Oil Patch Operations and Aviation Safety Issues

[SASless]

This here is the rumor...the Pan African Airways (owned by OLOG) Bell 412 that crashed and killed all aboard a month or so ago....was not missed until the hospital that was expecting to receive the patient aboard the aircraft, called to determine the ETA of the aircraft.....FOUR HOURS after the crash.

The aircraft was supposed to have departed the rig for the Funiwa Platform to get fuel....the Funiwa being about 25NM closer to Port Harcourt.

If the rumor is correct....then neither the rig or the Funiwa was doing any flight following. At that distance....no flight following would be possible with the company base or Port Harcourt ATC.

To top this off....there is no SAR backup for offshore operations in Nigeria. (Somewhere a winch might exist...but there is no standby aircraft....)

Now someone argue with me that this is a "professional" situation....and all is well with the operators that expose their crews and passengers to such a situation.:mad:

[Nigel Osborn]

The lack of a SAR back up does not surprise me nor having a winch. Most offshore jobs I've been on don't have this facility but rely on any helicopter in the area to rush to the rescue to wave or maybe throw a liferaft out. I remember that happened in the North Sea in the 70s when a medivac S61 ditched. Otherwise work boats are sent to the rescue.

What is bad is no flight following. I presume they didn't put out a mayday? With modern VHF & HF, flight following is straight forward and pretty cheap in the overall context, even in Antarctica we never fly without full radio contact. I would imagine that even Nigeria could handle that.

[cpt]

The lack of flight following is not so surprising in this part of the world. And if this was the case here, it was far from the only one.
It's a constant struggle to get properly trained radio operators with a proper flight following on operation sites .
Very often oil companies argue that they cannot afford a full time radio operator for this service.(poor them !)
On long distance flights ( i.e deepwater ops) operators must rely on a flight following based on HF communications, wich is far from ideal. Another way, is an equipment based on immarsat C and GPS ( like the "capsat") but it involves important installation and operating costs that few wants to spend.
As for search and rescue, there is absolutly nothing efficient to expect from neighbouring countries of the gulf of guinea, and a rescue plan has to be organized by operators themselves. Here,when we talk about winch or "HERDS" , equipment and training recurency becomes a problem mainly if it has to be performed at night!
This of course could be done and organized properly but nobody seems to have the wish to do it ( operators or those poor oil companies)
Once again providing everything looks nice with HSE and other rubbish matters, silver brains are happy.

[SASless]

How do you satisfy HSE concerns without having the flight following and SAR capability with its attendant training and currency requirements? Now wouldn't you like to be the next consultant to do an OPS Audit for Chevron...Shell...Conoco...NNPC...AGIP, etc???

[bondu]

"Poor oil companies?"

How many billion dollars PROFIT did Shell make last year?

Can't afford to pay for a full time trained radio operator? Pull the other one!!

When are WE going to do something about it? Yes, I know the risks when talking about some form of action, but sooner or later, it will be time to stand up and be counted.

Unfortunately, there are still some pilots out there who sell their souls to those same 'poverty stricken' oil companies and helicopter operators.

Maybe they will be the next incident.

:mad: :mad: :mad:

[Mikila1A]

Bondu has hit the nail directly on the head.

Until WE say enough, these thiefs will continue on their merry way.

Tried posting the 4th Q results for Shell and had problems.......long story short.........

investors were only paid 4.5 Billion this quarter,

and what was the salary of the radio operator?

:yuk: :yuk:

Even the mafia had morals!

[chevy 76]

I do agree with all your comments...
I flew in the Antarctica in the 80's and HF u/s was a NO GO item...

an extra imput...the poor oil companies do have different standards as well...
as it is mentioned ,in Africa they do not have SAR nor budget to cover an expensive" radio operator" ,but at the same time Shell in the Uk (I guess) ...do have at least 24 hour radio coverage...in the dutch sector NAM (shell) is the only oil company having not 1, but 2 radio operators on board the main control platform, 365 days a year, and all other operators during operational hours have a radio operator available, ....

cheers

[Gomer Pylot]

I doubt the oil companies would be allowed to operate in the UK the way they do in Africa. They don't really care about safety, they care about profit, no matter what they preach from the pulpit. If the local authorities permit them to do things on the cheap, then they do, and no regrets at all. They don't care if people die, they just care if the deaths cost them money, and deaths in Africa aren't likely to be very expensive. The big oil companies, like Exxon-Mobil, Shell, BP, etc make more in after-tax pure profit than the gross national product of most countries in the world, but that's still not enough, they try to squeeze a few thousand more out of whomever they can. And we cooperate with them to help them do it. :yuk:

[SASless]

Shell, Texaco, and Mobil in Nigeria for years and years did not provide a climate controlled hangar for the engineers to work in....thus night work was unheard of due to the risk of mosquitoes and malaria. When the operations had spare aircraft to provide for dayshift work only....it was grand. But then....for cost considerations....the contracts began to reduce the number of aircraft and greatly reduced the amount of downtime allowed for maintenance reasons. We know the results to that ....the quality of the aircraft went south in a hurry.

