Helicopter Service News

Bremerton, Wash. based boatbuilder SAFE Boats International announced that retired Vice Admiral William “Dean” Lee and Tom Norton have joined its board of directors.Vice Admiral Lee served in the U. S. Coast Guard for more than 36-years, most recently serving as the Commander, Atlantic Area (LANTAREA), responsible for all Coast Guard operations from the Rocky Mountains to the Arabian Gulf. During his service to the Nation, he served in numerous command and staff positions specializing in search and rescue and small boat operations.

Transnet National Ports Authority (TNPA) will secure two new workboats by 2022 to boost marine operations at the Port of Cape Town and ensure it is recognized internationally for excellence.The more powerful workboats are expected to improve the port’s ability to maintain marine operations during challenging weather conditions. The engines will be approximately 20% more powerful on the new workboats and the bollard pull will be 80% greater as a result of advanced propeller and rudder designs.The Port of Cape Town presently has two workboats…

Transnet National Ports Authority (TNPA) has taken the decision to introduce a helicopter service at its Port of Cape Town to transfer marine pilots onto and off visiting vessels. This would make the port one of three within the South African port landlord’s complementary port system that offer the service, the others being Durban and Richards Bay.TNPA expects to commission the helicopter in Cape Town in 2021, according to GM: Infrastructure and Port Planning, Hamilton Nxumalo.In…

GAC UK has been appointed by Seaway Heavy Lifting (SHL) to provide essential shipping services support for the construction and installation of 84 new turbines as part of a major windfarm expansion project which will increase generating capacity almost six-fold. SHL, the engineering, procurement, construction and installation contractor, will design, supply and install the piled foundations, jacket substructures and inter-array cables for the Beatrice Offshore Windfarm Limited (BOWL) project in the Outer Moray Firth. They will also transport and install the offshore substations. Both SHL’s crane vessels will be deployed: HLV Stanislav Yudin’ from April 2017 to April 2018, HLV ‘Oleg Strashnov’ from August to October 2017 and again from May to July 2018.

The Department for Transport has planned to make the UK Ship Register more attractive, so that it rightly becomes the ship register of choice for quality owners and operators, says Robert Goodwill MP. He asserted his relentless commitment to economic growth throughout the maritime and marine sectors. These sectors already contribute at least £11.8 billion annually to the UK economy. He noted about the Maritime Growth Study, published under the leadership of Lord Mountevans. The study provides a compelling analysis of the industry and how a successful, commercially focused, ship register can support the growth of our maritime sector. "We support the broad thrust of its findings, and while we’ll respond fully once we have considered the details, change is already underway.

Douglas-Westwood (DW) forecasts $24 billion in expenditure on offshore helicopter services between 2014 and 2018, a 57% increase in comparison to the preceding five-year period. Western Europe will continue to account for the largest share of global expenditure, driven by both the extensive North Sea infrastructure and the preference towards using large helicopters. Although Western Europe will continue to underpin the market over the forecast period, DW expect faster growth rates in Africa, Asia, Australasia and Latin America. A preference for local providers in some of these markets means that there are many regional specialists. As a consequence, the major helicopter operators have lower levels of participa- tion in these regions, with the notable exceptions of Brazil and Australia.

According to a June 10 report from the Associated Press, Bristow Group, which provides helicopter service to the offshore oil industry, said revenue from deep water drilling operations in the Gulf of Mexico may slide as much as 85% by the end of June because of the six-month moratorium on deep water drilling in the Gulf. The company, which has large international operations, said that revenue from the Gulf generates about six percent of its operating income. Part of the loss of revenue is being offset by new work from oil company BP PLC, which is trying to contain a massive oil spill that prompted the moratorium. (Source: Associated Press)

The 2008 IMO Award for Exceptional Bravery at Sea has been presented to a Brazilian seafarer who saved fellow crew members from a dangerous fire on a ship. Mr. Rodolpho Fonseca da Silva Rigueira, of the drill ship Noble Roger Eason, nominated by the Government of Brazil, for his decisive, selfless action to rescue six fellow crew members from a catastrophic fire which burst out on it. The fire originated from an explosion, causing imminent risk to the lives of crew members in the vicinity of the explosion; yet, instead of evacuating the area, he repeatedly faced the fire and very high temperatures to save his colleagues, at severe risk to his own life. Mr. Rigueira was presented with the award by IMO Secretary-General Mr. Efthimios E.