Rally Had Been Planned In The Wake Of Super Puma Ditching Friday

The U.K. National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers (RMT) canceled a planned protest near CHC Helicopter's Aberdeen heliport after securing what the union called a "massive breakthrough" on access to workers assigned to offshore platforms.

In its place, the union held a rally Wednesday at 11:00 am (local time) outside its headquarters in Aberdeen to call for safety improvements following the most recent Super Puma accident, according to a report appearing in the Ormskirk & Skelmersdale Advertiser.

Union leader Bob Crow said that Oil and Gas UK had made concessions allowing union representatives to talk to workers on offshore platforms, allowing them to "express their concerns" about the safety of the aircraft. "The rally will let people offshore know that we are doing everything possible to try to secure safety for them and their families," Crow said.

While some the aircraft has recovered, crews are reportedly still looking for the flight data recorder which was located in the tail section of the helicopter, according to the U.K. newspaper The Guardian. Teams from the Air Accident Investigation Branch have detected the alert beacon from the FDR, but had not yet located that portion of the aircraft as of Wednesday morning.

FMI: www.rmt.org.uk, www.aaib.gov.uk