We all know that it is possible to fly IFR in most helicopter types so long as there is an AI, ASI, VSI and Altimeter. I used to do it in single engine, unstabilised helicopters in the military but I had a master green instrument rating, lots of instrument time and it was all over land. What concerns me is that inexperienced and non-instrument rated pilots are expected to depart from a lit ships helideck into a pitch black night without any of the aids currently available.
Filing an IFR flight plan and flying IFR is something that is routine when flying offshore in most parts of the world because it leads to a safer operation. If a particular Civil Aviation Authority deems it not necessary then so be it but it is still madness in this day and age to fly VFR in what are obviously non-VMC conditions. Filing an IFR flight plan and flying IFR has little to do with it in practical terms. What is needed is a current instrument rating when flying VFR offshore at night.