Gulf of Mexico air rescue contract for Bristow
Bristow US has been awarded a contract with Hess Corporation for medevac and search and rescue services in the Gulf of Mexico.
Bristow US has been awarded a contract with energy company Hess Corporation for medevac and search and rescue (SAR) services in the Gulf of Mexico, the air rescue provider announced on 3 May. The deal is Bristow’s second contract to provide full SAR services in the Gulf of Mexico, said the firm.
“We are honoured to provide this critical lifesaving service on behalf of Hess,” said Bristow Americas Regional Director Samantha Willenbacher. “We are drawing on our years of experience of operating SAR around the world, including for all of the UK on behalf of the HM Coastguard, and partnering with Acadian Air Med to deliver the highest standard of rescue service and medical care in the Gulf of Mexico.”
As part of the contract, Hess joins Shell Offshore as the second member of the new SAR consortium formed by Bristow, which guarantees SAR and medevac response to members 24 hours a day, seven days a week, covering their entire Gulf of Mexico operations, said Bristow. The company will operate the new service from its standalone SAR facility at the South Lafourche Airport in Galliano, dedicating a Sikorsky S-92 and a Leonardo AW139 aircraft for the contract.
“We are using sophisticated helicopters to deploy multiple types of airborne rescues for the new service, with crews that are highly skilled and trained and ready to respond to any type of medical emergency,” said Willenbacher. “With our rescue fleet, all parts of the Gulf of Mexico are within reach of this lifesaving service.”
The S-92 will carry two pilots, a rescue hoist operator, a certified rescue swimmer, and a critical care transport-flight paramedic.