Combine that with the operator (in my case Bristow...) stretching the overhaul intervals as much as possible...and it got really interesting. As the aircraft aged....remembering the Bristow aircraft had 37-41,000 hours or so on the 212's.....it seems the interval would be shortened....not extended.

The engineers...as good as they were...could not work miracles. The Bean Counters continued to cut costs...shorten the times allowed for overhauls....trimmed the number of engineers sent in to assist in the overhauls....and down hill it all went.

For crying out loud....Shell would not even repair broken windows in the Crew Room....major expense item I guess.

The blame lies at the feet of management...you cut the standard and the result is the new standard....cut that standard....and again....new but lower standard.

Until pilots got to the point of refusing to fly the machines....and the turnover got to the point they were having problems crewing the operation....no action was taken. Finally, there was a major shift of local management....but those residing in Redhill kept their perks and bonuses.

As Gomex says....deaths are a cost of doing business to the oil company...and we let them get away with it! Who is to blame???

[Brian Abraham]

Bondu you have hit the nail on the head. Unfortunately the oil companies have most of us by the proverbials. In an operation of which I know pilots are employed either by the oil company itself or supplied by an outside contractor. The company pilots salary is subject to a yearly assessment made by the chief pilot. You can imagine how that keeps the troops in line. A recent assessment read (because the pilot called into question practices such as "why do we not plan for alternates as required by the regulations?") ........gets some out of perspective concerns as to how some things should/must be done which is where he has alienated successive managements over the years. The chief pilot was kind enough to add that he did not think there was any ".... malicious intent or scheming in his actions." This was for submitting company incident reports detailing how failure to comply with regulations had compromised flight safety. Contractor pilots are not going to stick their heads out of the sand as the industry is controlled by the oil company aviation advisors. Anyone who earns a reputation will find themselves effectively on a black list as all the advisors form a very small group. The trouble is, for the most part, pilots in the offshore world have no, or at best, very little industrial muscle. One can only assume that the regulator is so short staffed that they are unable to effectively oversee operations.
Blue Skies, Brian

[flyer43]

Although it may appear to be the rich oil companies that are at fault, shouldn't we all be asking the question "Shouldn't the helicopter operators have a proper duty of care to their own crew, let alone the passengers they are carrying?"
Surely any caring opeator would ensure that adequate flight following and SAR facilities are in place to support their operations before commiting to a contract.
Regardless of their wealth, Oil companies are only like any other customer and will look for a good price for their contracted work. However, this should not encourage operators to cut corners in order to win contracts.
On top of this, if pilots continue to be willing to fly under less than "safe" conditions, the more unscrupulous operators and their clients will be happy to continue "benefitting" from the situation.

[Gomer Pylot]

Flyer, can you name any of these 'caring operators'? Perhaps there are some in the UK, but I know of none over here. Here the almighty, short-term dollar rules.

[flyer43]

Gomer Pylot

I didn't say that there were any caring operators, I simply said that a caring operator would ensure that he looks after his own troops as well as his customers.
If only life could be so perfect.......

[Vfrpilotpb]

Forgive the seemingly slightly off line post that this may seem, BUT if a Brit soldier can be hauled up before the Brit beaks on charges relating to some alleged incident in a foreign Country, surely something a mundane as paid work for a European CompanY (or BRIT company) whilst in a Foreign Country would be covered by the same Politically correct rules,... or does it not?


Vfr :suspect:

[SASless]

Civilain law is a completely different concept from military law.

The only law that controls our situation is the "Golden Rule"....translated means..."He who has the Gold....rules!"

Having been a bit opinionated regarding safety issues in the past....I know only too well the price one can pay for such traitorous conduct.

As to "Caring" operators....yeah, right! The only thing operators care about is the bottom line and Quarterly Report. People matter only as to being able to get the most for the least cost.

[Tynecastle]

Lots of Helicoptrer activity in the Gulf of Thailand, but no SAR, one of the major players there has its employees fooled into thinking there is 61 sitting at base with a winch ready to go when in fact the winch is sitting in a crate.
The crews are not trained for rescue missions, only getting workers off the remote platforms if the workboats cannot get in.
If you have to ditch, just hope there is a friendly fishing boat around.

[zpringer]

Having worked in Nigeria for some time it is obvious all companies working there have different standards in developed countries to third world ones.
With weak Aviation regulation authorities and no unions to insist on even basic standards it is left to the pilots and engineers to set the bottom line.Not a good way to apply professionalism. It has to come from management and too often they have a different agenda.

[cpt]

To those still believing in honesty of big "major" international companies operating in the third world; you must be either very naive or misinformed....I can tell you by experience that only apparence counts here.
When no risk of witness, nor media. the true picture is shown....a picture of ecological disasters, political dirtyness,economical oppression, syniscism...
Auditors reports are very often biased and oriented; the "findings"are now known in advance....( you must install an eyewash in this corner, you must paint your fire extinguisher like this, you must take anti malaria pills..
Operators and crews will always struggle hard to "win" the contracts , experienced crews and operators are plenty on the waiting list.
To those interrested in believing in it, the picture looks politicaly correct and clean, with all certificates and signatures availlable.
It's like this our blue planet turns. Don't pretend you don't know.

