One World, One Team, One Pilot, One Helicopter, One Mechanic. And they'll be managing with, Zero allowances, Zero ground equipment or spares, Zero training and Zero new staff enforced by a management which has Zero interest in them. It'll be interesting to see how they manage if they're the company selected for the huge Chevron/Texaco contract for the Agbami oil field, being developed at a cost of $3.5 billion and due to come onstream next year. It seems a bit unlikely as CHC are alreadt flying to the location and, unlike Bristow, have demonstrated a willingness to bring in new helicopters and build new engineering facilities before being awarded contracts. CHC will be bringing in at least 4 EC225s in the next few months. Bristows AS332s will look very old and tired alongside them. However, Chevron's Escravos contract is with Pan African/Bristow and they rank as one of Bristow's largest customers worldwide, so it may happen. Then if there really is Zero increase in anything, there will be Zero pilots to fly on the new contract, which is likely to involve S76C++s as well as S92s or EC225s. At least then there will be Zero people to sing the company song!
The kidnappings are just part of a gradual return to the days of a few months back. Responsibility for this, and the attack on the EA field last week, has been claimed by MEND. They have resumed attacks as a result of the arrest of one of their leaders, Henry Okah, on gun-running charges in Angola.
In Port Harcourt, the concern is whether there will be violence as a result of the Nigerian Supreme Court ruling which overturned the Governor Celestine Omehia and repleced him with Chief Rotimi Amaechi. As usual, the new governor is talking big o what he'll do and how honest he'll be, but he's also warned the people to brace up for the challenges of the coming days, adding that the action of the government in addressing the problems might hurt some of the people (but not, presumably the Governor or any of his friends
). Governor Amaechi's troubles are by no means over as Rivers State governors elections are one of those being challenged at the election tribunals currently being held, with allegations of extensive poll rigging. Meanwhile, security in the delta has been beefed up by Presidential decree, with more troops having been sent to reinforce the Joint Task Force (JTF).
Port Harcourt continues to suffer under a curfew from 2100 to 0600 and journey times to and from work frequently take up to 2 hours (and sometimes more). It's not a nice place to be any more and even though CHC live in much worse housing than Bristow, at least their exposure is considerably less when travelling to work.
Yesterday, a number of companies in Delta State received an e-mail, purporting to be from Timi West, the Commander-in-Chief of MEND forces in the South-SouthRegion. In it he gives them 48 hours to evacuate their expatriate staff from the Niger Delta as MEND resume hostilities with the Federal and State governments.
The fun continues
