Working Offshore

Last year, for 6 months my work took me to the middle of the Central North Sea - working offshore as an engineer. As I think most people would agree, this is quite an "unusual" place of work, especially as someone who grew up in London where the majority of my friends/family have corporate jobs in the city. Therefore, when I mentioned to someone what I do, it often generated a lot of follow-up questions - which I why I thought I'd put together a blog of things I've been asked and share it with you all. I'll focus more on the lifestyle/general experience of what working on an offshore installation is like, as opposed to job-specific details which can vary greatly. Everyone will have a different experience and view of their time working offshore, so this blog will focus on my personal take on it (and does not represent the views of anyone else).

Where do you exactly work offshore?

The word "offshore" doesn't mean much to people, and usually it is generalised to be working on an "oil rig". But we can be more specific here. There are different types of offshore installations, each with their own design and purpose. So, if someone works offshore, they could be working on a :

Platform - this is the stereotypical 'oil rig' image I had in my head before starting work. A platform is a structure with topsides (what is above the sea level) and a jacket (the legs of the platform under the sea that go down to the sea bed). These are fixed structures, they cannot be moved around.
Semi-submersibles - These are platforms that float, often using pontoons that are 'semi-submerged' into the water (you can see where the name comes from, right?). Semi-submersibles in the energy industry can be drilling rigs, but can also include equipment for petroleum production 🛢️.
Jack-up - you can think of a jack-up a bit like a platform that can move. Jack-ups are usually only used for drilling, and have legs that can be raised/lowered into the sea. If a jack-up needs to be moved
Vessel - this group includes a variety of ships that carry out different purposes: supply vessels, drill ships and many others. Vessels (of course) are floating installations, that can be easily moved from one location to another.

The above are just a few of the types of installations someone could be working on offshore, but the entire list is much larger. Types of installations vary across the world, according to the environmental conditions and what type of job is required. In my case, I spent 6 months on a jack-up drilling rig in the Central North Sea. Until you arrive there, it's hard to imagine how big some of these structures are - a really cool bit of engineering and design placed in the middle of nowhere.

How do you get to the offshore installation?

Chopper! 🚁

Working in the North Sea, my commute to work was in a Sikorsky S-92 - a twin engine helicopter capable of carrying up to 18 passengers and some light cargo. Aberdeen heliport was the departure location, which was just around the corner from the domestic airport. Heliports work in a very similar way to your regular airport, with their own luggage requirements, banned items, security etc. The main difference is the fact you have to put on a survival suit & lifejacket prior to boarding your flight, and certain certificates have to be in place for you to work offshore (more on that below).

The flight times vary depending on what installation you are flying to, but for me it was about a 1 hour journey from Aberdeen to the rig. Boarding the chopper, you do feel a bit like you're in a Top Gun movie 😎(minus the looks!), and once up in the air it's a pretty smooth flight. It's interesting how quickly taking a helicopter to work got normalised for me - my first ever flight was exciting (mixed with a bit of nerves), but you get accustomed to it pretty quickly.

Do you have to do any specific training before working offshore?

The short answer - yes. There are 2 main qualifications you need to have in place before working offshore in the North Sea. Again, this varies region by region around the world, but for me it was the:

BOSIET - Basic Offshore Safety Induction and Emergency Training. This was a 3 day training course which taught me how to respond to emergencies when working offshore. The course covered a range of topics which were both classroom and practical based, including:

First aid 💊
Firefighting 🧯
Sea survival 🛟
Helicopter safety and escape training - including helicopter underwater escape training (HUET). This is where you're strapped into a model helicopter cabin that is submerged and rotated underwater in a large pool 🏊, to get you to practice escaping from the emergency exits whilst underwater.

MIST - Minimum Industry Safety Training is a classroom based learning programme for offshore workers. Building upon the BOSIET course, it took me through various topics which were assessed at the end to pass.

What are the living quarters like?

The easiest way to think about my room offshore was like the inside cabin of a cruise ship 🚢 - basic but had everything I needed. My room had 2 beds (for a day and night shift each), TV, desk and ensuite bathroom. In all honesty, you don't spend much time awake in your room so it did the job. Beyond that, the accommodation block also had a gym 🏋️, sauna, cinema room 🎦, games room 🃏 and living rooms - plenty of space to chill out and destress once your shift ends. There is also a galley where all 3 meals are provided for you 🍽️, an on-board hospital ⚕️, changing rooms to put on your PPE and office spaces within the accommodation block. When I was inside, you can sometimes forget you're working in the middle of nowhere in some of the harshest environments as it was quite comfortable - only difference is that when you look out the window all you see is the deep blue water 🌊!

What do you do in your free time?

Offshore work is shift work, meaning operations happen 24/7 with 2 crews: a day shift and night shift. You're looking at a typical day being 12-14 hours long. Hence in the evenings I always tried to rest up and make sure I was getting my sleep, otherwise a 3-week hitch can get quite tiring. Usually, after clocking out for the day I would head to the gym for an hour or so, followed by either calling home/catching up on life-admin, hop in the shower and then head to bed. You do end up building quite a regular routine on the rig, which I enjoyed. With not much else to do - the gym became my go-to activity 💪.

