Press Release
Issued by Offshore Helicopter Services UK.
March 12, 2013
Two Bond Offshore Helicopters (Bond) Search and Rescue (SAR) crewmen have been awarded the Billy Deacon SAR Memorial Trophy 2012, in recognition of their key role in a dramatic North Sea rescue last December. The award honours SAR winchmen and operators who have shown great skill and courage in carrying out rescues over land or sea within the UK.
As part of a multi-agency rescue effort coordinated by the Coastguard, one of Bond's SAR aircraft was first to reach the rig standby vessel Vos Sailor. Despite extremely poor weather and sea conditions, winchman Andrew Cowx volunteered to remain on the deck of the stricken vessel for an hour, to manage the rescue of three remaining members of the ship's crew, after winch operator Paul Walters had already lifted eight members of the crew to safety.
The Vos Sailor had lost all power after being hit by a wave, which meant that rescue operations had to be conducted in the dark, and with considerable heave and roll of the vessel. Cowx had also badly injured his foot whilst being lowered onto the vessel. Before rescue aircraft arrived on the scene, one member of the Vos Sailor crew had unfortunately lost their life.
Managing director of Bond Offshore Helicopters Luke Farajallah said: 'Andrew and Paul displayed outstanding courage, composure and selflessness in the face of extremely challenging and hazardous conditions, and I can think of no more deserving winners of the Trophy. Of course they are part of a broader team, and I would also like to commend Captain Graham Stein and Co-Pilot Nick Smalley for their part in this rescue'.
The Billy Deacon SAR Memorial Trophy was established to further the memory of Mr Billy Deacon who was serving as winchman on board the Coastguard helicopter based at Sumburgh, who in November 1997 lost his life during the rescue of 10 crew members from the MV Green Lily off Shetland.
The trophy is awarded by a committee chaired by the Operations Director of the RNLI and which includes representatives from the RAF, Royal Navy and Coastguard Helicopter Flights. It will be presented on 14 May, in a ceremony in London.
Bond has been providing SAR services in the North Sea since 2006, during which time it has flown over 330 rescue missions. Bond's offshore SAR operation comprises two dedicated, specially-modified Eurocopter Super Puma AS332L2 Mark II helicopters under a long-term contract with BP to provide 24-hour airborne SAR and medical evacuation in a unique UK BP North Sea initiative known as Jigsaw. One of the high-specification, twin-engine aircraft is based at Sumburgh Airport, Shetland, the other on BP's Miller platform, in the central North Sea.
