Oil riggers.... (Five) is it really like this?

Oil riggers.... (Five) is it really like this?

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Discussion

Dupont666

Original Poster:

21,618 posts

194 months

Saturday 11th April 2009
quotequote all
Oil riggers on five (its on now btw) seems a bit far fetched????

No H&S, people getting hurt via stupid mistakes, etc....

My father is a multilateral driller for HB and works in Gabon, Cameroon and Congo.... he doesnt see some of the st that has gone on on these 3 rigs, so can any other riggers out there tell me if its like that?

In fact if any roughnecks have any good stories then put them down here...

Roo

11,503 posts

209 months

Saturday 11th April 2009
quotequote all
It does seem a bit far fetched. Watched a few of the episodes last year on holiday in the US (I think it's called Black Gold over there). Interesting viewing nonetheless. Passes a bit of time.

King Herald

23,501 posts

218 months

Sunday 12th April 2009
quotequote all
Roo said:
It does seem a bit far fetched. Watched a few of the episodes last year on holiday in the US (I think it's called Black Gold over there). Interesting viewing nonetheless. Passes a bit of time.
I've watched Black Gold a couple of times. It is made with the same sense of accuracy and showmanship that American Chopper, Axe Men, Ice Road and Deadliest Catch is. ie, it is glammed up, dumbed down, commercialised and cobbled around to appeal to as many brain dead punters as possible. It is all about viewer volume, not facts and figures.

mouk786

1,263 posts

199 months

Sunday 12th April 2009
quotequote all
King Herald said:
Roo said:
It does seem a bit far fetched. Watched a few of the episodes last year on holiday in the US (I think it's called Black Gold over there). Interesting viewing nonetheless. Passes a bit of time.
I've watched Black Gold a couple of times. It is made with the same sense of accuracy and showmanship that American Chopper, Axe Men, Ice Road and Deadliest Catch is. ie, it is glammed up, dumbed down, commercialised and cobbled around to appeal to as many brain dead punters as possible. It is all about viewer volume, not facts and figures.
So what you're saying is that its not realistic? biggrin

350GT

73,668 posts

257 months

Sunday 12th April 2009
quotequote all
after piper alfa, the offshore industry, especially rigs, are so HSE driven, you would not believe...

jshell

11,180 posts

207 months

Sunday 12th April 2009
quotequote all
HUGE difference between US oil industry standards of construction, HSE, operations etc compared to North Sea regs. NS is not so 'st-kicking-gung-ho-all designed on a fag-packet' as the US stuff. Even the African oil industry very often prefers NS regs and build standards to US (lack of) standards.

Dupont666

Original Poster:

21,618 posts

194 months

Sunday 12th April 2009
quotequote all
jshell said:
HUGE difference between US oil industry standards of construction, HSE, operations etc compared to North Sea regs. NS is not so 'st-kicking-gung-ho-all designed on a fag-packet' as the US stuff. Even the African oil industry very often prefers NS regs and build standards to US (lack of) standards.
Ah that would explain it... tho my father did come back with some interesting stories when he was in Lagos for 8 years...

BurblingBrownOne

300 posts

217 months

Sunday 12th April 2009
quotequote all
Having worked all over the world in a oil field drilling service company I can confirm its pretty realistic of Texas land rigs.
Rednecks should never be given charge of large machinery! Especially if half of them are off their T**S on drugs.....Great Fun though.

Jasandjules

70,020 posts

231 months

Sunday 12th April 2009
quotequote all
BurblingBrownOne said:
Rednecks should never be given charge of anything more than a box of cotton wool
EFA.

Though there is a chance they would choke to death whilst eating the cotton wool..........

King Herald

23,501 posts

218 months

Sunday 12th April 2009
quotequote all
BurblingBrownOne said:
Having worked all over the world in a oil field drilling service company I can confirm its pretty realistic of Texas land rigs.
Last year I did an offshore crane driving training course. Trained by a Texan, on our ship. It took three hours, and I got a nice certificate, lifetime qualified.

The strange thing was that we didn't drive a crane, or sling a load, or even actually go and look at a crane. confused

Hoe the fvck can you be a qualified ship to rig crane driver when you never touched a crane or a sling???????????????????

American maritime safety standards are in a world of their own.

rhinochopig

17,932 posts

200 months

Sunday 12th April 2009
quotequote all
King Herald said:
BurblingBrownOne said:
Having worked all over the world in a oil field drilling service company I can confirm its pretty realistic of Texas land rigs.
Last year I did an offshore crane driving training course. Trained by a Texan, on our ship. It took three hours, and I got a nice certificate, lifetime qualified.

The strange thing was that we didn't drive a crane, or sling a load, or even actually go and look at a crane. confused

Hoe the fvck can you be a qualified ship to rig crane driver when you never touched a crane or a sling???????????????????

