Bells
06-09-2011, 11:03 AM
So, for those of you keeping tab, i went away for a week. That was due a emergency boarding i had to do to a Oil Rig, my very first one ever. So let me share it with you what is it like...
First of all, i was'nt supposed to board this week. Not even to this unit i was sent to. But they Safety Technician onboard had to come down a wekk earlier because his wife was giving birth. For stuff like that, the Company that manages the Rig usually has no problem antecipating thing so the guy can be on land with his wife.
Of all the newly hired techs i was the one closest to base, so they decided to send me over to cover his week, those are considered "emergencies", so you don't get a lot of head's up, I got about 20 hours.
So, i rush to buy what i have to buy and pack all my working gear and clothign for a week, and on 6/1 i went for the heliport. My flight was set to 14:50 so, i have to be there at most as 13:50, this Heliport is not close to my house, it's a 2-3 hours drive, so i need to leave my house at 10:50, but you also need to factor in the unpredictable (believe, you sure as hell don't want to miss your flight, specially the first one) so i add in at least 1 hour, i'm nervous as hell, so 2 hours then... add in time to wake up, eat something and take a calm bath, and that means that for a 14:50 flight, i was getting up at 6am.
I've traveled by airplane once. A simple, 1 hour ride at night. I thought it was awesome, but i never traveled by Helicopter. I'm nervous as all hell, but it's really really freaking awesome.
You seen, around here (and globaly IIRC) the main transportation to all offshore oil rigs is via Helicopter. Around here we have a HUGE infrastructure to serve a big area filled with rigs, so, daily, you have about 300 flights (counting arrival and departures) just to support that logistic. People and small goods and packages go via Helicopter, larger materials go by Ship.
And since i'm no sucker, i waited to board last so i could sit right by the Door, looking trough the window!
The unit i'm schedule for my Week is PGP1
http://zerohora.clicrbs.com.br/rbs/image/9629418.jpg
4 levels, plus top, plus a cellar deck and spider deck below. This baby is big but there are bigger ones.
The flight there takes about 30 minutes, but in my case it takes a bit longer cause we need to make a few stops on 2 Drilling ships. Those are like an Oil Rig, but mobile and on Ship format.
Let me tell you right now, sitting on a helicopter, that is on a ship, seeing the horizon going up and down with the waves... that's something. I would probably come back home Bulimic if i was stationed there... but thankfully my Rig is a stationary one. So Seasickness for me!
The rig itself is not very old, everything is quite fine and working well, and well conserved. I meet my crew, 3 other Safety Technicians and the Rig "Master" ( sorry, don't know the proper Nautical term for this one in English. This is the Navy Trained man responsible for everything sea-related on the rig. Including all rescue and evacuation equipment)
There are about 230 people on board there, working 12 hour shifts on alternating turns. Before you set foot on the Rig you already have a room and a Bed set for your, rooms are usually fitted with 3-4 beds. There is an AC and TV with Cable, also 1 locker per person and 1 life jacket per person.
...actually we have too many life jackets. by law we need 200% Lifejackets on board at all times. But we have 540% right now...
each floor has it's own Bathroom, those are collective. 3 Showers, 3 sinks, 3 Toilets, all with doors and able to provide just enough privacy. Although, not a lot of room, but at least you have hot water on all taps. Also free soap and a towel!
The job itself is not very hard. The thing about an Oil Rig is that it's a huge slow factory. You are not there to work fast, you are there to work right. So everything must be paced and slow so you can do it right.
I'm a Junior on the team, so i get the Grunt work. I don't deal with much paperwork, just heavy lifting. In this case, i'm responsible for the maintenance of all firefighting equipment on the Rig. Need to check it, inspect it and control it. The Extinguishers, Hoses, Pumps, Canons and the O2 Masks and Cylinders.
You would think it's a heavy job but an easy job, right? If i told you that on the rig we have 310 Fire Extinguisher spread across 17 Modules and 6 floors, quite a few in the deep bowels of what is, pretty much, a huge Oil Refinery filled with dark, hot, steamy, wet, cracking, valveling places, you could still think it's something you can do in a week with a 12 hour shift, right?
I though so too. Thing is that i managed to clear 120 at most. It's actually pretty intense, and a full inspection can easily take 10 days or so. And it's monthly.
Plus i have to help with the other stuff going on...
But it's not bad, not at all, really. You see, something weird happens when you are locked up in an Oil rig with 200 people for a week in a dangerous volatile environment. What happens is that people understand that. Everybody is polite, everybody is cordial and pro-active. More than once i saw myself asking where something was only to get as a reply a person stopping their work to take me there. That's because there is pretty much no alternative. You have to live, eat, sleep, work with the same people around the clock. And If there is an emergency or the worst happen, these are the people you have to rely on.
The larger majority really seem to get that. Which was great to see.
