New helicopter service commences at Cork to decommission Kinsale gas fields

Kinsale gas fields ceased production last July after more than 40 years online

Pictured at the Weston Aviation hangar at Cork Airport, the site of the new NHV Base are L to R Neil Christie, Chief Pilot, NHV; Richard Trives, Base Manager, NHV; Niall MacCarthy, Managing Director, Cork Airport; and Paul Daly, Operations Director Ireland, Weston Aviation.

International offshore helicopter operator NHV Group has secured a contract with PSE Kinsale Energy Ltd in support of its decommissioning operations in the Celtic Sea.

Under the contract with NHV, helicopter transfer flights from Cork Airport starting in April will bring personnel to the Stena Spey drilling rig, about 50 km off the south coast of Cork performing essential energy-related services. NHV AS Denmark, NHV’s Danish branch, will be operating the contract. The agreement includes the provision of one Leonardo AW139 helicopter.

The Kinsale offshore gas fields officially ceased production last July after more than 40 years online, setting the stage for the decommissioning work to begin.

Niall MacCarthy, Managing Director at Cork Airport said the award of this contract demonstrates the importance of Cork Airport, which has remained open throughout the pandemic, for essential services including helicopter flights out to the offshore rigs, as well as vital search and rescue operations.

"In addition, we continue to facilitate medical emergency and organ transplant operations as well as scheduled commercial flights currently to London Heathrow and Amsterdam hubs. This reflects our diverse range of flight operations. We look forward to working with our new partners NHV into the future.”

Lars Skov, Managing Director for NHV AS and Group Commercial Manager said: “We are delighted to be partnering with Kinsale Energy on this project and feel confident that its offshore workforce will appreciate our passion for safe and reliable operations. I am also proud that within a month’s time, our team has established a fully operational base at Cork Airport. A solid proof of the agility, flexibility and adaptability that have always been present in NHV’s DNA”.