CHC Helikopter Service has been awarded contracts for transport services from Sola and Brønnøysund to Statoil-operated fields, and the search and rescue service in the Halten/Nordland area. The three contracts have a combined value of roughly NOK 1.6 billion, if all options are exercised.
The contract for Sola outside Stavanger includes flights to Sleipner, Volve, Glitne and Draupner in the North Sea, whereas the contract for Brønnøysund in northern Norway covers flights to the Norne production ship in the Norwegian Sea. The transport service contracts will also include flights to exploration rigs and vessels in the relevant areas.
The all weather search and rescue (AWSAR) contract is a key element of the emergency response procedures for the Halten/Nordland area. The contract will also include other oil companies with operations in this area.
Statoil will largely use the same helicopter types as today in connection with the new contracts. From Brønnøysund, however, the new Sikorsky S-92 helicopter will be used.
”Under the new contracts Statoil will get a separate standby helicopter in Kristiansund,” says Trude Jakobsen Haugland, manager for air transport in Statoil. “This will increase the regularity from Kristiansund in mid-Norway and Brønnøysund, at the same time as the technology for the AWSAR service in Halten/Nordland will be upgraded.”
The Sola contract runs until 2010, while the Brønnøysund and Heidrun contracts will remain in force until 2012. All of the three contracts include options to extend the contracts three times, for one year at a time.