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What's New In W. Africa (Nigeria)

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Old 30th Jan 2006, 08:17
  #541 (permalink)  
 
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It appears that the hostages have been released. Their release occurred in the early hours of today in Yenagoa. Not a lot of details other than this.

Looks like all those who did nothing will be vying for camera space circa CNN etc in Abuja for this one when the President and his men do their chest expanding bit...

Has anyone asked the hostages what they would like to do......... probably a nice cold beer and a flight home please.
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Old 30th Jan 2006, 11:02
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LAGOS (Reuters) - Four foreign oil workers held hostage by Nigerian militants were released on Monday and were well, a government spokesman said.

The hostages -- an American, Briton, Bulgarian and Honduran -- were abducted from an offshore oilfield in the Niger Delta operated by Royal Dutch Shell on January 11.

"They have all been released. They are all alive and well," said the spokesman for Nigeria's southern state of Bayelsa.

The militants, who have crippled a 10th of Nigeria's oil production in six weeks of violence, have demanded more local control over the delta's oil wealth, compensation for pollution to villages and the release of two ethnic Ijaw leaders.

They have staged several attacks on oil installations in the world's eighth largest oil exporter.

A militant Ijaw group with apparent links to the kidnappers had sent an email on Sunday agreeing to the hostages' release as a goodwill gesture to the international community.

On Sunday, police said about 20 armed men stormed the headquarters of a South Korean oil services company in the delta and stole more than $300,000 in the latest attack on foreign firms. There were no casualties.

The attack occurred only five days after nine men were killed during a suspected armed robbery at the delta headquarters of Italian oil company Agip, a unit of ENI.

The militants' campaign of violence has forced Shell to withdraw 500 employees and cut its output by 221,000 barrels a day.

Oil unions have threatened to withdraw from the delta, which pumps almost all of Nigeria's 2.4 million barrels a day of oil, if the security situation deteriorates further.

With oil markets already nervous over diplomatic tensions between the West and Iran, the unrest in Nigeria's oil heartland has contributed to a rise in prices to four-month highs of more than $67 a barrel.

Dozens of people have been killed in the militants' attacks on two major oil export pipelines and two oil production platforms since December 20.

President Olusegun Obasanjo has played down any effect on investment in Africa's largest oil producer, but analysts fear the unrest may deter foreign workers from coming to Nigeria and hamper new projects, including the licensing of new fields.
Taken from http://today.reuters.co.uk/news/news...A-HOSTAGES.xml

Fantastic news!!!
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Old 30th Jan 2006, 12:03
  #543 (permalink)  
 
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That is grand news....what would have been the reaction to the news if all four had been shot dead? These affairs have a way of escalating...what will be the event or action that provokes the killing of hostages...or murder of people as they go about their daily business? Are these folks going to wage a real insurgency?
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Old 30th Jan 2006, 14:43
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With all these security problems and our awesome experience of operating in Africa, we've decided to come up with an African solution to the problem. One way of getting rid of problems is by looking at how ostriches do things. Ostriches are big and beautiful, just like Canadian people, but they've been around a lot longer and that really tells you something eh? Now when an ostrich sees danger it digs a hole in the sand, buries its head and sticks its butt in the air. So for management what we plan to do is go home to our comfortable, secure compound, turn off our phones and go for a swim. There you are the problem no longer exists. We advise all our employees who think it's dangerous here to do the same.
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Old 31st Jan 2006, 10:29
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Nothing to do with the present security situation, but I seem to have been taken in by a new scam in Port Harcourt. I signed up and paid N45,000 for their Sierra wireless card including 3 months internet usage. I was told that it was high speed and would give me 24 hours a day of trouble-free usage - WRONG!!

I got home and despite their inaccurate and useless instructions, managed to install the software. I also followed their inaccurate and useless instructions for setting up the password and logging on. However, when I tried to activate my account I kept getting the message that it was unable to authenticate my account. I went to their offices the next day (Saturday) only to find that they close at 1600 (great opening hours - for them!).

