Offshore/Drillships agencies that take on without offshore experience?

[M.Polipartov]

Hi every one,

I am qualified 18th edition electrician and I have recently attended CompEx 01-04 course and waiting for my results to turn up in few weeks.

Im planning to do offshore survival courses in next few weeks wich are:

• OPITO Combined BOSIET
• OPITO MIST
• OPITO Compressed Air - Emergency Breathing System
• Shoulder Measurements
• Norwegian Escape Chute
• Offshore Medical (including Fit To Train)

Will this be enough to get in?

I'm willing to start on drillships or Oil/chemical tanker.

Can any one give me advice with agencies that take on sparks with no previous experience in this kind of work?

Any advice will help.

Thanks

 

[TJ Anderson]

Hi every one,

I am qualified 18th edition electrician and I have recently attended CompEx 01-04 course and waiting for my results to turn up in few weeks.

Im planning to do offshore survival courses in next few weeks wich are:

• OPITO Combined BOSIET
• OPITO MIST
• OPITO Compressed Air - Emergency Breathing System
• Shoulder Measurements
• Norwegian Escape Chute
• Offshore Medical (including Fit To Train)

Will this be enough to get in?

I'm willing to start on drillships or Oil/chemical tanker.

Can any one give me advice with agencies that take on sparks with no previous experience in this kind of work?

Any advice will help.

Thanks

Most sparks, myself included would not know the answer to this. I'm not sure if we have any members on here who have done off shore work.

Sensibly, contact an agency that supplies off shore labour, they should be able to assist with letting you know what is required as you are paying for courses and you don't want to waste money on the wrong thing.

 

[snowhead]

I'm sure I've seen posts on here from offshore saying no-one without experience would get offshore.
There are far too many people already qualified and waiting to get back.

If you'd got a specialist qualification like Instrumentation then there may be a chance.

 

[Midwest]

I recall there are some members that do this line of work. Bump you up, to see if they are about.

 

[westward10]

Pretty sure @KennyKen does offshore work.

 

[KennyKen]

Hi every one,

I am qualified 18th edition electrician and I have recently attended CompEx 01-04 course and waiting for my results to turn up in few weeks.


Im planning to do offshore survival courses in next few weeks wich are:

• OPITO Combined BOSIET
• OPITO MIST
• OPITO Compressed Air - Emergency Breathing System
• Shoulder Measurements
• Norwegian Escape Chute
• Offshore Medical (including Fit To Train)

Will this be enough to get in?

I'm willing to start on drillships or Oil/chemical tanker.

Can any one give me advice with agencies that take on sparks with no previous experience in this kind of work?

Any advice will help.

Thanks

Hey Mate, Don’t let this discourage you but Offshore is a nightmare to get into... I managed to creep a regular roster from doing Shutdown works as an E&I Tech.

Having just the HA alone probably isn’t enough. Doing the Bosiet is great and the other courses you listed is fantastic. But you’ll probably need your Instrumentation as you’ll be required to perform “PAC-MAN” works (Power & Control). Try looking for companies that do Shut downs then you’ll find a niche to squeeze yourself in.

How many years previously do you have in Oil & Gas?

Also look at courses for BOP prevention (Blow out preventer) for the Drill Wells and ESD/Deluge course for Emergency shutdown

 

[R-fur]

As above, also read up on IT earthing, many drill rigs use 600V earth free with an insulation monitor.

 

[bomjac]

I don’t know drill ships, but you should be ok for drilling rigs. Tankers and cable lay barges may require STCW (mariners equivalent of BOSIET), but I never worked on them so I’m not sure.

Be prepared for a lot of calls, emails and refusals till you get the first shout. Took me almost 4 years to get the first trip, but I wasn’t looking too hard. Christmas is always a good time to get that elusive first trip.

Dig out the Facebook page “Compex Electricians” and join it. I’m pretty sure there is a list of numbers and advice there to getting your first trip. Occasionally you will find the drilling companies hiring fresh starts direct. Back when I quit Wood Group for better things I was sending maybe 10-20 job apps a night some nights. The internet is wonderful thing - back when I first started it was 6 minut faces!

Also be useful if you have some petrochemical experience, so keep an eye out for shutdown work etc. Finally, when you do get there - ask questions if your not sure. As a green hat, it’s about a year before I would consider you 100% up to speed, no matter how much experience you bring.

Finally, there use to be a post on Industrial Electricians sub forum that had a lot of advice on it. It will be dated, but maybe worth searching for it. The 2 most active posters on it were myself and flyingsausage iirc.

 

[brian bunu]

I started on Culzean a year ago when they were short of sparks I havent seen a surge of new starters since. Get a linkedin profile and search for recruiters add them and pester them. Three big jobs just finished so there probs a couple hundred lads sat at home waiting for a job

 

[timbobelfast]

Unlikely you will get a start without experience. Keep the 2 grand in your pocket would be my advice.
A lot if experienced men laid off on standby will get the shout first over a green hat tbh.

 

[Cbuk2k2]

I’ve been offshore for about 15 years, it was reasonably easy to get a start then.

There was a big down turn about 4 years ago and things have been fairly quiet since.

Personally I wouldn’t fork out for any training until you’ve got a reasonable offer of a job. Just fib and say you have it and it can be done in a week or 2.

The offshore training industry is a compete scam.

 

[Locky69]

If you have a head for heights ,you could look at the rope access industry as well.
All rigs will either have core crew rope access teams or will get them in as they need
them.

Some rigs you can get away with standing on a step ladder without a harness but most
will require you use a fall arrest harness on a step ladder and rope access for anything higher that is not scaffolded out.

Only specialist companies can use rope access and there is a lot of electrical equipment at height that needs continuous inspection & repair , so you could have a look at.

Home | IRATA International

Home,IRATA - Live,The Leading Association In The Rope Access Industry IRATA is the sole global trade association in the work-at-height sector; it has member companies in every continent.

irata.org

Rope Access Jobs and Training, GWO Jobs and Training, NDT Jobs and Training

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www.rigg-access.com

 

[Cbuk2k2]

If you have a head for heights ,you could look at the rope access industry as well.
All rigs will either have core crew rope access teams or will get them in as they need
them.

Some rigs you can get away with standing on a step ladder without a harness but most
will require you use a fall arrest harness on a step ladder and rope access for anything higher that is not scaffolded out.

Only specialist companies can use rope access and there is a lot of electrical equipment at height that needs continuous inspection & repair , so you could have a look at.

Home | IRATA International

Home,IRATA - Live,The Leading Association In The Rope Access Industry IRATA is the sole global trade association in the work-at-height sector; it has member companies in every continent.

irata.org

Rope Access Jobs and Training, GWO Jobs and Training, NDT Jobs and Training

Rope Access jobs/training, GWO jobs/training and NDT jobs/training - We are a working at Height portal covering all aspects of work at height, Rope Access, Global Wind Organisation (GWO) and Non Destructive Testing (NDT)

www.rigg-access.com

I stand by the original advice of getting a foot in the door before doing CompEx or rope aces tickets.

Aberdeen is flooded with experienced guys looking for work. It’s an uphill battle beating them to a job.

 

[Locky69]

I agree if you can do that all well and good.

I had to get all the basic tickets and then ring around on a weekly basis though.
It is hard getting a start but there is work , you do need an industrial background though.

 

[KennyKen]

I’m currently Offshore now as we speak. Sharing a room with 4 blokes. Sounds glamorous than what it is.