Fuel tank contamination grounds Cougar offshore helicopters

There was some disruption in travel plans for offshore oil workers on Tuesday, after Cougar Helicopters put its flights on hold to investigate a fuel tank contamination.

In an emailed statement to CBC News, Cougar spokesperson Candace Moakler said the company's engineering department discovered "contamination in the fuel tanks of one of its helicopters" during routine overnight inspections.

The unspecified contamination was then sent for analysis.

"Cougar took the proactive step to inspect all its aircraft and suspended its flying program, as each aircraft needed to be cleared for flight one at a time, either through direct inspection or analysis," she said.

Moakler said all remaining aircraft were cleared to resume flying by noon on Tuesday.

Cougar also inspected and cleared its offshore installation fuel tanks and local fuel supplier trucks.

As of late Tuesday afternoon, the Cougar website still listed some flights as delayed or cancelled, while others were rerouted through vessel transfer.

Cougar didn't reply to questions from CBC News about how many workers on rotation would be affected by the incident.

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