Is there Wi-Fi?

Yes, I have been asked this by multiple people, and yes, we do have Wi-Fi 📶! Nowadays offshore installations are very well connected to the rest of the world, either through subsea ethernet cables to shore, satellite connection, radio, or a combination of all of the above. We were able to fully stay connected to the team in the office, as well as have Wi-Fi throughout the rig. It was therefore nice being able to watch the F1 GP on a Sunday afternoon despite being at work!

What kind of jobs are there offshore?

There are a huge range of jobs required offshore. Like if you were on land, you need all the same types of job on the rig. From engineers and 3rd party contractors who were specialists in various skills, to chefs, maintenance teams, mechanics, medics, radio operators, stewards and a few I've probably forgotten - there is a diverse range of jobs available. Working on a rig means you and your team have to self sufficient in some senses - you can't just call up someone to come and fix it.

What does a day-in-the-life look like for you?

My days looked vaguely similar - but offshore things usually don't go as planned. Thus being flexible and prioritising your tasks is important. A typical day shift would look something like this for me:

0530 - Wake up and get ready
0600 - Arrive at the office and finish writing the daily operations report
0630 - Pre-shift meeting with the day crew on what will be happening in the next 12 hours.
0645 - Breakfast in the galley
0715 - Admin/work as required
0815 - Meeting with the onshore team to update on progress
0900 - Carry on with daily tasks depending on operation. I'll be in the office/outside at this point
1215 - Lunch
1300 - Meeting with the onshore team to plan upcoming operations
1400 - Carry on with daily tasks depending on operation. I'll be in the office/outside at this point
1700 - Start putting together the daily operations report for today (which will be finished the following morning)
1830 - Dinner
1900 - End of shift. This can vary depending on how busy you are
1930 - Gym
2030 - Go to my room and chill. Phone home/Netflix/life admin/shower.
2200 - Bedtime

What is the working environment like?

I enjoyed the working environment offshore. You meet a diverse group of people from all walks of life - more so than in an office environment. As you're all working and living together, naturally you spend a lot of time with the crew, allowing you to get to know them beyond their job. The fact that my work was a mixture of office and site-work meant the days flew by - I would always be out and about on the rig floor looking at the operations or talking to others. I would also say people offshore are generally quite straight talking, i.e., they mean what they say! People were also happy to help me as a new starter when I first arrived, which made settling into offshore life a lot easier.

How long do you spend offshore before going home?

I worked a '3 on, 3 off' rota - this meant I would spend 3 weeks offshore working, and then have 3 weeks of holiday. It was very much a 'work hard play hard' lifestyle, where you're either giving your personal or professional life 100% of your time or energy. Reflecting on this, I think it's something great to do when you're young and have fewer responsibilities - my time off mostly consisted of travelling (check out my other blogs!), but long term I was unsure if I'd want to do it full time 😅.

What's the weather like?

The North Sea can give you everything, and with the different seasons comes completely different weather. During my 6 months there, some days were completely still, clear skies and amazing sunsets ☀️. Others had 85mph winds 🌬️, 7m seas, lightening ⚡ and snow ❄️. Be prepared for all types of weather when offshore - it really makes you realise how insignificant you are against mother nature!

Did you get seasick?

No - the rig I was on was a jack-up drilling rig, meaning it had legs and did not float/move with the waves. I haven't been on a semi-sub/vessel yet, so my sea sickness tolerance is still unknown...

Do you have to wear any special clothing?

Apart from in the accommodation block, any time you're walking around the rig full PPE is required 👷. Working offshore is still a hazardous environment to be in, and safety is always number 1 priority. The PPE consists of:

Steel toe safety boots
Coveralls that are fire resistant
Helmet
Safety glasses
Safety gloves
Ear defenders

What is the food like?

One of the most important factors offshore! Good food after a long shift definitely improves my mood and made time out there easier. All means are provided in the galley, where you can eat as much as you want. As a vegan, I was pleasantly surprised with how good the food was - the chefs made a real effort to accommodate for me which I appreciated a lot. The meals are filling and hit the spot after a long day. 3pm was usually biscuits/cake time - jammy dodgers were my go-to snack 🍪.

And that concludes my blog on an overview of life at sea! It's a whole different world out there, which seems pretty distant from all the things that civilisation has on land. However, I had a great 6 months - it's not everyday your office is in such a remote location. Being part of the energy sector upstream at the source was super interesting, and the environment created a huge learning curve of personal growth for me. Offshore life isn't for everyone, but I hope I've been able to share with you some insights into what some people do for a living!

To anyone out there reading this that has any more questions, feel free to reach out and I would be more than happy to have a chat. Other than that, thanks for reading!

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