Who’s at sea and where do you work?

[Ritchie335is]

I’ve been working on here for 13yrs now, on a 28day rotation, in the Caspian Sea.
I’m on at the moment and doing a 5wk trip as I left a week early last trip to get Christmas off, it’s a bit of a thought really but was worth it.

[PurpleTurtle]

Interesting to read that the internet has killed a lot of the social life.

I read this book last year, all about life aboard a nuclear sub, a great read.

https://amzn.eu/d/0Hj0oUf

I know subs are more restrictive than regular ships, but he does make the point that personal time and space is very precious at sea. I guess however if you have your own cabin it is tempting to enjoy some, ahem, 'alone time' whilst the Starlink pipes in the interweb!

[ChevronB19]

PurpleTurtle said:

Interesting to read that the internet has killed a lot of the social life.

I read this book last year, all about life aboard a nuclear sub, a great read.

https://amzn.eu/d/0Hj0oUf

I know subs are more restrictive than regular ships, but he does make the point that personal time and space is very precious at sea. I guess however if you have your own cabin it is tempting to enjoy some, ahem, 'alone time' whilst the Starlink pipes in the interweb!

Thanks - just bought that on your recommendation. My dad wanted to be a merchant seaman, but in the immediate post war years his parents were terrified he’d get killed in some incident. As a geologist I came very close to going on rigs, but realised it wasn’t for me. Tales from my mates told me that for me I’d made the right decision not to, it just wasn’t for me.

I did go on a semi restored uboat once, bloody hell no wonder they had to get them drunk before they’d get in one. Still fascinates me though!

[Earthdweller]

Fascinating thread, never realised there were so many salty old sea dogs on here

I follow a chap called joe franta on YouTube who is a jobbing deck hand and has produced some interesting ( to me ) vlogs of his various trips

[Stick Legs]

DJFish said:

My last lot were one of the few remaining companies to have bars on board.
Despite the shenanigans that go with allowing sailors to (openly) drink I was always a strong advocate to keep the bars open due to the positive effects on social interaction & mental health.

A problem drinker is a problem drinker on a wet ship or a dry ship.

Banning alcohol is mostly down to reducing insurance cost. It also allow the Master a very cut & dried way of dealing with transgression.

[hidetheelephants]

If the super won't back you up getting rid of a drunkard the problem is the super, not the company booze policy.

[Shambler]

I work on a platform supply boat in the North Sea. The weather in winter when you end up out in 12m plus seas makes the trip verrrrrrrry long.

[DJFish]

Stick Legs said:

A problem drinker is a problem drinker on a wet ship or a dry ship.

Banning alcohol is mostly down to reducing insurance cost. It also allow the Master a very cut & dried way of dealing with transgression.

That’s true enough, even when the ships went dry for a project I’m sure people found a way, the interesting bit is when the Master is a problem drinker…not that that would ever happen.

[shirt]

Interesting thread.

What are the routes for careers offshore?

I’m 43, recently made redundant and not really suited for office work. Did my degree in aero engineering, 7yrs in heavy industry (steel) and the last 13yrs in the power industry building power stations in the worst parts of the world you can think of.

I reckon an offshore rotation would suit me. No wife/kids etc.

[Se7enheaven]

The craic offshore used to be brilliant prior to initially TV’s being installed in cabins and then finally internet. The excitement of finishing shift , the cokes and mars bars dished out and the “latest” movie being shown along with the wise cracks and banter was fantastic. A 12 hour shift tripping pipe or running casing was made bearable by the great laughs. I miss the good old days.

[Stick Legs]

DJFish said:

Stick Legs said:

A problem drinker is a problem drinker on a wet ship or a dry ship.

Banning alcohol is mostly down to reducing insurance cost. It also allow the Master a very cut & dried way of dealing with transgression.

That’s true enough, even when the ships went dry for a project I’m sure people found a way, the interesting bit is when the Master is a problem drinker…not that that would ever happen.

