Bond do seem to be advertising. Picked up a copy of Flight International last night and theres a full page add mentioning they have won the bp contract from 2004 and will be advertising vacancies soon. They want people who are interested to get in touch. They even mention sponsorship!!!

I've sent you the address by private message as not sure whether it's advertising or not.

From the Press & Journal

HELICOPTER FIRM LOOKING TO RECRUIT


09:00 - 15 January 2003

The helicopter firm that is returning to Aberdeen after winning a lucrative 10-year deal with oil giant BP has advertised for staff today.

Bond Offshore Helicopters, run by brothers Peter and Stephen Bond, has asked pilots and engineers to register their interest with it in an advert in the Press and Journal.

Bond is taking over the BP contract, believed to be worth £260million, from CHC Scotia in August, 2004.

CHC confirmed to the Amicus-AEEU union last week that it was looking to axe 39 permanent staff and 18 contract workers in Aberdeen on top of 19 pilots that were previously announced.

Bond has already announced that it is buying six of the latest Super Puma twin-engine helicopters in a £53million deal for the contract. It also said it would relocate its offshore operations to Aberdeen Airport later this year from its current base in Gloucestershire.

The Bond brothers run extensive aviation interests in the UK and internationally.

Bond expects to employ 80 staff in Aberdeen.

The brothers sold their previous North Sea operation to CHC-owned Scotia Helicopters in 1999. They agreed at that time not to become involved in the North Sea market for two years.

Bond recruiting
 

To Kissmysquirrel;

Could you email me the address of Bond Helicopters Ltd. I have quite a lot of offshore experience. Wouldn't mind to get closer to home. I would appreciate it.


Regards, Alouette:)

I just hope that pilots coming to Aberdeen are wise enough to ensure that in the middle / long term pilots’ conditions don’t suffer.

Surely many people will want to enjoy the present level of conditions that pilots enjoy in the North Sea at present. Those conditions were achieved by CHC Scotia and Bristow pilots standing up united in 2001. Also our Norwegian and Danish colleagues played their part. It will be long before we have a similar opportunity in the future.

Now companies and unions are learning to work together. Conflicts sometimes are the order of the day, but that is part of the adaptation process. Sooner rather than later we’ll get a culture where both parties understand how to work together in one common direction while looking after their own interest.

Bond brothers were always anti-union, and the chances are this time they will do their best to prevent their pilots getting unionised. If they succeed, it won’t be long before we start losing terrain again.

So if you want a job in the North Sea and Bond is your option, be aware of the terms and conditions they’re going to offer (watch the space!). If you go for it, make sure that once the group is up and running you get your act together and you don’t jeopardise all the progress that your fellow pilots made for you in 2001.

A cynical reading of the ad (which really only announces an intent and offers the chance to register) is:

Wannabies apply - we'll train you and pay you a pitance
FOs - join Bond and fast track to captain

.... and then stay in those postions for 10 years or till we expand.

Interesting further gen in the BP Jigsaw thread which casts doubt on the BP contract's long term future.

Interesting that they are operating out of 'BAS Towers' at Staverton, since though the brothers had to stay onshore for 2 years, BAS have to stay out of the North Sea for 5. I hope they have a decent chinese wall.

I have some experience with Bond and would only say that if you are tempted to work for them go ahead but get a union card before you turn up! If you do not have the protection of a strong unionised workforce they will take liberties - they must be going in at a very low rate and the best way to save money on the North Sea is to pay low and screw the most hours out the flight and engineering crews. Good Luck but watch your backs!

Wiz

Anyone think BP selling the 40s will have any effect on this contract

To Kissmysquirrel,

Is there any chance that you could e-mail me Bond address as well, please? I have no north sea experience but I am willing to learn. Many thanks, Fatspice.:D

could you be so nice and e-mail me also the Bond address, I´ve been trying to locate Bond and called to Aberdeen last week and some guy on the airport informed me that they wouldn´t set up their base until later on ??....dont know more but sure would appreciate some mort info about Bond..thanks

Some are headhunted
 

Some are made to apply again and again and some are hounded to come and work for the good of the company. A certain South African Australian executive director has been appointed the managing director of the new bond operation. Good luck Bond, he is a good man, bad luck those poor b@st@rds still working for CHC Australia under the trotters of the pig!

