Features Commercial Oil & Gas
Erickson to support oil and gas production in Ecuador

Based in Quito, the oil and gas provider is owned by parent company Eni
SpA, an integrated energy company headquartered in Italy. Services are
scheduled to start this month.  

The one-year deal, with an additional one-year service extension option, contracts two Erickson aircraft to provide transport of people and equipment for oil and gas exploration and production to the Villano Oil Field in Block 10, approximately 260 kilometres southeast of Quito. Agip Oil Ecuador has been operating the block since 2000. In September of this year, the company announced the discovery of an oil reserve potentially containing 300 million barrels of oil in place. Current facility production is approximately 12,500 barrels of oil per day. 
 
“I look forward to working with the team at Agip Oil Ecuador and we are thrilled to be helping on this important project for Ecuador’s oil and gas market,” said Udo Rieder, Erickson President and CEO. “Our extensive portfolio of successful and safe heavy-lift and passenger transport projects across the globe speaks to our trusted brand and reputation. Oil and gas companies continue to seek Erickson’s support for their most important business operations.”
 
Transport of equipment and personnel will be executed using an Erickson heavy lift S-64F model Aircrane and a Bell 214ST medium-lift helicopter. Aircranes and precision-lift aircraft are crucial to this oil and gas project to ensure no harm is done to the surrounding environment. The Villano Oil Field is regarded as setting the new standard for environmentally-conscious and socially responsible development in the rainforest. The operation was designed to meet the challenge of making oil and gas exploration and production compatible with conservation and sustainability goals. To minimize impact on the rainforest and its ecosystem, the field was developed without access roads or runways. People, drilling equipment and supplies for Agip Oil Ecuador’s operations will be transferred via Erickson’s helicopters.
 
“Our aircraft allow us to transport cargo and people, and perform heavy-lift operations in remote and environmentally protected areas around the world without disturbing the surrounding ecosystem. This contract reinforces our dedication to the South American oil and gas industries and demonstrates our ability to provide single-source solutions for heavy-lift and passenger transport to some of the most remote parts of the world,” Rieder added.