MCA Press Notice Posted on MCA site 21:59 GMT
At twenty minutes to seven this evening, Liverpool Coastguard received a distress call from the Rig Support Vessel Highland Sprite working in a gas field in the East Irish sea.
The vessel reported a helicopter ditching in the sea near one of the rigs. The helicopter had seven people on board; two crew and five passengers.
The Highland Sprite deployed its two fast rescue craft immediately to the position of the ditched helicopter.
Liverpool Coastguard requested a helicopter to be scrambled from RAF Valley; rescue helicopter R122 was quickly airborne.
Fleetwood and barrow RNLI lifeboats were also requested to launch to search the area.
CHC Helicopter Corporation - European Operations can confirm that there has been an incident involving one of its Eurocopter AS365N type aircraft near a platform in the East Irish Sea,
The appropriate authorities have been informed and the companys emergency response team has been mobilised. Further details will be released when more information becomes available.