Four contracts for helicopter services off Norway have been awarded by Statoil today to Helikopter Service and Norsk Helikopter.
Running initially for five years, all four can be extended by a further five. They are worth roughly NOK 300 million per year, with a total combined value of about NOK 2.7 billion if all the options are exercised.
One contract has been awarded to Norsk Helicopter for flights to and from Stavanger's Sola airport. Coming into effect on 1 March, it will be implemented with Super Puma L2 machines - the most modern helicopter available today.
The rescue/shuttle helicopter stationed on Statoil's Statfjord field in the North Sea will remain a Bell 214ST provided by Helicopter Service under a contract which also starts on 1 March.
And responsibility for offshore flights to and from Bergen's Flesland airport has been split between the two companies under contracts starting on 15 January 2000.
These flights will be performed by three Super Puma L2 helicopters from Helikopter Service and two Super Puma L/L1s provided by Norsk Helikopter. Sikorsky S6 1Ns will also remain available.
New types of machine can be adopted during the lifetime of the contracts, with the Sikorsky S92 as a possible candidate from 2002.