31 December 2011, Sweetcrude, LAGOS – Caverton Helicopters, serving the logistics and aviation needs of oil and gas companies in Nigeria, has been awarde their first international contract.
The company has won a five-year contract to provide aviation logistics support services to Cameroon Oil Transportation Company SA (COTCO). COTCO is operated by ExxonMobil, which is also a stakeholder in the Company, along with Petronas Malaysia, Chevron and the governments of Chad and Cameroon.
Caverton Helicopters said in a statement that it will, as part of the contract, support a multi-billion dollar development project comprised of over 300 oil wells, expected to extract approximately one billion barrels of oil over twenty-five years. The project is one of Africa’s largest public/private development projects. Once extracted, oil will be transported by a 640 mile underground pipeline, through neighbouring Cameroon, to an offshore export loading facility. Caverton aims to serve oil and gas companies continent wide.
Under the terms of the contract, which was awarded last October, Caverton Helicopters will provide one DHC-6-300 (Twin otter) airplane. The Twin Otter to be provided is a 19-passenger high-winged, unpressurised, twin-engine turboprop utility aircraft developed by de Havilland Canada.
The aircraft has a fixed undercarriage, STOL (Short Takeoff and Landing) abilities and high rate of climb which has made it a successful cargo, regional passenger airliner and MEDEVAC aircraft. The aircraft will be equipped to serve oil and gas companies with colour weather radar, radar altimeter, and other state of the art navigational aids.
The contracted aircraft will be used for onshore pipeline surveillance and passenger transfer services. The duration of the contract is for five years, with the option to extend for four additional years.
