Airline wins SPDC’s ‘safety conscious award’

By Ime Akpan
Lagos  

The production directorate of Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria (SPDC) has awarded the Safety Conscious Contractor of the Year Award to Caverton Helicopters in recognition its 75 million Lost Time Injury (LTI) free man-hours.
SPDC said in a statement that Caverton was nominated for and won the award in the Medium and High Risk category.
“Caverton Helicopters developed safety programmes to improve staff safety culture, raising the bar engagement sessions,

Safety Survey and ‘Aim for Zero’ campaign and actively ready to learn from previous incidents,” said SPDC.
Responding, the chief executive officer of Caverton, Mr. Olabode Makanjuola described the helicopter company as a “global conglomerate’ saying the company would extend its operations to other sub-Saharan African countries.

“We have a lot of plans in terms of diversification. We are already in Cameroon and we intend to further extend to other countries in sub-Saharan Africa. We are evolving to a global conglomerate,” he said.
Makanjuola also said the company would begin the construction of aircraft maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) facility at the international wing of the Murtala Muhammed Airport, Lagos as well as an aviation training centre.

Meanwhile, he said the company had approved the payment of N418 million dividends to its shareholders. This represented N12.5 kobo for every 50 kobo ordinary share held.

He said the company recorded an appreciable turnover growth of 15.7 per cent from N16.132 billion in 2012 to N18.663 billion in 2013.
Its profit after tax (PAT) at the 2013-year end stood at N1.875 billion as against N1.360 billion in 2012 representing a growth of 37.9 per cent.

The operating and administrative costs however increased by 25.8 per cent, from N13.431 billion in 2012 to N16.909 billion in 2013.