North Sea News
The spare/backups get used daily due to customers demanding them for extra activity. So when one does go tech there is rarely a spare available. And no surprises that the customer gets annoyed because they don't have a spare "spare" in their contract.
Having a 24/7 airport is very helpful as they will operate throughout the night to cover backlog unlike ABZ. Just means we get to bed alot later.
Having a 24/7 airport is very helpful as they will operate throughout the night to cover backlog unlike ABZ. Just means we get to bed alot later.
I wish I had the time to go through the transcript and make some pointed comments about some of the responses. Straight out of the Gate it started off with "Nothing to do with us!"....and in my view after reading just a page or so.....went down hill from there pretty much.
I liked the comment about the probability of escape from a helicopter in the water is dependent upon on how high it came down from! I thought it was the Rate of Descent at the time of impact with the Water that had far more effect than mere "height" it descended from.
Don't these "Learned" Folks asking the questions ever hire qualified Experts to craft their queries for them?
I liked the comment about the probability of escape from a helicopter in the water is dependent upon on how high it came down from! I thought it was the Rate of Descent at the time of impact with the Water that had far more effect than mere "height" it descended from.
Don't these "Learned" Folks asking the questions ever hire qualified Experts to craft their queries for them?
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Just read through the whole transcript. Am I the only one who finds the responses very worrying. The only one who spoke any sense was Colin Milne. The others were just trying to defend their patch and certainly not open to examination of any areas of weakness.
There are far, far more differences between the UK and Norway than Duncan Trapp would care to allude. Amongst other things and entirely different working culture. The point about the oil companies and state involvement is an important one though as well as the key role of unions in overall safety and contracts in the Norwegian sector.
There are far, far more differences between the UK and Norway than Duncan Trapp would care to allude. Amongst other things and entirely different working culture. The point about the oil companies and state involvement is an important one though as well as the key role of unions in overall safety and contracts in the Norwegian sector.
far, far more differences between the UK and Norway than Duncan Trapp would care to allude
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One thing I have noticed working alongside a Norwegian company staffed with mainly Scandinavian pilots is that they don't stand for much nonsense. Whether this translates to their safety culture I don't know but we are still very hierarchical in the UK and more subservient. I have read the transcript and there were no surprises, you have to ask the right questions of the right people.
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So the problem in the UK sector is subservient pilots?
It would arrogant to assume our misfortune is all down to bad luck.
Everyday is a school day and I'm sure there are many things we can and should learn or copy from our Norwegian counterparts same as they could certainly learn a few things from operators here in the UK. A more open dialog would certainly help and maybe someone from Norway could elaborate a bit more on how they perceive things?
As an aside if there is one thing I've learned in life sofar it's smirking at someone else's misfortune might be gratifying in the short term but you usually you end up with egg on your face before you know it.
W
it would arrogant to assume our misfortune is all down to bad luck.
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....how they perceive things?
A few observations:
The SOP briefs are extreme in their lenght, informative only for the first 20 seconds. It's considered theatrics from most non-brits.
Same goes for WX brief, where one pilot briefs the other guy looking at the same information....the louder seems to be better for some reason
Aberdeen tower : what's the point of an ATIS when you have to read the whole story back ?
It's very much a blame culture vs just culture, even though the SOP's are the same on both sides
A few observations:
The SOP briefs are extreme in their lenght, informative only for the first 20 seconds. It's considered theatrics from most non-brits.
Same goes for WX brief, where one pilot briefs the other guy looking at the same information....the louder seems to be better for some reason
Aberdeen tower : what's the point of an ATIS when you have to read the whole story back ?
It's very much a blame culture vs just culture, even though the SOP's are the same on both sides
These differences between the UK and Scandinavia are a frequent matter for discussion in this household
. Long live the revolution.
Which requires knowledge and intelligence rather than position and bull****.
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I totally agree, hence my question to 26500. I hope he can expand on his statement with some solid facts based on personal experience.
They have also been good at resisting external pressure to undermine them and overly complicate their ops. They have clear areas where they will not budge and one is training. They have made sure that they keep a very close control on training despite pressure to outsource.
Get on a plane and spend a day in a Norwegian planning room then a day in a UK one. Again things are not perfect in Norway, but in general the pilots are better looked after, have better rosters, therefore more time away from base which perhaps translates to them being more motivated when at work. The culture is far less of a hierarchy, where everyone has a far more equal say. Even the cockpit gradient is far flatter than some might be used to in the UK. Many things over the years have contributed to this but there is a far less competitive environment internally than one typically finds in the UK. Take care of your people and they will take care of you.