I’ve met a few. It’s very awkward. Especially as Mate or Chief Engineer.
Luckily I’m now the Old Man.

[Stick Legs]

shirt said:

Interesting thread.

What are the routes for careers offshore?

I’m 43, recently made redundant and not really suited for office work. Did my degree in aero engineering, 7yrs in heavy industry (steel) and the last 13yrs in the power industry building power stations in the worst parts of the world you can think of.

I reckon an offshore rotation would suit me. No wife/kids etc.

Hard to start that late but by no means impossible.

The career structure is aimed at school leavers, so normally you’re looking for a sponsoring company, then they put you on a college course and you blend college time & sea time over 3 years before gainful your first qualification, which these days is a Foundation degree & MCA Officer of Watch (Deck) or (Engine).

I know a guy who was at Nissan Sunderland and left to come to sea at 32.
The 3 years on £1k a month training wage was hard, but his extra experience, maturity & work ethic saw him promoted quite quickly. He’s now Chief Engineer at 41.

If you are serious PM me.

And look here:

https://www.careersatsea.org/

[nellystew]

Ritchie335is said:

I’ve been working on here for 13yrs now, on a 28day rotation, in the Caspian Sea.
I’m on at the moment and doing a 5wk trip as I left a week early last trip to get Christmas off, it’s a bit of a thought really but was worth it.

How common is it to work on the same rig for so long?

[nellystew]

swanny71 said:

Move people, vehicles, equipment, fuel and supplies from the mainland to the island.

Does he own a cat?

[PushedDover]

Stick Legs said:

shirt said:

Interesting thread.

What are the routes for careers offshore?

I’m 43, recently made redundant and not really suited for office work. Did my degree in aero engineering, 7yrs in heavy industry (steel) and the last 13yrs in the power industry building power stations in the worst parts of the world you can think of.

I reckon an offshore rotation would suit me. No wife/kids etc.

Hard to start that late but by no means impossible.

The career structure is aimed at school leavers, so normally you’re looking for a sponsoring company, then they put you on a college course and you blend college time & sea time over 3 years before gainful your first qualification, which these days is a Foundation degree & MCA Officer of Watch (Deck) or (Engine).

I know a guy who was at Nissan Sunderland and left to come to sea at 32.
The 3 years on £1k a month training wage was hard, but his extra experience, maturity & work ethic saw him promoted quite quickly. He’s now Chief Engineer at 41.

If you are serious PM me.

And look here:

https://www.careersatsea.org/

Hello Shirt, remember me ??
New games could lead to new options - from what I’ve see of your progress a life offshore could / should entail ‘client rep’ or project type vs seafarer type roles

[hidetheelephants]

Stick Legs said:

shirt said:

Interesting thread.

What are the routes for careers offshore?

I’m 43, recently made redundant and not really suited for office work. Did my degree in aero engineering, 7yrs in heavy industry (steel) and the last 13yrs in the power industry building power stations in the worst parts of the world you can think of.

I reckon an offshore rotation would suit me. No wife/kids etc.

Hard to start that late but by no means impossible.

The career structure is aimed at school leavers, so normally you’re looking for a sponsoring company, then they put you on a college course and you blend college time & sea time over 3 years before gainful your first qualification, which these days is a Foundation degree & MCA Officer of Watch (Deck) or (Engine).

I know a guy who was at Nissan Sunderland and left to come to sea at 32.
The 3 years on £1k a month training wage was hard, but his extra experience, maturity & work ethic saw him promoted quite quickly. He’s now Chief Engineer at 41.

If you are serious PM me.

And look here:

https://www.careersatsea.org/

He's got a STEM degree, unless it's very mickey mouse or a 3rd/non-honours that should get shirt onto a marine engineer graduate conversion course which is only ~18 months of which 6-8 months college, at least 6 months seatime and a handful of MTCW courses. If he wants to stare out of windows then it's the full 3 years.