On Monday as I was working I sent a friend with the computer and Sierra card. However, presumably because my friend is not an oyibo, there was a 3 hour wait only to be told that it will take at least another 2 days to activate the account!! What a joke - if not for the fact that I seem to have wasted N45,000 (around $320) on their useless product.

Suggest that if anyone is thinking of taking up this marvellous sic offer, they think again and find someone reliable
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Old 31st Jan 2006, 11:39
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SB

I don't think I can recall every spending that much in one go in Nigeria

But just a quiet word in your ear......

Caveat Emptor !
Especially here.

Now, who did I lend some money to last week? He said it was going to be paid back the next day.... Doh !
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Old 31st Jan 2006, 13:47
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A new country - change of name

Welcome to "Scamistan" or shall I say "Scamerinia". Lets cast a poll
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Old 31st Jan 2006, 14:58
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Soggy....

You are drinking way too much Gulder old buddy....you of all persons should know about "promises" from Nigerian entrepeaneurs! This ain't yer first Rodeo as I recall.
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Old 31st Jan 2006, 15:00
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Danger

Forgot to mention that the name of the company is Starcomms. A further 2 hour visit today, including a couple of changes of Air Card has resulted in .......... absolutely nothing Whatever you do, if you're in Nigeria, don't use these people; they make VMobile look good
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Old 31st Jan 2006, 15:27
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Ah, those Gulders...what a soothing "Lager" that is!!! Can't wait to soak my brain it, and cancel out the ability to think relatively normal...have I ever
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Old 31st Jan 2006, 15:37
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At a tariff of 320 USD....Soggy old friend you got off cheap! You could have found yourself in the money laundering business or the likes that would have gone 18,000-20,000 USD such as happened to at least one other Bristow guy.

It does not pay to be a trusting soul in 419 land!
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Old 1st Feb 2006, 07:10
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Help please!

Howdy gentleman,

I have been reading up on this thread and want an honest opinion from the guys that’s there or been there which is the best operator to work for in Nigeria.

I am aware of the current security situation there but I am new to this line of work and want to establish myself in the offshore market, albeit in Nigeria, which in it self seems a bit of a hard place to work.

I understand Bristow's & PAAN (7&5 and 4&4 under Airlogs banner) is good, however they don’t offer 6&6, but CHC does. As I have a family and have to travel far this rotation seems better and I would thus prefer CHC, but their accommodation according to the thread is poor. Both companies apparently operate S-76's and Dauphins, is this correct?

I also want to know who pays the best salaries and what benefits each operator offers to get and keep their pilots.

A friend of mine that is there said there is rumours that Bristows will go 6&6, partly to be on par with CHC and thus to get more pilots in. Is this likely to happen?

I am new to this so be gentle please.
Thanks
HHE
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Old 1st Feb 2006, 08:48
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Man, glad you said it...

Bristow going for 6/6, eh? Damn, now I am able to increase my flight experience on a tremendous scale

By the way, PAAN is a good outfit with good folks hanging around. Make sure to contact them if you are interested. Otherwise its Africa at its best or worst depending how you look at it.
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Old 1st Feb 2006, 10:45
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helihawkeye,

I've been away for a bit now, but I still keep in touch with a number of friends in Bristow, Aero and Pan African.

Bristow operate 332Ls, some tired old S76A+ and A++s and some nice new C+s. They have several tired old 212s and 412s, but are getting some new 412EPs and are rumoured to be getting a couple of A139s. They also operate EC155s owned by Shell. Aero (CHC) have a number of tired old 365Ns, but they are due to be replaced by N3s this year and they already operate a few N3s. They also have a new fleet of well-equipped S76C+s, with more on the way. They have some very old 355F1s, but rumour has it that they'll be replaced this year. They already have people away doing A139 courses and again rumour has it that they will have a couple of A139s in country in a few months. Caverton operate an A109E, an ancient 365N and a 350B2. However they're unlikely to pass an audit with a first world oil company and get into the offshore market (they could pass an audit with a local oil company where the result was decided by the traditional Nigeria 'brown envelope' method). Having seen other threads on this forum about their roster and pay, and as they're an entirely Nigerian company where you'd have no proper legal rights, I'd stay well clear if I were you.

