CHC has just transferred two Eurocopter AS332L2 Super Pumas off the British register in preparation for a new role in Africa on contract to Royal Dutch Shell plc, who begin oil exploration work off Benin in the next few weeks.

The contract is for five years with five one-year options, is for transportation services and emergency medical evacuation capabilities to Shell’s Noble Globetrotter II Deepwater drillship’s operations. The services begin from July 2013, and it is understood that the two helicopters will initially be based at Cotonou in Benin. Future exploration will see the rig and helicopters move on to Gabon.

Shell has also targeted South Africa’s northwestern coast to start drilling in 2014.

The two aircraft are being put on the Cayman Islands register for this work – details as follows

Serial 2393 has transferred from G-CHCY to VP-CHE
Serial 2398 has transferred from G-WNSC to VP-CHC

The first of these two was noted carrying its new registration at Aberdeen on Friday.

Jeremy Parkin – HeliHub.com