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The SOP briefs are extreme in their lenght, informative only for the first 20 seconds. It's considered theatrics from most non-brits.
Same goes for WX brief, where one pilot briefs the other guy looking at the same information....the louder seems to be better for some reason
Aberdeen tower : what's the point of an ATIS when you have to read the whole story back ?
Same goes for WX brief, where one pilot briefs the other guy looking at the same information....the louder seems to be better for some reason
Aberdeen tower : what's the point of an ATIS when you have to read the whole story back ?
Long live the revolution.
important thing I believe has also been their ability not to over complicate things when it is not necessary
26500, thanks for your reply.
A simple response from me :
Blame culture - partially agree
Complicated SOP - agree
Outsourced training - agree
Rosters - agree
Cockpit gradient - don't agree as a culture, but perhaps individuals
Less competitive - agree
Have a safe one......
A simple response from me :
Blame culture - partially agree
Complicated SOP - agree
Outsourced training - agree
Rosters - agree
Cockpit gradient - don't agree as a culture, but perhaps individuals
Less competitive - agree
Have a safe one......
They have made sure that they keep a very close control on training despite pressure to outsource. Get on a plane and spend a day in a Norwegian planning room then a day in a UK one. Again things are not perfect in Norway, but in general the pilots are better looked after, have better rosters, therefore more time away from base which perhaps translates to them being more motivated when at work. The culture is far less of a hierarchy, where everyone has a far more equal say. Even the cockpit gradient is far flatter than some might be used to in the UK. Many things over the years have contributed to this but there is a far less competitive environment internally than one typically finds in the UK. Take care of your people and they will take care of you.
Which requires knowledge and intelligence rather than position and bull****.
Don't sugar coat it....tell us what your really think!
A long time ago i suggested a "Shields Down" review of the UK Offshore Helicopter Industry to include every facet of it....private business, government, the lot.
I also said the chances of that happening are about as likely as my being elected King.
The Panel that met in Aberdeen confirmed I have no need to pack any suitcases just yet.
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I also said the chances of that happening are about as likely as my being elected King.
The Panel that met in Aberdeen confirmed I have no need to pack any suitcases just yet.
The Panel that met in Aberdeen confirmed I have no need to pack any suitcases just yet.
No room for you yet at Balmoral old boy!
148 flown from oil platform after power outage
That would have taken a bit of flying time: was anyone here involved?
That would have taken a bit of flying time: was anyone here involved?
NEARLY 150 oil workers had to be flown off a North Sea platform after a power cut left it in darkness.
A total of 148 non-essential rig personnel were flown off oil giant Shell’s Nelson platform by helicopter on Tuesday.
And one of the helicopters making the transfer to an offshore accommodation unit had to make an unscheduled landing on another oil platform after a cockpit light came on.
A Shell spokeswoman yesterday described the rig incident as a “non-emergency” situation.
She said: “Shell UK Limited can confirm that there was a power outage on the Nelson platform, which is located approximately 124 miles east north-east of Aberdeen.
“Nelson was shut down for maintenance at the time and was not producing oil or gas.
“Work to restore main power on the platform continues with essential staff on board.
“As a precaution a non-emergency operation to remove staff to the nearby Borgholm Dolphin flotel was carried out yesterday.
“Personnel will be transported back to the Nelson platform or to Aberdeen over the next 48 hours as appropriate. There are no reports of any injuries as a result of this outage.
“The relevant authorities have been informed.”
Only 19 of the the 167 staff on board were left on the platform following the downmanning.
The platform was not producing oil or gas at the time of the blackout.
CHC confirmed that one of their helicopters was diverted to an Apache-operated platform in the Forties field before completing the passenger transfer.
It is understood it was not an emergency situation.
A spokeswoman for helicopter firm CHC said: “A helicopter was diverted and landed safely on the Forties Delta platform after a cockpit light was observed by the pilot.”
The power outage took place on the Nelson platform, 124 miles north east of Aberdeen, just before 6am on Tuesday.
The rig was undergoing planned maintenance when there was a loss of power at 5.50am.
RMT regional organiser Jake Molloy said yesterday that Shell had done “the right thing” in the circumstances.
He said: “Shell contacted us and gave us a briefing on this - a pre-cautionary downmanning due to a lack of power.
“This is what should be done in those circumstances.
“If there is no power for the life support services - air conditioning, lighting and such - you have got to put the guys to a place of safety - in this case the Borgholm Dolphin.
“Shell said it was hoping to get the platform up and running again as soon as possible.
