NHV GROUP: 25 Years of Safe, Reliable, Quality Offshore Service

Standing on the large, open helipad at Norwich International Airport in the east of England, there is a light breeze and gentle spit of rain. “There,” the NHV Base Manager points far in the distance. “It’s coming in now, we should go inside as it will get noisy,” he says.

Alongside the main runway, next to the large NHV hanger, a seven-tonne yellow chopper, with 12 people on board, slowly approaches the tarmac, touching down softly – minimal fuss, maximum safety on its return from the North Sea.

The passengers, in full-body yellow protective gear, and crew – in orange suits – disembark, bags are unloaded, and there is a 30-minute window for refuelling and inspection before the Leonardo AW139 takes off once again, heading to North Sea oil and gas platforms, moving at 140mph, high above the land and sea.

The operation is smooth, efficient, and fast. The people involved are highly professional and stick to strict processes – there is a well-drilled manner about the team, but an air of confidence. Each knows their role and they do it smiling. Norwich is a great location; just 20 miles from the coast, minimal traffic, with full infrastructure in place – easy and clear for choppers getting out to the vast expanse beyond the beaches.

NHV is a B2B helicopter operator with a range of services for different industries. Established in 1997, the company is celebrating a quarter century of operation. Growing from a small concern in Ostend, Belgium, NHV is today home to more than 500 people, more than 50 helicopters, and operates across two continents.

As a key operator in the offshore energy industry, NHV has built strong relationships with operators and contractors. The brand is trusted to deliver and, after 25 years of safe and successful flying, the future holds much promise despite unique challenges.

As the next flight out to Rowan Gorilla V – one of the world’s largest jack-up rigs, on contract in the North Sea – departs from Norwich, the sun shines from behind the silver clouds and Jamie John, VP: Oil & Gas talks about the future of flight for this exciting, reliable partner.

FIERCE COMPETITION

His vision, and that of the company, is to become an operator of choice, leading the way in the oil and gas market, and commanding leading market share across all the areas and geographies in which it flies.

“In simple terms that means we want to expand and sustain our European operations, where we see growth opportunities. The UK, Denmark, and the Netherlands are key to this in the oil and gas market along with our renewables sector. Further to that, focus on our West Africa operations and on our third-party services such as maintenance (MRO) and government and military contracts. Organic growth is key and is our area of continued focus,” says John.

“We already have a presence in Ivory Coast, and looking to expand in areas such as Nigeria, Ghana, and Senegal. All areas that are well known to us as we had operations there previously.

“Market conditions will depend on which other geographical areas we focus on. Competition is fierce in the helicopter market so finding the correct market is key. Our focus for the short term is on sustainability and growth in our key areas such as Europe and West Africa.”

Over the years, the company has displayed a healthy ambition for growth through acquisition – being acquired by Ardian in 2013, acquiring the Blueway Group in 2014, and developing watertight partnerships with Airbus and Leonardo – and this has allowed it to become a prevalent player in the industry. But growth with existing clients is key in the organic strategy.

CONTRACT WINS

At the end of 2019, when the infamous BREXIT day approached, NHV like most other European companies had to untangle some of its processes to ensure legal compliance in both the EU and the UK. Naturally, the company was prepared and navigated the situation seamlessly for clients.

“We had to change our operations in the UK from operating under a Belgian Air operators’ certificate to operating under a UK AOC,” remembers John. “This included changing all our operating manuals to gain approval by the UK CAA. We continue to see further issues with recruitment into the UK from the EU. The whole process of managing BREXIT was a three-year project, and although we still have some issues, we have successfully managed to continue operations with minimum impact.”

COVID-19 was the challenge that followed and, as international travel dried up, helicopter companies had to address safety protocols and develop new standards to ensure commercial travel in the energy industries could continue. The business of clients was largely unaffected, with most falling under the ‘essential business’ designation and therefore being exempt from various regulations. NHV’s approach was quick and thorough, but the result was still a brief period of slowdown while industries came to terms with a new normal.  

