Chopper ditches at Agbami
All 18 personnel on board a helicopter heading to SeaBird Exploration's seismic vessel Kondor Explorer are safe after the aircraft was forced to ditch into the sea earlier today.
Upstream staff Friday, 11 December, 2009, 13:46 GMT
The helicopter made a controlled landing into the sea at a few hundred metres from the Kondor Explorer, currently working on a survey at the Agbami field off Nigeria, at 12:10 CET.
“No persons were injured and all 18 persons from the helicopter were safely picked up from the sea by rescue boats,” the company said in a statement.
There were 16 crew and two pilots on the helicopter.
SeaBird boss Tim Isden said that the company has launched an investigation into the incident, adding the cause is not yet clear.
"Our emergency response team on the Kondor Explorer carried out their duties superbly," he said. "There were no injuries and all 18 men were collected from the water."
The Kondor Explorer is carrying out a 4D seismic survey at Agbami for field operator Chevron.
Published: 11 December 2009 | Last updated: 11 December 2009