Europe
We operated our Europe business unit from seven bases in the U.K. and four bases
in Norway. Our Europe operations are managed from our facilities in Aberdeen,
Scotland. Based on the number of aircraft operating, we are one of the largest
providers of helicopter services in the North Sea, where there are harsh weather
conditions and geographically concentrated offshore facilities. The offshore
facilities in the Northern North Sea and Norwegian North Sea are large and require
frequent crew change flight services. In the Southern North Sea, the facilities
are generally smaller with some unmanned platforms requiring shuttle operations
to up-man in the morning and down-man in the evening. We deploy the majority
of the large aircraft in our consolidated fleet in Europe. Our clients in this
business unit are primarily major integrated and independent offshore energy
companies. We provide commercial SAR services for a number of oil and gas companies
operating in the Norwegian sector of the North Sea. We also provide SAR services
for North Scotland using four Sikorsky S-92 helicopters based in the Scottish
locations of Stornoway and Sumburgh. Our Europe operations are subject to seasonality
as drilling activity is lower during the winter months due to harsh weather
and shorter days.
Bristow Helicopters owns a 60% interest in Eastern Airways, a regional fixed
wing operator based in the U.K. Eastern Airways has 730 employees and its operations
focus on providing scheduled and charter services targeting U.K. oil and gas
transport. Eastern Airways operates 30 fixed wing aircraft. We believe our investment
in Eastern Airways strengthens our ability to provide a complete suite of point
to point transportation services for existing European based passengers, expand
helicopter services in certain areas like the Shetland Islands and create a
more integrated logistics solution for global clients.
West Africa
All of the aircraft in our West Africa business unit operated in Nigeria, where
we are the largest provider of helicopter services to the offshore energy industry.
We deploy a combination of small, medium and large aircraft in Nigeria and service
a client base comprised mostly of major integrated offshore energy companies.
We have six operational bases, with the largest bases located in Escravos, Lagos,
Port Harcourt and Eket. The marketplace for our services had historically been
concentrated predominantly in the oil rich swamp and shallow waters of the Niger
Delta area. More recently we have been undertaking work further offshore in
support of deepwater exploration. Operations in West Africa are subject to seasonality
as the Harmattan, a dry and dusty trade wind, blows between the end of November
and the middle of March. At times when the heavy amount of dust in the air severely
limits visibility, our aircraft are unable to operate.
North America
We operated our North America business unit from six operating facilities in
the U.S. Gulf of Mexico. We are one of the largest suppliers of helicopter services
in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico. Our clients in this business unit are mostly independent
and major integrated offshore energy companies. The U.S. Gulf of Mexico is a
major offshore energy producing region with approximately 2,600 production platforms
and 110 drilling rigs. The shallow water platforms are typically unmanned and
are serviced by small aircraft. The deepwater platforms are serviced by medium
and large aircraft. Among our strengths in this region, in addition to our operating
facilities, are our advanced flight-following systems and our widespread and
strategically located offshore fuel stations. Operations in the U.S. Gulf of
Mexico are subject to seasonality as the months of December through March typically
have more days of harsh weather conditions than the other months of the year.
Additionally, during the months of June through November, tropical storms and
hurricanes may reduce activity as we are unable to operate in the area of the
storm.
We own a 40% economic interest in Cougar, the largest offshore energy and SAR
helicopter service provider in Atlantic Canada. Cougar has approximately 280
employees and its operations are primarily focused on serving the offshore oil
and gas industry off Canada’s Atlantic coast. We leased nine large helicopters
and three shore-based facilities to Cougar, including state-of-the-art helicopter
passenger, maintenance and SAR facilities located in Newfoundland and Labrador.
Australia
We are the largest provider of helicopter services to the offshore energy industry
in Australia, where we have five bases located in Western Australia, three in
Victoria, one in Northern Territory and one in Queensland. These operations
are managed from our Australian head office facility in Perth, Western Australia.
Our operating bases are located in the vicinity of the major offshore energy
exploration and production fields in the North West Shelf, Browse and Carnarvon
basins of Western Australia and the Bass Straits in Victoria, where our fleet
provides helicopter services solely to offshore energy operators. We also provide
airport management services on Barrow Island in Western Australia. Our clients
in Australia are primarily major integrated offshore energy companies. We provide
SAR and medical evacuation services to the oil and gas industry in Australia
and engineering support to the Republic of Singapore Air Force’s (the
“RSAF”) fleet of helicopters at their base in Oakey, Queensland.
The RSAF contract has been re-awarded to Bristow Australia following a competitive
tender for five additional years with a five-year option.
Bristow Helicopters Australia owns an 85% interest in Airnorth, a regional fixed
wing operator based in Darwin, North Territory, Australia. Airnorth has 250
employees and its operations focus on providing both charter and scheduled services
targeting the energy and mining industries in Northern and Western Australia
as well as international services to Dili, Timor-Leste. Airnorth operates 13
fixed wing aircraft. We believe this investment strengthens our ability to provide
point to point transportation services for existing Australian based passengers,
expand helicopter services in certain areas in Southeast Asian markets and create
a more integrated logistics solution for global clients.