SHELL has dropped plans to sign a multimillion-pound contract with a helicopter company after one of its aircraft ditched in the North Sea.

The oil company, which currently uses Bristow Helicopters to transport employees to the North Sea, had been looking at the possibility of working with Bond Offshore Helicopters but reviewed its decision.

The company has had three major incidents since 2009. In the most recent incident, 14 people were rescued when a Super Puma came down 25 miles off Aberdeen on May 10.

Sixteen people died when a Super Puma plunged into the sea when its gearbox failed while travelling to Aberdeen on April 1, 2009, and in February 2009, 18 people survived after a helicopter ditched in the North Sea.

Shell's decision comes just days after it emerged that Bond's managing director, Bill Munro, had stepped down.