OFFSHORE workers have demanded a full public inquiry into poor helicopter safety on the tenth anniversary of the Super Puma helicopter tragedy today.

Sixteen people were killed when a Bond Super Puma plunged into the water off the Aberdeenshire coast on April 1, 2009.

The main cause of the crash was a breakage in the helicopter’s main gear box.

A similar problem led to the deaths of 13 more workers in a 2016 accident on the Norwegian coast.

The manufacturers of the helicopters, Airbus, have said both times that the crash was “unpreventable,” and that authorities had no power to change events.

However an Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) probe into the crash found that the aircraft suffered a “catastrophic failure” of its main rotor gearbox, while a fatal accident inquiry (FAI) in 2014 found that the tragedy might have been avoided.

Transport union RMT is calling for lasting changes to regulatory standards to make the industry safer in the wake of a series of tragedies in recent years.

Union general secretary Mick Cash said: “On the 10th anniversary of the Super Puma disaster off Peterhead that cost 16 workers their lives our thoughts are with the families, colleagues and friends affected by the tragedy.

“Offshore workers remain angry that despite a five-year fatal accident inquiry process we still await justice, meaningful changes and the public inquiry into helicopter safety in the North Sea that has long been our central demand.

“Meanwhile confidence in the safety of offshore helicopter transport has declined as we continue to see commercial pressures on standards in a culture of cost-cutting.

“On this grim anniversary for the industry the union pledges to step up the fight for North Sea helicopter safety, a public inquiry and lasting changes to regulatory standards that are the best way to restore offshore workers’ confidence.”

Paul Wheelhouse MSP, the Minister for Energy, Connectivity and the Islands, said: “We are very sympathetic to the underlying concerns of the offshore workforce, and have raised specific issues with employers on their behalf.

“However, we do not believe a public inquiry into helicopter safety would, at this time, add to the significant streams of work being undertaken by the Civil Aviation Authority, unions, operators and other stakeholders in developing and implementing a range of safety measures to address concerns that have been raised.”