Bristow and CHC both pay quite well, though the CHC pilots are on a number of different pay deals. The Canadian dollar is quite strong at the moment. I think Bristow probably pays better, though for that you have to work 7/5 of course. Both companies offer a reasonable package of extra benefits like health insurance and pension schemes. Caverton pay is lousy for the roster and from what I hear any benefits are normally confined to the paper they were written on when an offer was made

Bristow and Pan African are shortly to merge. Their present acting MD is a great guy, good at his job and popular with the staff. A number of their dinosaurs have gone and most of the rest are due to be pensioned off this year, so pilots may be treated more like human beings than has often been the case up until now. However, little is known of the new American MD, or what his management style and policies will be like. With Bristow base 'Chief Pilots' have more influence in your day-to-day hapiness than is the case with Aero, as Bristow operate from numerous bases throughout the country. CHC have replaced all the managers in the helicopter division (the last, 'Koboman' is due to leave this month) and I hear that the new, Canadian, managers are a refreshing change with a relaxed open management style. Unfortunately they are still saddled with the original MD whose only concern seems to be to try and make Aero a major African airline. He treats the people in helicopter division like dirt and unless the new helicopter managers can get support from Canada, he is likely to continue to treat the helicopter division as second-class citizens. He is well aided in this by the HRM Manager who creates far more problems for helicopter pilots (both national and expat) than he solves.

As for housing, Bristow wins hands down. With the exception of the Akpan estate in Eket, their housing and facilities normally far exceed those of CHC. At most of their bases you'll have good housing and good sports facilities free of charge. Probably the best housing and facilities are on the 2 Shell operations in Warri and Port Harcourt (though there you'll live a long way out of town). The Texaco camp in Warri is also very good. Escravos has been overrun several times and personal safety is always an issue there. As for food, it depends whether you like meals supplied in a canteen or preparing, or having your food prepared for you. With Bristow you may be in a base where there is central messing or you may get a daily allowance. CHC has central messing. Reports of the food in the CHC staff canteen in Port Harcourt vary from appalling to okay. With Caverton you get a lousy monthly allowance and have to do all your own shopping and cooking. CHC housing is well below par. In Lagos you'll normally be sent off to stay in a barely-habitable annex or a hotel that makes 'Faulty Towers' look like 5 star . The camp in Port Harcourt is a shambles that has suffered from years of underspending by koboman and I hear that CHC is no longer talking of moving out to a purpose-built camp. Facilities, other than the most basic are almost totally lacking and it will take a major investment to improve matters. The new management are talking of being willing to spend what it takes to bring about this improvement, but actions speak louder than words and friends say that there has been a lot of talk accompanied by only a little action so far. The good thing is that the housing is well situated if you like to have a life other than just staying in a camp and visiting the bar or watching TV every night.

At the end of the day it comes down to what suits you the best. Bristow probably still pays better, but CHC offers 6/6. Either company is okay to work for and if you go with an open mind and infinite patience you can have a good time in Nigeria. Good luck with chosing. Let us know which company offers you the best deal and how you get on.

