NHV inks offshore contract with PSE Kinsale Energy in Ireland

Offshore helicopter provider NHV Group has won a contract with PSE Kinsale Energy in support of its decommissioning operations in the Celtic Sea offshore Ireland.

NHV said on Wednesday that the transfer flights towards the Stena Spey drilling rig, about 50 kilometres off the south coast of Cork, were expected to start in April 2021 for a duration of six to eight months.

According to the company, NHV AS Denmark, NHV’s Danish branch, will be performing operations under the contract.

NHV added that the agreement facilitated the provision of one dedicated medium-sized twin-engine Leonardo AW139 aircraft.

Lars Skov, managing director for NHV and the Group commercial manager, said: “We are delighted to be partnering with Kinsale Energy on this project and feel confident that its offshore workforce will appreciate our passion for safe and reliable operations.

“I am also proud that within a month’s time, our team has established a fully operational base in Cork. A solid proof of the agility, flexibility and adaptability that have always been present in NHV’s DNA”.

Steffen Bay, CEO of NHV Group, added: “The award of this contract demonstrates the importance of our strategy of operating a diverse and modern fleet in our offshore operations. We are looking forward to proving our new partner that NHV was the right choice for this unique project”.

To remind, PSE Kinsale Energy announced last week that it was preparing for the decommissioning campaign of its Kinsale area gas fields located off Ireland with well abandonment set to begin later in March and rig arrival expected in early April 2021.

According to a marine notice from the Department of Transport at Irish Maritime Administration, the department was advised by PSE Kinsale Energy that the subsea wells abandonment campaign will start between 22 – 24 March 2021 and is expected to continue until November 2021, depending on the weather.

In July 2020, PSE ceased gas production at the Kinsale area gas fields in the Celtic Sea after 42 years of production.

Under the decommissioning plan, all wells will be permanently plugged and the associated facilities – platforms, pipelines, cables, subsea structures, and the Inch onshore terminal – will be decommissioned.

In NHV-related news, the helicopter provider said earlier this month that it was awarded a new contract with Allseas to provide helicopter services in support of the Energinet Europipe II Branch Pipeline project.