American maritime safety standards are in a world of their own.
yikes

Reminds me of some PADI diving courses.

ianash

3,274 posts

185 months

Sunday 12th April 2009
quotequote all
My own experiences of the US oil industry are at the dirtier end, i.e.: when the stuff is spilt. There is no shortage of qualifications required like HAZWOPER; the problem was that some of the contractors/sub contractors didn't adhere to them. The US system seems to work on punishment. The rules are there, you can probably get around them, but if things go badly wrong, you might end up with jail time. I have visited some of the Texas drilling and production rigs and they do have the feel of mom and pop operations.

Just as an aside, we fired a guy at one of our Texas depots and he came back that night and shot dead the manager. So things are scarily different from the UK.

MrFlibbles

7,693 posts

285 months

Sunday 12th April 2009
quotequote all
rhinochopig said:
King Herald said:
BurblingBrownOne said:
Having worked all over the world in a oil field drilling service company I can confirm its pretty realistic of Texas land rigs.
Last year I did an offshore crane driving training course. Trained by a Texan, on our ship. It took three hours, and I got a nice certificate, lifetime qualified.

The strange thing was that we didn't drive a crane, or sling a load, or even actually go and look at a crane. confused

Hoe the fvck can you be a qualified ship to rig crane driver when you never touched a crane or a sling???????????????????

American maritime safety standards are in a world of their own.
yikes

Reminds me of some PADI diving courses.
What have the Irish got to do with anything?

Vixpy1

42,631 posts

266 months

Sunday 12th April 2009
quotequote all
MrFlibbles said:
rhinochopig said:
King Herald said:
BurblingBrownOne said:
Having worked all over the world in a oil field drilling service company I can confirm its pretty realistic of Texas land rigs.
Last year I did an offshore crane driving training course. Trained by a Texan, on our ship. It took three hours, and I got a nice certificate, lifetime qualified.

The strange thing was that we didn't drive a crane, or sling a load, or even actually go and look at a crane. confused

Hoe the fvck can you be a qualified ship to rig crane driver when you never touched a crane or a sling???????????????????

American maritime safety standards are in a world of their own.
yikes

Reminds me of some PADI diving courses.
What have the Irish got to do with anything?
laugh

krallicious

4,312 posts

207 months

Sunday 12th April 2009
quotequote all
rhinochopig said:
King Herald said:
BurblingBrownOne said:
Having worked all over the world in a oil field drilling service company I can confirm its pretty realistic of Texas land rigs.
Last year I did an offshore crane driving training course. Trained by a Texan, on our ship. It took three hours, and I got a nice certificate, lifetime qualified.

The strange thing was that we didn't drive a crane, or sling a load, or even actually go and look at a crane. confused

Hoe the fvck can you be a qualified ship to rig crane driver when you never touched a crane or a sling???????????????????

American maritime safety standards are in a world of their own.
yikes

Reminds me of some PADI diving courses.
So ture. The initial 'qualification' is laughable easy to obtain but it does also depend on your instructor. Some are just there for the free diving.

Simpo Two

85,883 posts

267 months

Sunday 12th April 2009
quotequote all
Well I spent the whole of 'Ice Road Truckers' waiting for some meathead to fall through all that creaking really thin filmed-from-the-underneath ice, and they didn't.

Now all I have to look forward to is somebody being hit in the face with a chain - not nearly as exciting. And the VO isn't as good either; I guess Kristian Thingy put his fees up or they're making it for 50p.

jshell

11,180 posts

207 months

Tuesday 14th April 2009
quotequote all
Dupont666 said:
jshell said:
HUGE difference between US oil industry standards of construction, HSE, operations etc compared to North Sea regs. NS is not so 'st-kicking-gung-ho-all designed on a fag-packet' as the US stuff. Even the African oil industry very often prefers NS regs and build standards to US (lack of) standards.
Ah that would explain it... tho my father did come back with some interesting stories when he was in Lagos for 8 years...
He's had 2 years more than me then....... wink

Our largest FPSO is designed to 'Gulf' standards, and there's no bloody isolation valves! We have to shutdown half the bloomin plant just to be able to safely isolate 1 piece of equipment for vessel entry!

Matt_N

8,906 posts

204 months

Tuesday 14th April 2009
quotequote all
Did any of them get drafted to a space mission to drill a hole in a meteor and plant a bomb?

BigBen

11,685 posts

232 months

Tuesday 14th April 2009
quotequote all
Simpo Two said:
Well I spent the whole of 'Ice Road Truckers' waiting for some meathead to fall through all that creaking really thin filmed-from-the-underneath ice, and they didn't.
A truck did half go in one week but I agree in the most dissapointing

Ben

TonyHetherington

32,091 posts

252 months

Tuesday 14th April 2009
quotequote all
BigBen said:
Simpo Two said:
Well I spent the whole of 'Ice Road Truckers' waiting for some meathead to fall through all that creaking really thin filmed-from-the-underneath ice, and they didn't.
A truck did half go in one week but I agree in the most dissapointing

Ben
I seem to rememebr that in the past 30yrs not one ice truck driver has died. Not one. The people who do die are the ones that make the road in the first place on those snow cat type machines. But they don't tell you that on the show, they keep you imagining that at any minute the trucks called just fall through the ice.