2012-03-06T13:58:00.001-08:00

Welcome to offshore-working.blogspot.com

Here at offshore-working.blogspot.com, you can find up-to-date information, advice and news about all aspects of the offshore industry.

Our aim is to provide a free portal, where workers in the offshore industry, and those considering a career offshore, can find relevant and informative articles, and share their experience with one-another about the industry.

The information that we provide is here to help you with everything to start building your CV and covering letter, and help you gain knowledge of what to expect.

We hope to provide everything you’ll need to know about a career in the offshore oil and gas industry and how to get started and progress in your career.

It is fairly difficult to get an entry level offshore oil rig job for people fresh to the industry even those with their offshore medical and survival in place. Getting good experience in petrochemicals and oil and gas onshore is a good start. During busy offshore shutdown seasons it may be possible to get an entry level oil rig job if you would be working alongside a more experienced oil rig worker. However it may be difficult to achieve this through engineering recruitment agencies who are mainly required to source experienced offshore oil rig workers.

Working offshore is one of the best ways, to earn a descent salary, especially, if someone is an extrovert, adventurous and suitably qualified. The majority of offshore works, are on oil platforms, whether it is oil exploration, oil drilling, oil processing or a floating storage; it all revolves around the offshore oil wells and working platforms. The increasing population, has dramatically boosted, the demand, for oil and gas, in the past three decades. The existing onshore, and offshore oil well reserves, are slowly dwindling, making it absolutely necessary, to explore new wells, especially offshore. The total fossil fuel reserves such as oil and gas, is much more in offshore, than onshore.

Working offshore, can be a great fun, and also can be absolutely boring, depending upon individual’s personality and mental make-up. Recently, gas based power plants are located on shore, with fuel coming from offshore. Floating production, storage and offloading (FPSO) facilities are custom built, large ships, such as LNG vessels, with production and storage facilities. Such facilities were common for oil production in the past, but it is also currently applied for offshore gases. Some vessels have even liquefaction facilities, and transported through undersea pipelines to the shore, facilitating transportation of huge volume of gases, to onshore. Many power plants are currently built, based on these concepts, because of its convenience and safety aspects.

These floating vessels are designed to withstand heaviest storms and cyclones, and it has been operating successfully in many parts of the world. Such offshore facilities have in built helipads, en suite living cabins, and canteens with recreational facilities. Helicopters will transport the crew once in two weeks. Offshore workers, work for two weeks, and take one or two weeks off. Effectively, offshore workers work 12 hrs a day on an average, and they are one of the highest paid employees, in the oil industry. Some offshore workers find their job very interesting, especially, when they are young, and unmarried with no family and children.

The safety aspect of offshore workers is well taken care of, adhering strictly to industrial norms and regulations. However, certain accidents, such as the recent one, in the Gulf of Mexico are inevitable. They cost many lives and inflict serious environmental damages. Usually, these offshore workers undergo survival course, as part of their training. They also undergo, some sort of psychological training, to cope with isolation, loneliness, working at odd hours and environments, and mental deprivation.

There are strict restrictions, for offshore workers, such as, complete ban of alcohol and drugs, during their offshore work, on vessels. They are provided with complete medical care, medication and first aid kits onboard. Working off shore, is becoming one of the fastest growing employment opportunities, for technicians, petroleum, chemical and mechanical engineers apart from chemists and water analysts. In spite of many problems, associated with fossil fuels, and global warming issues, the demand for oil and gas is increasing, exponentially. As long as this growth remains steady, the employment for offshore workers will keep increasing.

With more lessons learnt from past experinecs, the industry is undergoing tremendous changes in the methods of operation, maintenance and safety aspects of offshore working platforms.

Writing a good CV is the best way to make a start in your search for offshore work.

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