One person has died following the crash of the helicopter outside Bergen in Norway, which was on a training assignment for Equinor’s SAR service for the Oseberg area in the North Sea.
Bristow Group said that one of its search and rescue helicopters, registration LN-OIJ with six crew members onboard, was involved in an accident during a training exercise approximately 15 nautical miles offshore Norway.
At this time, the full resources of Bristow’s incident response team are being mobilized. The company is in the process of contacting and providing assistance to family members of those onboard and fully cooperating with authorities responding to the incident.
Equinor is cooperating closely with helicopter operator Bristow Norway and relevant authorities in the handling and follow-up of the incident.
The cause of the accident is not yet known. After the accident, Equinor decided to halt all regular flights on the Norwegian continental shelf out of consideration for those affected and to gain an overview of the situation.
“It is with deep sadness that we can report one fatality has been confirmed. The other five crew members have varying levels of injuries. Our thoughts are with all those affected during this incredibly difficult period,” Bristow Group said.
“This is a deeply tragic incident. Today is a difficult day for many, and our thoughts are with the families, close ones and others affected.
“Everyone on board the helicopter was on assignment for Equinor. Our key task now is to help take care of those involved. We express our thanks to the Joint Rescue Coordination Centre and everyone involved in the rescue operation and the ongoing work,” said Anders Opedal, Equinor’s chief executive officer.
Bristow Group aims to return to normal helicopter operations soon and is now making the necessary preparations to achieve this safely.