Also part of my job is to be the ALPH (The name is different in the US) which mean that i'm responsible for coordinating the arrival and departure of all Helicopters on the rig. There are about 1-3 Flights everyday (plus a few surprises) and you are told around 10-15 minutes earlier when the aircraft is coming. In that time you have to stop whatever it is you're doing, proceed to the Helideck, gear up with a special radio, jacket and glasses and proceed to coordinate the entire Crew that deals with all good delivered, luggage and personal that arrives. It's mostly "watch and point", unless there is an emergency. In that case, you are the leader and you need to make all the right calls. Thankfully it never came to that.
However, if you can imagine what is it like to be standing on a Helideck on top of an Oil Rig, surrounded by Blasting winds of up to 46 knots and open water, with a Helicopter gushing more wind in your face, then you have a pretty good idea of what i was dealing with 3 times a day.
But of course, it's not all work. You are trapped here for 15 days, You need some fun too, right?
So, there is a Cinema. Everyday a different movie. No repeats in the whole month. There is a Gym, fully geared with a personal trainer and everything. There is also a game room. Table tennis, foosball, Snooker, Cable Tv, another Tv with a PS3 and a few games, plus 4 Pc's For Internet Access (but good luck sign up for a time slot there...) and of course... the food.
Dear good, the food.
I need to slim down a bit. I already lost 2 Pounds in this week just due to the fact that i'm walking up and down stairs all the time... but the food, man, that's a trap!
Picking a day at random, at one point i had for lunch Filet Mignon, rice, Grated Potatoes and Spinach Cream.... you can eat as much as you like, as many times as you feel like it. Also, there is at least 1 type of soup available every night.
There is a major meal on board every 3 hours, Fruits, Salads, Hot dishes and cold ones. During morning and late nigh there is fresh baked bread and all sorts of jams, ham, cheese... have at it. Not to mention the deserts. 3 per meal, usually jello and 2 others. I had Lemon Mousse once... tasty!
There is also a lot of Yogurt, Milk, Cereal, Grains and the such.. and a Big Fridge, filled from Bottom to top with all kinds of Sodas, Juices and Milk.
So, half of a Balanced Diet is in your own damn conscience. And it can be hard to hold the fort sometimes.
All and all, i came back home tired as hell, Homesick as ever but really happy. It was fun, it was intense. I have miles to learn, but it was a very nice start. Now i'm not sure when i'm getting back in there (doesn't reeeeeeeally matter, i get paid even if i don't have to board :dance: ) but it really "clicked" with me. I missed some of the freedom i have at home and of course, the limitations get to you. But i can manage... just got make it last!
First of all, i was'nt supposed to board this week. Not even to this unit i was sent to. But they Safety Technician onboard had to come down a wekk earlier because his wife was giving birth. For stuff like that, the Company that manages the Rig usually has no problem antecipating thing so the guy can be on land with his wife.
Of all the newly hired techs i was the one closest to base, so they decided to send me over to cover his week, those are considered "emergencies", so you don't get a lot of head's up, I got about 20 hours.
So, i rush to buy what i have to buy and pack all my working gear and clothign for a week, and on 6/1 i went for the heliport. My flight was set to 14:50 so, i have to be there at most as 13:50, this Heliport is not close to my house, it's a 2-3 hours drive, so i need to leave my house at 10:50, but you also need to factor in the unpredictable (believe, you sure as hell don't want to miss your flight, specially the first one) so i add in at least 1 hour, i'm nervous as hell, so 2 hours then... add in time to wake up, eat something and take a calm bath, and that means that for a 14:50 flight, i was getting up at 6am.
I've traveled by airplane once. A simple, 1 hour ride at night. I thought it was awesome, but i never traveled by Helicopter. I'm nervous as all hell, but it's really really freaking awesome.
You seen, around here (and globaly IIRC) the main transportation to all offshore oil rigs is via Helicopter. Around here we have a HUGE infrastructure to serve a big area filled with rigs, so, daily, you have about 300 flights (counting arrival and departures) just to support that logistic. People and small goods and packages go via Helicopter, larger materials go by Ship.
And since i'm no sucker, i waited to board last so i could sit right by the Door, looking trough the window!
The unit i'm schedule for my Week is PGP1
http://zerohora.clicrbs.com.br/rbs/image/9629418.jpg
4 levels, plus top, plus a cellar deck and spider deck below. This baby is big but there are bigger ones.
The flight there takes about 30 minutes, but in my case it takes a bit longer cause we need to make a few stops on 2 Drilling ships. Those are like an Oil Rig, but mobile and on Ship format.
Let me tell you right now, sitting on a helicopter, that is on a ship, seeing the horizon going up and down with the waves... that's something. I would probably come back home Bulimic if i was stationed there... but thankfully my Rig is a stationary one. So Seasickness for me!