What will Bond take over ? The 40's are being sold as well as the Montrose and Arbroath platforms ! That's just the Bruce and West of Shetland rigs as Bristows fly to the Magnus .
Just a thought .

:D

Don't forget the Miller, Harding and ETAP and I think a couple of others although names do not spring to mind at the moment.

There is a report in todays press that Miller is to be the next sell-off. Talisman are reported to be the interested party.

But don't forget the Claire field is being developed which is to be new platform West of Shetland.

I think a company like BP would know their short-medium term strategy very well before signing a 10 year deal with Bond.

You assume that the aviation dept knows the advance plans of bp. The 40s people only found out that they had been "sold" the day it happened. The Clare platform and the rest of their west of Shetland operations will only support a max of 2-3 Pumas a day not 6. Remember that the perfect oil platform is one that is run from the beach and that is the oil companies goal so you can expect a rundown of offshore helicopter support as we get further into the 21st century.

HF:sad:

Clarence
 

You have my attention......what is Trotters of Pig???

Feet of Swine..????

Over to you please.

Hummingfrog - I take your point about the sale of 40's, however most of the onshore and offshore support staff are contractors emmployeed through service contracts and are not direct employees of BP. There is no way that a comany like BP would reveal it's strategy to them.

As far as unmanned and fully automated platforms - I agree, every operators dream. However as long as we have offshore platforms, there will be a requirement for personnel such as drilling, commissioning, maintenance and production. I can think of many 'new' platfroms with state of the art productions facilities etc that are now being retrofitted to increase their accomodation capacity. Why? Because the operators suddenly find they need more offshore support staff than the accountants / economists said they would (should).

There is no doubt that the north sea is continuing to decline (for the time being) however as we tend further towards becoming a net energy importer rather than exporter, who knows what incentives may appear via the Government, who will ultimately want to see this industry remain in force until every viable barrel has been squeezed out.

The point I actually want to make is that I do not believe the Bond brothers would have come back into this industry, signing such a deal with BP, without considering the older assets which BP may have been consider disposing of. They are successful businessmen and know how the NS oil industry works.

GJB

I think that the Bonds will be concerned at what is happening with bp. The sale of the 40s to Apache came as a complete shock to the bp personnel offshore (OIMs OTLs etc). On the Monday morning they were working for bp and by the afternoon they had been sold to Apache with no warning or ability to stay with bp. It would be the same as a RAF Sqn Ldr being in the RAF one minute and being told the next minute that he was now a Major in the Army.

This decision was taken way above the level of asset manager and therefore when the aviation dept gave Bond the bp contract they gave it with the idea that 6 a/c would be required for bp work. This will not be the case if the present rate of sale of bp assets goes on, Miller just being the next on the list. Look out for Andrew, Brae, Everest, Harding, Lomond but probably not ETAP.

Bond were given this contract because bp wanted a 3rd operator in the N Sea. The new owners of the bp assets may not be interested in this but want to continue with the operator who is giving them good service at present


A year is a long time in the N Sea!

HF:D

HF

All good an valid points.

I still think the Bonds would have considered the eventuality of BP's sale of assets. The production from these assets, has been low/marginal for many years; this does not fit in with BP's strategy.

Production figures are readily available within the public domain. I think Forties (A,B,C,D & E) cumulative production is on average 48,000 boe today.

I cannot believe that the Bonds would not have considered this.

To all

Moving away from the oil platform debate, just for this question, has anyone actually wrote to Bond and heard anything back?? Any news of the supposed 'sponsorship' training????!!!!

Just thought i would ask!

I believe anyone being sponsored will have to go to CABAIR to be trained, both for the IR and ab initio.

Don`t know any more details at present.