I've had some e-mails from friends in both companies and none of them seem to have received any word of what's happening. The Schreiner/ACN guys are confused as to what the future holds for them. A couple of guys who have quit one company to join the other wonder what it means for them.
For a long time Schreiner investors have lacked the capital and/or the will to invest the sums required to renew much of the company's aging fleet and maybe the influence of CHC will be a boon to Schreiner employees with more modern machinery giving them a better chance at more contracts. Some of their machinery in Nigeria is almost antique!
There are now sure to be some battles ahead because CHC will now be in a better position to go head to head with arch rival Bristow Helicopters in Nigeria and Den Helder.
Den Helder will probably need a lot of fat trimming from it if they are to compete effectively with Bristow from there, but they have the excellent hangars which they got when they took over KLM/ERA Helicopters and all the passenger facilities have recently been rebuilt.
In Nigeria, Bristow operates EC155s for Shell, but outside Nigeria Shell don't much seem to like Bristow, so CHC are sure to try for that contract when it's next up for grabs. Mobil/Exxon is using CHC in Malabo and Angola. Bristow have had no real competition for their Mobil contract in Qua Ibo Terminal, Nigeria for many years. Expect that to change now!
It looks like being an interesting year in the Southern North Sea and West Africa.