The impact of the North Sea helicopter crash will hit families across the UK, Scotland’s First Minister said today.
Alex Salmond said the 16 victims of the tragedy came from all over the country – and beyond.
His comments came after police said there was no hope of finding any survivors and the search was now being treated as a recovery operation.
Havila Shipping has signed a contract for the SubSea vessel Havila Phoenix for a firm period of 4 months with an optional period of up to three months.
Actual dayrate confirm the company expectations and the cash flow from the contract is very satisfactory.
The contract is with a Mexican company and the vessel will operate in the Gulf of Mexico where she is expected to arrive in second part of this month.
by Patrick Mcloughlin
The North Sea’s main helicopter fleet has been suspended with BP stopping flights with Bond Offshore Helicopters – as the identities of the 16 killed in the helicopter crash were released and the hunt for the wreckage of the craft off the coast of Scotland continued on Friday.
“To allow Bond and their staff time to reflect upon the loss of two of their colleagues, BP has decided to discontinue passenger operations using Bond with immediate effect,” news agency Dow Jones quoted Joanne McDonald, a BP spokesperson as saying.
“Alternative arrangements have been put in place to cover BP’s offshore helicopter operations…Nine scheduled flights will be covered by another helicopter operator,” McDonald said, not specifying how long the alternative arrangements would continue.
BP oil production “unaffected”
BP’s oil production in the North Sea “remains unaffected,” she added.
The wreckage of the Super Puma helicopter is thought be be somewhere 14 miles off the northeast coast of Scotland in waters of up to 100 metres (328 feet).
Eight bodies have been recovered by last night and police said there was no hope of finding survivors.
The Times reported that BP had discontinued flights with Bond Offshore Helicopters – the company which ran the chopper shuttle services carrying the crew and BP staff from the Miller field – because of concerns that pilots would nto be focused enough.
Safety critical operation
“Flying helicopters is a very safety critical operation. It is imperative that the people who are flying those helicopters have their minds fully on the job,” BP executive Bernard Looney told The Times.
The Times reported that BP is believed to be transferring its business to Bristows and CHC Scotia, which are the other helicopter ferrying outfits that lift oil and gas rig staff each day.
Bristows said that 17 out of its fleet of 23 were Pumas, but of a different type to that which crashed of Scotland, The Times said.
CHC Scotia runs 17 helicopters out of the oil city of Aberdeen, all but one of which are versions of the Super Puma.
ABERDEEN — An offshore worker has died in an accident on a diving support vessel four miles off Aberdeen.
The crewman on the Well Servicer, operated by Technip, was airlifted to Aberdeen Royal Infirmary following the accident during sea trials.
GRIMSBY, ENGLAND — Ports in North East Lincolnshire could become a “hub of activity and economic opportunity” with the promise of more jobs if they embrace the development of more off-shore wind farms, it has been claimed.
More than 100 port operators, including ABP, met with the Government to discuss what Britain’s ports have to gain from the development of off-shore wind.
SHERINGHAM, UK — StatoilHydro and Statkraft joint venture Scira Offshore Energy has awarded major contracts to Siemens Energy and Master Marine related to the 315-MW Sheringham Shoal Offshore Wind Farm Project. The wind farm will be developed nine miles (17 km) off the coast of Sheringham, U.K., and is scheduled for completion in 2011.
Siemens Energy has received an order to provide 88 wind turbines to the wind farm. Siemens was also awarded a five-year initial service contract, which can be extended up to 11 years. The total volume of the contract is more than EUR 450 million (US$604.9 million).
ABERDEEN — Subsea manufacturer Sub-Atlantic Ltd has secured a contract to supply two new generation Mohican ROV systems to Noordhoek Offshore B.V.
The agreement, worth £1,250,000, will see Aberdeen-headquartered Sub-Atlantic deliver the ultra-high thrust inspection ROVs which are specifically designed for working for extended durations in high current and tidal locations before the end of Q2.
EDINBURGH — A helicopter returning from an oil platform went down in the North Sea on Wednesday with 16 people on board, the U.K.’s coast guard agency said.
There was no immediate word on survivors after the helicopter ditched off the northeast coast of Scotland.
StatoilHydro and Norwegian power utility Statkraft are joining forces to develop the 315 MW Sheringham Shoal Offshore Wind Farm off the coast of Norfolk in the UK. Total investments are estimated at approximately NOK 10 bn ($1.49bn).
The wind farm, which will consist of 88 turbines, is planned to start production in 2011.
by G. Allen Brooks, Parks Paton Hoepfl & Brown
Crude oil futures through last Friday had climbed 17% since the end of 2008. From the 2008 low on December 23 of $30.28 a barrel, crude oil futures are up an amazing 73%. In spite of that dramatic rise, it was less than 120 days ago that crude oil was trading in the mid $50 range. That speaks to the speed of the collapse of global oil prices and how explosive the recent recovery in prices has been. The improved oil price has come in the face of weak oil demand worldwide and growing oil and refined product inventories. If global economic activity has, to quote legendary investor Warren Buffett, “fallen off the cliff,” one has to wonder why oil prices have climbed from the basement.