Well-Safe selects helicopter operator for North Sea ops

Offshore Helicopter Services UK Limited, a new name for the former Babcock Offshore UK business, has secured a new contract with Well-Safe Solutions for operations off the UK.

Offshore Helicopter Services said via its social media channels on Monday that, under a brand new contract, it would fly hundreds of WSS passengers every month to and from the Well-Safe Guardian in the Buchan and Hannay fields in the UK North Sea.

The new service got underway over the last weekend from the helicopter provider’s main terminal at Aberdeen International Airport.

Offshore Helicopter Services Managing Director, Paul Kelsall, said: “Adding this important new customer to our portfolio is a real testament to the fantastic skills and capabilities of our people. We are looking forward to working with Well-Safe Solutions, to provide the safe, efficient and trusted services they need and their passengers expect.”

Babcock’s Aberdeen-based offshore oil and gas aviation business changed its name after being acquired by CHC in a deal that was closed in September last year but is still under investigation by the UK’s competition authorities over concerns in a substantial lessening of competition within any market or markets in the UK.

Meanwhile, Well-Safe last week cheered a ‘momentous landmark’ as its decommissioning rig, Well-Safe Guardian, headed to the North Sea to start its decommissioning contract with Repsol Sinopec.

Well-Safe was awarded a contract by Repsol Sinopec for the decommissioning of 14 subsea wells in Hannay and Buchan fields back in September 2021. It was considered to be the first fully-inclusive well decommissioning contract of its kind.

The rig also has another 14-well contract lined up with activity scheduled to begin early 2Q 2022. The contract was awarded by CNR International in October 2021.

Ahead of the rig’s upcoming decommissioning campaigns in the UK North Sea, Vysus Group’s ModuSpec was chosen last December to verify whether the Well-Safe Guardian and its upgrades were fit-for-purpose to complete the upcoming campaigns.