step Change in Safety’s team leader, Les Linklater, said: “Step Change’s Helicopter Safety Steering Group, which comprises representatives from industry, regulators and trade unions, will meet as soon as possible to share preliminary information.
“The group will be closely monitoring the situation as it develops.”