Hope this helps. mama
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Old 1st Feb 2006, 14:10
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Anybody know how many copilots are nationals?
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Old 1st Feb 2006, 14:20
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helihawkeye,
As Mama says, under the OLOG management Bristow and Pan African shortly all to be the same company, but I haven't heard if the Pan African will change from 4/4 or if the pay scales of the 2 companies will be the same. There are a lot of new pilots in all the companies now. Some of them are very worried about the present security situation and some of the old hands are very complacent. Probably the best attitude to have is somewhere between the two.
It's certainly been a lot worse before during the hijacking days of the late 90's, but the violence this time seems to be coming from gangs of militia/robbers who are armed as well as, or better than, the police and military and whose tactics are more than a match for either. It's easy to write off some of the present attacks as unpolitically motivated robbery, but many Nigeria-watchers think that this is just one phase of building up sufficient funds to finance an increase in violence with more and better weapons. The Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta made it clear that the release of the 4 expatriates which it had held hostage was a goodwill gesture towards overseas governments, but that it would be continuing and escalating its campaign to destroy the oil export capability of the Nigerian government until such time as it is ready to channel more of its oil revenues into improving the quality of life of the people in the oil producing region. With a lot of political unrest being stirred up by rumours that President Olusegun Obasanjo is plotting to return for a third term as President, worries that the government may yet again disregard the law and inflict reprisals against villages in areas of unrest, more breakdown in civil law and order and little real progress in the campaign against corruption, it is unlikely that the security situation will improve in the run-up to the 2007 elections.
If you're careful and aware of the risks, there's no doubt that Nigeria is a good place to establish yourself in the offshore market. There's beena big growth in the offshore market in Nigeria over the past few years, particularly with further developments in deepwater fields, further exploration of deepwater fields at increasing distances offshore and more emphasis on developing the huge reserves of gas that Nigeria has. With the oil price likely to remain high for the forseeable future there is likely to be a further increase in the offshore helicopter market and with both Bristow and CHC putting a lot of their newest helicopters in Nigeria now it's a good place to be.
I wouldn't bet on Bristow changing to 6/6. The higher salary they pay seems to give them less of a pilot turnover than Aero has right now with at least 5 or 6 expat pilots leaving or having left in the past few months.
Take MM's advice and go for whichever one offers the deal which best suits you - if you don't like it you can always swap later.
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Old 1st Feb 2006, 15:49
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Merging Pan African and Bristow into one operation.....now there is a project that an MBA will be able to write a paper on someday.

You have the merger of Chevron and Texaco for a customer....and that in itself was a marriage made in heaven. The Texaco multi-engine only safety mentality went by the boards when the Boudreaux Boys at Chevron took over. The security situation at Escravos and all of the Shell operational sites leave a wee tad to be desired except maybe for the deep offshore locations. Those bring up another consideration....no SAR and pitiful flight following. (Example....the fatal 412 crash).

Who is going to run the Nigeria operations....folks in Redhill, New Iberia, or Houston? What standards are going to be used....UK, US, or Nigerian?

How do you merge payscales, rotation, accomodation standards, and operating mentality between the operations?

As the insurgency grows....and does anyone doubt that will happen...what effect does that have on business growth and pace of operations?

Do the folks at Escravos (Fort Apache) get danger pay...and the folks in Warri don't? Do the folks at Escravos continue to work 4/4 and folks at Warri work 7/5? Does OLOG continue to pay different pay scales to folks at the same operation as they do at Escravos?

What effect will the bribery debacle have as theOLOG SEC filing mentioned?

It will take some very shrewd and sage decision making to carry out this merger in an effective manner...given OLOG's track record so far....how are they going to accomplish this? Better yet....who they going to put into critical positions to make it possible? Will the old gang finally get the heave ho and bright new blood be brought in to effect the changes? Will the Best of the British or the Boudereaux Boys hold the reins....or will the Home Team be given a place at the table finally?

Anyone care to make a forecast of what will happen....and we can see how close the guesses are when it all plays out.
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Old 1st Feb 2006, 18:08
  #558 (permalink)  
 
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Bitmonx, All the copilots are nationals, but many nationals are Captains
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Old 2nd Feb 2006, 09:26
  #559 (permalink)  
 
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East to West Africa

Looking for brave soul for a Mauritania to Cairo gig later this year.
Following a very well organised land expedition over the course of 100 days.
AS350 type preffered, filming and medivac role.
PM me for the details


Mickjoebill
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Old 2nd Feb 2006, 10:25
  #560 (permalink)  
 
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Angel Niger Delta ops

Quoted to-day on Yahoo news:
Shell's profits for 2005 amounted to $23billion US or £12.9billion sterling or put another way, over £1.5million sterling an hour. The UK's highest ever corporate profits!
Meanwhile the Bell 412 which went down in the Gulf of Benin in 2003 with the loss of all onboard still lies on the ocean floor & the accident remains a mystery. If anybody has any more news or corrections to offer, please post.
Does Osubi have a fully functioning(air tested) ILS, NDB, DME yet?, or radar cover?
Is there automatic rebro for flight following yet or automated weather information?
Has SAR cover been introduced?
with fraternal greetings, ambi
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