“You can’t leave people on installations when you have power outages.”
by ALAN SHIELDS
A total of 148 non-essential rig personnel were flown off oil giant Shell’s Nelson platform by helicopter on Tuesday.
And one of the helicopters making the transfer to an offshore accommodation unit had to make an unscheduled landing on another oil platform after a cockpit light came on.
A Shell spokeswoman yesterday described the rig incident as a “non-emergency” situation.
She said: “Shell UK Limited can confirm that there was a power outage on the Nelson platform, which is located approximately 124 miles east north-east of Aberdeen.
“Nelson was shut down for maintenance at the time and was not producing oil or gas.
“Work to restore main power on the platform continues with essential staff on board.
“As a precaution a non-emergency operation to remove staff to the nearby Borgholm Dolphin flotel was carried out yesterday.
“Personnel will be transported back to the Nelson platform or to Aberdeen over the next 48 hours as appropriate. There are no reports of any injuries as a result of this outage.
“The relevant authorities have been informed.”
Only 19 of the the 167 staff on board were left on the platform following the downmanning.
The platform was not producing oil or gas at the time of the blackout.
CHC confirmed that one of their helicopters was diverted to an Apache-operated platform in the Forties field before completing the passenger transfer.
It is understood it was not an emergency situation.
A spokeswoman for helicopter firm CHC said: “A helicopter was diverted and landed safely on the Forties Delta platform after a cockpit light was observed by the pilot.”
The power outage took place on the Nelson platform, 124 miles north east of Aberdeen, just before 6am on Tuesday.
The rig was undergoing planned maintenance when there was a loss of power at 5.50am.
RMT regional organiser Jake Molloy said yesterday that Shell had done “the right thing” in the circumstances.
He said: “Shell contacted us and gave us a briefing on this - a pre-cautionary downmanning due to a lack of power.
“This is what should be done in those circumstances.
“If there is no power for the life support services - air conditioning, lighting and such - you have got to put the guys to a place of safety - in this case the Borgholm Dolphin.
“Shell said it was hoping to get the platform up and running again as soon as possible.
“You can’t leave people on installations when you have power outages.”
by ALAN SHIELDS
Oil workers airlifted off North Sea platform after nearby vessel fire
Non event? Over reaction?
A North Sea oil platform has been partially evacuated after a supply vessel caught fire 12 miles from the installation.
Around 150 workers were taken off the Lomond platform after a blaze broke out on the Edda Frende around 6am on Friday.
Platform bosses feared the Norwegian vessel, which was under contract to Shell, would collide with the BG Group-operated rig.
But the Frende was later brought under tow and is being taken to Aberdeen for repairs.
A BG Group spokesman said: "We took a precautionary step to demobilise personnel from its Lomond platform and Borgholm Dolphin flotel this morning.
"This was due to the potential risk posed by a stricken vessel some 12 miles away.
"Although the threat of a collision was small we decided to ensure as many of our people as possible were removed from any potential incident. The Lomond platform has been shut in since October as it undergoes a major investment and maintenance programme.”
A spokesman for Frende owners Østensjø Rederi added: "Our platform supply vessel, Edda Frende, reported a fire in the ship's engine room. The fire was quickly extinguished and the situation is now under control.
"The crew are safe and are doing fine. There are no injuries to any of the 14 crew members onboard. The ship was on its way from Aberdeen to the oilfield on British sector and will now return to Aberdeen for investigation and repair."
The coastguard were made aware of the incident but did not dispatch any assets.
Around 150 workers were taken off the Lomond platform after a blaze broke out on the Edda Frende around 6am on Friday.
Platform bosses feared the Norwegian vessel, which was under contract to Shell, would collide with the BG Group-operated rig.
But the Frende was later brought under tow and is being taken to Aberdeen for repairs.
A BG Group spokesman said: "We took a precautionary step to demobilise personnel from its Lomond platform and Borgholm Dolphin flotel this morning.
"This was due to the potential risk posed by a stricken vessel some 12 miles away.
"Although the threat of a collision was small we decided to ensure as many of our people as possible were removed from any potential incident. The Lomond platform has been shut in since October as it undergoes a major investment and maintenance programme.”
A spokesman for Frende owners Østensjø Rederi added: "Our platform supply vessel, Edda Frende, reported a fire in the ship's engine room. The fire was quickly extinguished and the situation is now under control.
"The crew are safe and are doing fine. There are no injuries to any of the 14 crew members onboard. The ship was on its way from Aberdeen to the oilfield on British sector and will now return to Aberdeen for investigation and repair."
The coastguard were made aware of the incident but did not dispatch any assets.