[skydriller]

Ive been in the Oil Patch for around 7 years now, working all over the world, but not a Rotary Pilot, just as one of your pax who happens to fly planks for fun. I have to say that some of the replies here made me smile. The ONLY places where the Oil companies (big/small/stateowned) pay any real regard to safety or environmental issues is where Government Legislation is in place to ensure it is there AND it is enforced either by inspectors or lawsuits.

cpt has it about right, the $£€ rules.

Regards, SD..

And another thing...the 'we care for the environment' oil/gas company ads just make me laugh:rolleyes:

[Deux Cent Vingt Cinq]

I've become all disillusioned now!

[Tynecastle]

cpt, you hit the nail on the head regarding audits.
Nowadays its all about the crews having the necessary certificates in their files, I have probably more certificates in my file now than ever before, watch a one hour video on fire fighting or dangerous goods, and I am given a certificate that I am trained on that subject.
In the past when you had a St Johns trained First Aid Attendant on site, you know that person went through proper training, not anymore, on the last mini course I did, they didn't even mention treating burns, you would think in Aviation that would be a must.
At the end of the day its all about the company covering their rear ends to appease the auditors and the ISO authorities.

[Buitenzorg]

Depressing.

Having worked in the oil patch (non-flying) until a few years ago, I can categorically say that the previous posters such as cpt, skydriller and Tynecastle are correct. Oil companies will do the minimum they can get away with, in order to look good.

What to me is even more depressing though, is the stupidity displayed by management in our industry. I've worked for one operator where all managers had a definite interest in their employees' well-being, and we were treated very fairly. People who were technically good, but lacked interest in the people who worked with/for them, simply didn't make it into management. This company consistently turned a healthy profit, year after year.

Then there's the example of Southwest Airlines, another company almost fanatical in it's concern for it's employees. The financially healthiest airline in the US, the only one to continue with a profit agter 9/11, or to avoid lay-offs.

Yet these beancounting :mad: still don't get it.

TAKE CARE OF YOUR EMPLOYEES, AND THEY WILL TAKE CARE OF YOUR BUSINESS.

If you keep staring at the bottom line, you will never see the reasons why the ink is turning from black to red.

[Gomer Pylot]

Buitenzorg, those things are brought up to management, and the immediate reply is "We aren't an airline, those things don't apply." They can't make the connection, so they will never learn to manage efficiently. The only thing management thinks about other than the next quarter's profit is how to get rid of the union. The idiots will never, ever learn. We really want to be proud of our company, and to see it make a good profit. But crappy treatment reduces that desire to just about nothing very quickly. And the idiots will never, ever learn.

[Hippolite]

I am not even sure about the only SAR being where it is legislated or in the "developed" world.

Gomer would know exactly but there is only very limited SAR cover in the GOM. Exxon are currently drilling 219 miles out and using an ERA 332L for support....but no SAR out there. The USCG couldn't even begin to respond to an emergency that far out in the GOM. Shell and BP are also drilling deep water wells but no SAR there either.

What would happen if a 332L had even a controlled or semi controlled ditching 150-180 miles out in the GOM?

The operators and the oil companies need to get together and fix this problem.

HH

[GLSNightPilot]

SAR in the GOM is sparse at best. The USCG has the responsibility, but they don't get started very quickly. The only saving graces here is that there are lots of helicopters and boats out there, and the seas are generally comparatively benign. I've gone out on searches on which the Coast Guard was called first, and we only started an hour or more afterwards, had to fuel, plan, etc, and were still the first on the scene. The Coast Guard will come, eventually, but it apparently takes awhile to get things started.

I'm not aware of Exxon using Era for anything in the GOM, nor had I heard about any 332Ls flying in the GOM, but I could be wrong. In any case, there is lots of drilling going on far out there, and there is no dedicated SAR for any of it. We're going out with one-way fuel, little or no weather reporting, no ATC coverage (neither radar nor radio) but it's all perfectly legal. The oil companies have no responsibility for any of this, of course.

[SASless]

Where are the politicians on these issues....we know the FAA is out to lunch...the oil companies are out to lunch...and the helicopter operators....well most of them are out for their two beer lunches bought with their cash bonuses and stock option money.

The only people that are further out....are the pilots and passengers....

Now I wonder....if as part of your standard pax brief....what if you guys threw in some facts and data about SAR response times, water temperatures, and survival times....presence of hazards in the water....like sharks....and the percentage chance they have of getting into a raft following an uncontrolled ditching....what do you think their reactions would be?

I know what the mangement would say after they returned from the daily feast at the Blue Dog....

Sorry Gomex....needed to poke a stick at the Air Dog bosses....

;)

[3B3]

Its been a few years since I flew with Bristow in Nigeria, but I remember flight following was available for the entire leg of the flights I made. We operated from both Lagos and Warri to the Bongo field and maintained flight following with land based stations until establishing contact with the rigs. Then on the return trip we flight followed with the rig untill establishing contact with the land based station.

Of course I must agree with the lack of SAR.