“The impact of COVID-19 was huge on NHV,” admits John. “Our activity levels dropped over night and the uncertainty of how everything would play out was concerning. We did however manage to continue business despite things, such as supply chain disruption, staff shortages/sickness, and travel routes thrown into chaos. We also managed to provide a medical escort service dubbed the ‘Covid Copter’. The helicopters are still in use today and is used for flying home patients who have COVID from offshore oil and gas rigs.”

In 2019, pre-pandemic, flights were regular, and rigs were the usual hives of activity. Crew transfer was busy. NHV was awarded a contract by Petrofac to move crew offshore to the FPF1 floating production facility. The company would use H175 choppers out of its Aberdeen base and was confident that its vast experience with the model would perfectly suit the needs of Petrofac in the North Sea.

“We are delighted that Petrofac has decided to partner with NHV for its North Sea Operations. By adding the FPF1 to our portfolio, we further enhance our reputation in delivering safe and efficient helicopter services. The FPF1 passengers will benefit from our state-of-the-art handling facility, whilst experiencing the comfort and safety features of the H175,” said John, Base Manager at the time.

In April 2020, in the early stages of the pandemic, NHV opened its base in Midden-Zeeland in the Netherlands to support the construction and maintenance of the Borssele 1+2 Offshore Wind Farm. This amazing project will see wind power fuel the homes of one million Dutch homes. Just 23km from the coast, NHV was again confident and utilised the H145 Airbus model.

The following month saw the company pen a deal with Spirit Energy to provide crew transfer for operations in the Irish Sea. Flying out of a new base in Blackpool, a Leonardo AW169 supported production in the area.

Accountable Manager at the time, Mike Gislam – now the company’s COO – said: “We are honoured to be chosen aviation partner for Spirit’s East Irish Sea Operations. NHV continues to invest in fleet and training to take on unique projects just like this one. Our team is eager to deliver flexible and customer-friendly but above all safe operations. We look forward to further develop the cooperation with our client, airport, and local authorities.”

Ithaca Energy, a North Sea specialist, extended a contract with NHV in June 2020, realising the need for continued support from reliable partners during a difficult period. The company operates the FPF1 installation in the Scottish North Sea and NHV provides seven-day-a-week support from Aberdeen.

“We are extremely pleased with this important agreement, further strengthening our solid partnership with Ithaca Energy. This extension is a direct result of NHV’s continued commitment to safety and top-class service for our client and their passengers. We thank Ithaca Energy for their continued trust in NHV and we look forward to supporting them in the years ahead,” said John.

While many closed down and struggled as a result of the pandemic, NHV continued to churn out success in 2020. By July, the company was ready to announce a new contract with Shell UK and NAM in the southern North Sea. Two dedicated AW139 choppers – one from Norwich and one from Den Helder – move crew seamlessly.

“We are excited to secure this long-term contract, to work with Shell NAM helping them meet their transportation needs and are all eager to start flying on their behalf. The agreement strengthens our long-standing relationship with Shell where we have previously supported projects in Europe and Africa,” said Mike Gislam.

The continuous deployment of the company’s assets in Europe backs up an enviable track record. Later in the year, in December, NHV displayed diversification, partnering with the German Air Force on a maintenance contract for three H145 helicopters. As part of the arrangement, NHV also teamed with Milestone Aviation to provide three Airbus aircraft.

“We are honoured to become the first non-German company providing this kind of service to the German Armed Forces. The entire team is eager to show NHV’s capability in delivering high-quality maintenance programmes for external clients while we continue optimising our own maintenance processes,” said then-COO Thomas Hütsch (now Chief Executive Officer).

2021 – FLYING HIGH

NHV entered 2021 with similar gusto, continuing to build on the successes realised through 2020. In the first quarter, the company had already netted three more exciting contracts and extensions, and growth was inevitable.

At the start of February, NHV signed with Neptune Energy – a leading North Sea producer – to transfer crew to the Seagull Field development from Aberdeen. Using a H175, Neptune contractors will head out to site which will produce for a decade, starting at around 50,000 boe/d.

“We are delighted that Neptune Energy has decided to partner with NHV,” said John. “This new contract again allows us to showcase our safe, reliable, and efficient H175 services. We look forward to building a genuine and reliable partnership with Neptune Energy,” he added.

