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.

About Avincis Group

Bond Offshore Helicopters provides Energy Support services for the oil and gas industry, and Search and Rescue support, in the central and northern North Sea and west of Shetland.

Bond Offshore Helicopters is part of the Avincis Group. Avincis is the world’s leading provider of mission critical aviation services. Last year, Avincis companies flew over 108,500 hours, conducted over 50,600 emergency health care missions, rescued more than 8,600 people at sea or on mountains, helped to put out over 7,800 fires and carried more than 175,900 passengers in the oil and gas industries.

Avincis has a global footprint, which includes the UK, Spain, Italy, France, Portugal, Ireland, Norway, Australia, Chile and Peru. The Group operates around 350 aircraft, employs almost 3,000 people worldwide and in 2011 had a turnover of €521 million (£421 million). The Group is headquartered in London.