The rig itself is not very old, everything is quite fine and working well, and well conserved. I meet my crew, 3 other Safety Technicians and the Rig "Master" ( sorry, don't know the proper Nautical term for this one in English. This is the Navy Trained man responsible for everything sea-related on the rig. Including all rescue and evacuation equipment)
There are about 230 people on board there, working 12 hour shifts on alternating turns. Before you set foot on the Rig you already have a room and a Bed set for your, rooms are usually fitted with 3-4 beds. There is an AC and TV with Cable, also 1 locker per person and 1 life jacket per person.
...actually we have too many life jackets. by law we need 200% Lifejackets on board at all times. But we have 540% right now...
each floor has it's own Bathroom, those are collective. 3 Showers, 3 sinks, 3 Toilets, all with doors and able to provide just enough privacy. Although, not a lot of room, but at least you have hot water on all taps. Also free soap and a towel!
The job itself is not very hard. The thing about an Oil Rig is that it's a huge slow factory. You are not there to work fast, you are there to work right. So everything must be paced and slow so you can do it right.
I'm a Junior on the team, so i get the Grunt work. I don't deal with much paperwork, just heavy lifting. In this case, i'm responsible for the maintenance of all firefighting equipment on the Rig. Need to check it, inspect it and control it. The Extinguishers, Hoses, Pumps, Canons and the O2 Masks and Cylinders.
You would think it's a heavy job but an easy job, right? If i told you that on the rig we have 310 Fire Extinguisher spread across 17 Modules and 6 floors, quite a few in the deep bowels of what is, pretty much, a huge Oil Refinery filled with dark, hot, steamy, wet, cracking, valveling places, you could still think it's something you can do in a week with a 12 hour shift, right?
I though so too. Thing is that i managed to clear 120 at most. It's actually pretty intense, and a full inspection can easily take 10 days or so. And it's monthly.
Plus i have to help with the other stuff going on...
But it's not bad, not at all, really. You see, something weird happens when you are locked up in an Oil rig with 200 people for a week in a dangerous volatile environment. What happens is that people understand that. Everybody is polite, everybody is cordial and pro-active. More than once i saw myself asking where something was only to get as a reply a person stopping their work to take me there. That's because there is pretty much no alternative. You have to live, eat, sleep, work with the same people around the clock. And If there is an emergency or the worst happen, these are the people you have to rely on.
The larger majority really seem to get that. Which was great to see.
Also part of my job is to be the ALPH (The name is different in the US) which mean that i'm responsible for coordinating the arrival and departure of all Helicopters on the rig. There are about 1-3 Flights everyday (plus a few surprises) and you are told around 10-15 minutes earlier when the aircraft is coming. In that time you have to stop whatever it is you're doing, proceed to the Helideck, gear up with a special radio, jacket and glasses and proceed to coordinate the entire Crew that deals with all good delivered, luggage and personal that arrives. It's mostly "watch and point", unless there is an emergency. In that case, you are the leader and you need to make all the right calls. Thankfully it never came to that.
However, if you can imagine what is it like to be standing on a Helideck on top of an Oil Rig, surrounded by Blasting winds of up to 46 knots and open water, with a Helicopter gushing more wind in your face, then you have a pretty good idea of what i was dealing with 3 times a day.
But of course, it's not all work. You are trapped here for 15 days, You need some fun too, right?
So, there is a Cinema. Everyday a different movie. No repeats in the whole month. There is a Gym, fully geared with a personal trainer and everything. There is also a game room. Table tennis, foosball, Snooker, Cable Tv, another Tv with a PS3 and a few games, plus 4 Pc's For Internet Access (but good luck sign up for a time slot there...) and of course... the food.
Dear good, the food.
I need to slim down a bit. I already lost 2 Pounds in this week just due to the fact that i'm walking up and down stairs all the time... but the food, man, that's a trap!
Picking a day at random, at one point i had for lunch Filet Mignon, rice, Grated Potatoes and Spinach Cream.... you can eat as much as you like, as many times as you feel like it. Also, there is at least 1 type of soup available every night.
There is a major meal on board every 3 hours, Fruits, Salads, Hot dishes and cold ones. During morning and late nigh there is fresh baked bread and all sorts of jams, ham, cheese... have at it. Not to mention the deserts. 3 per meal, usually jello and 2 others. I had Lemon Mousse once... tasty!
There is also a lot of Yogurt, Milk, Cereal, Grains and the such.. and a Big Fridge, filled from Bottom to top with all kinds of Sodas, Juices and Milk.
So, half of a Balanced Diet is in your own damn conscience. And it can be hard to hold the fort sometimes.
All and all, i came back home tired as hell, Homesick as ever but really happy. It was fun, it was intense. I have miles to learn, but it was a very nice start. Now i'm not sure when i'm getting back in there (doesn't reeeeeeeally matter, i get paid even if i don't have to board :dance: ) but it really "clicked" with me. I missed some of the freedom i have at home and of course, the limitations get to you. But i can manage... just got make it last!