Posted in accidents, Gulf of Mexico, Offshore Energy - General, tagged helicopters, helideck safety, HSAC, Island Operating Co., NTSB, Offshore Wind, Walter Oil and Gas on March 7, 2023| Leave a Comment »
Presentations from the January 2023 HSAC meeting have now been posted. None of the presentations addresses the tragic crash in the Gulf of Mexico on 29 December. This is understandable given the ongoing investigation.
Attached is an update from the Helideck Committee which also addresses wind farm issues.
Posted in accidents, Gulf of Mexico, tagged 2021 incident data, 2022 helicopter crashes, helicopters, HSAC on January 3, 2023| 2 Comments »
Note the third paragraph in the cover letter for the attached Helicopter Safety Advisory Conference (HSAC) 2021 Safety Review (dated 2/10/2022), particularly this sentence:
There is a trend of doing more with less, for example decreases in the numbers of helicopters across the board, yet increases year-over-year in passengers carried, hours flown, and number of flights conducted.
The 2022 data will not be pretty. Clearly there are issues to be addressed.
Posted in accidents, Gulf of Mexico, Offshore Energy - General, tagged Chevron, helicopters, HSAC, safety on July 19, 2022| 2 Comments »
Chevron may be the only GoM operator to own its helicopter fleet. Data on their safety performance relative to GoM helicopter contractors do not appear to be available online.
Their news release focuses on hurricane preparedness and the benefits of owning their fleet. I’m not sure how significant these advantages are given that other companies can ensure similar availability through their contracts. A comparative analysis would be of interest.
“Other companies that depend on contracted helicopters to evacuate can’t create their own schedule and might have to start departing the platform days in advance,” said Jose Jaramillo, manager of Chevron’s aircraft operations in the Gulf of Mexico. “With our own helicopters on standby, we have more flexibility in determining when to safely shut down the platform, and after the storm passes, we can quickly remobilize, assess our facilities and bring production back online days faster.”
Chevron.com
The Helicopter Safety Advisory Conference (HSAC) does a very good job of identifying and addressing Gulf of Mexico helicopter safety issues. Per HSAC (report attached):
The leading causes, not all inclusive, of the accidents since 1999 are listed below, and secondary causes of these events include 13 related to helideck size or design related issues.
• 21 engine related,
• 25 loss of control or improper procedures,
• 18 helideck obstacle strikes,
• 13 controlled flight into terrain, and
• 12 other technical failures
Bud's Offshore Energy (BOE) 