At the end of March, PSE Kinsale Energy awarded NHV a contract to support its operations in the Celtic Sea. The Stena Spey drilling rig works 50km off the coast of Cork, and NHV’s AW139 performed to perfection.

“We continue to navigate through challenging times,” states John. “With recent record increases in costs and delays in supply chain due to a variety of reasons, it does present us with challenges. We are constantly looking at ways to become more efficient and increase our sales. The market is constantly changing, but NHV is well placed and agile to be able meet market requirements.”

25 YEARS AND COUNTING

Clearly, NHV has the credentials to meet even the most challenging client requirements, and it has the spread to support across many vital energy spaces. Today, the company’s base portfolio spans Ostend (HQ), Midden-Zeeland, Rotterdam, Den Helder, Esbjerg, Norwich, Blackpool, Aberdeen, Le Touquet, Lanveoc, La Rochelle, Laupheim, Hyeres, Abidjan, Lagos and Accra. Services include passenger movement, maintenance, training, search and rescue, and more.

To celebrate the company’s achievements to date, events will take place that allow for recounting of historic successes while planning for the future. “We are running a yearlong communications campaign to celebrate this organisational milestone,” says John. “We are also celebrating with an event on July 1. These events are held locally at all our bases across the world, and the Executive Committee will live stream a presentation.”

A recent reshuffle in management structure has been introduced with the company looking to continue its impressive contract-winning streak. The second half of 2021 saw Thomas Hütsch, Mike Gislam, and Laurent Verhelst take executive positions, and Jamie John moving to head up oil and gas.

“The new structure is performing well, all new members of the senior management team are internal moves, so they already knew the business very well,” explains John. “We are already starting to see the positive impact and changes being implemented. This is reflected in business performance, and we expect this positive impact to continue into 2023 and beyond.”

In Norwich, where the site is reliant on oil and gas operations, there is a mood of optimism.

“We are growing in renewable energy, and supporting oil and gas clients with superior service,” says the Base Manager.

“We are already very active in the renewables sector and have been serving windfarms with helicopter flights in the UK since 2017. We do see this area as part of our growth strategy and continue to expand our services across the UK and Europe,” adds John.

In addition to renewables in the UK, it is the strategy of Bram de Backer, Vice President of Wind power and MRO, to continue to explore opportunities to diversify the company from oil and gas into the windfarm, training, and maintenance and repair sectors.

A quarter century in, this is a thriving company already planning for the long-term.

“We are very proud to celebrate this organisational milestone,” said Thomas Hütsch. “From humble beginnings, starting with one base in Ostend, we have since made phenomenal development to achieve our leading position in the helicopter market.

“Despite the oil and gas crisis, the pandemic, and major regulatory changes caused by the UK leaving the EU, our employees are the ones that have helped to shape NHV Group to be the successful company that we are today. We look forward to the next 25 successful years of safe flight operations.”

Inside the NHV hangar at Norwich, as one of the AW139 choppers sits in the hanger, rotary engine exposed, carefully overseen by master technicians, there is a surgical atmosphere – safety and quality are emphasised everywhere. With the UK energy mix changing, and a transition from oil and gas towards renewables well underway, the company feels it can participate and thrive. Able to land on service vessels or substations, or even winch techs straight onto nacelles, NHV has proven expertise and will be the perfect partner as the offshore market shifts. Globally, investment in oil and gas is falling, production levels are dropping, but 75% of the UK’s total energy is still generated through oil and gas operations. Boris Johnson set out a plan to power every UK home with offshore wind generated electricity by 2030 – requiring major investment with a turbine going up almost every day for the next 10 years. France has committed to 50 wind farms over the next 25 years, Belgium is amongst the world’s top offshore wind energy producers, the Netherlands hopes to reach 4.5 GW by the end of 2023, and Germany is targeting 80% renewables within its mix by 2030. For these lofty ambitions to be realised, skilled engineers must travel offshore and work to bring projects online – this means a trusted, proven helicopter partner will be required.

Who better than NHV – 25 years of reaching new heights. “Long term we want to become the European helicopter operator of choice,” concludes John.