[DJFish]

Stick Legs said:

I know a guy who was at Nissan Sunderland and left to come to sea at 32.

Probably dazzled by the glamorous lifestyle of the car boat crews working out of Teesside!
I first went to sea on one aged 16 as a supernumerary.
It was a converted ro-ro with the bow doors welded up, just after I took this photo in Barcelona I was propositioned by a lady & her daughter who wanted to stow away in my cabin & ‘work their passage’ back to the UK.

[ColdoRS]

hidetheelephants said:

Stick Legs said:

shirt said:

Interesting thread.

What are the routes for careers offshore?

I’m 43, recently made redundant and not really suited for office work. Did my degree in aero engineering, 7yrs in heavy industry (steel) and the last 13yrs in the power industry building power stations in the worst parts of the world you can think of.

I reckon an offshore rotation would suit me. No wife/kids etc.

Hard to start that late but by no means impossible.

The career structure is aimed at school leavers, so normally you’re looking for a sponsoring company, then they put you on a college course and you blend college time & sea time over 3 years before gainful your first qualification, which these days is a Foundation degree & MCA Officer of Watch (Deck) or (Engine).

I know a guy who was at Nissan Sunderland and left to come to sea at 32.
The 3 years on £1k a month training wage was hard, but his extra experience, maturity & work ethic saw him promoted quite quickly. He’s now Chief Engineer at 41.

If you are serious PM me.

And look here:

https://www.careersatsea.org/

He's got a STEM degree, unless it's very mickey mouse or a 3rd/non-honours that should get shirt onto a marine engineer graduate conversion course which is only ~18 months of which 6-8 months college, at least 6 months seatime and a handful of MTCW courses. If he wants to stare out of windows then it's the full 3 years.

Do they still do the fast track courses? I know the ETO ones were canned when they introduced the CoC but can’t speak for Engineers.

[Stick Legs]

ColdoRS said:

hidetheelephants said:

Stick Legs said:

shirt said:

Interesting thread.

What are the routes for careers offshore?

I’m 43, recently made redundant and not really suited for office work. Did my degree in aero engineering, 7yrs in heavy industry (steel) and the last 13yrs in the power industry building power stations in the worst parts of the world you can think of.

I reckon an offshore rotation would suit me. No wife/kids etc.

Hard to start that late but by no means impossible.

The career structure is aimed at school leavers, so normally you’re looking for a sponsoring company, then they put you on a college course and you blend college time & sea time over 3 years before gainful your first qualification, which these days is a Foundation degree & MCA Officer of Watch (Deck) or (Engine).

I know a guy who was at Nissan Sunderland and left to come to sea at 32.
The 3 years on £1k a month training wage was hard, but his extra experience, maturity & work ethic saw him promoted quite quickly. He’s now Chief Engineer at 41.

If you are serious PM me.

And look here:

https://www.careersatsea.org/

He's got a STEM degree, unless it's very mickey mouse or a 3rd/non-honours that should get shirt onto a marine engineer graduate conversion course which is only ~18 months of which 6-8 months college, at least 6 months seatime and a handful of MTCW courses. If he wants to stare out of windows then it's the full 3 years.

Do they still do the fast track courses? I know the ETO ones were canned when they introduced the CoC but can’t speak for Engineers.

I wasn’t suggesting his qualifications wouldn’t be taken into account!
I only explained the normal progression & the fact it’s pitched at school leavers. I am sure that accreditation of prior learning would happen but not sure the MCA would drop their seatime requirement so there may be a bit of time ‘as a cadet’ so to speak.

[Ritchie335is]

nellystew said:

Ritchie335is said:

I’ve been working on here for 13yrs now, on a 28day rotation, in the Caspian Sea.
I’m on at the moment and doing a 5wk trip as I left a week early last trip to get Christmas off, it’s a bit of a thought really but was worth it.

How common is it to work on the same rig for so long?

Very unusual, and TBH I’m on borrowed time now I think.