tirsdag 19. november 2013

SAR - Bristow på hugget

Bristow bids for more SAR work

  DOMINIC PERRY LONDON
05:55 8 Nov 2013 
Source: 
Helicopter operator Bristow Group is targeting a number of new
opportunities tosupply search and rescue services as 
governments increasingly outsourceprovision to the private sector.
Earlier this year subsidiary Bristow Helicopters won a 10-year
contract to takeover the running of UK SAR operations from the 
nation's armed forces,commencing in 2015.
Speaking on a second-quarter earnings call on 8 November,
Mark Duncan, s
enior vice-president commercial at the Texas-headquartered
company, said asuccessful implementation of the UK contract 
will lead to other potential deals. "We expect future outsourcing of 
that type to rely on the success of the [UK] project," he said.
However, the majority of near-term opportunities are being
generated bycustomers in the oil and gas segment, which are 
setting up operations in newocations without local SAR cover, 
but with a "requirement to provide that serviceto the offshore 
workforce", says Duncan. "That's providing most of the
incremental opportunities."
Bristow has identified 16 different opportunities for SAR work,
including Australia, Brazil, Libya, the Netherlands, Nigeria and the 
Falkland Islands, where it is pre-qualified to bid for a contract from 
the UK government.
Since June it has used two Sikorsky S-92s based in Sumburgh,
Shetland toprovide SAR cover for the UK authorities. In July these 
were augmented by asecond pair of S-92s operating from 
Stornoway on the Isle of Lewis. Since the start of the so-called Gap 
SAR work, those aircraft have performed 120 missions,
says Bristow.
Meanwhile, the company continues working to return its global fleet
ofEurocopter EC225s to full service, following the type's October 
2012 grounding, which was only lifted in July this year.
Bristow says five aircraft have been modified and returned to
operations, and ithas embarked on an engagement process with 
customers to ensure the rest ofthe contracted fleet is redeployed. 
"What's delaying that is that customers aregoing to their workforce 
and making sure they are fully confident in the safety
of the aircraft," says Duncan.

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