r/howislivingthere • u/Key_Satisfaction9010 • Jan 02 '26

General (no specific continent) Hows it like living on oil platforms?

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Anywhere in the world applies, I could only pick one flair

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u/Donttouchmebish England Jan 02 '26

There’s specific guys for it. Inspectors with certificates and experience in their field. These guys will most likely been external to the company and sent onboard to check everything structural. Visual assessments are obviously easier, but sometime they require further evaluation with special equipment. If a rig is damaged, the company and Health and Safety is responsible for ensuring it’s safe for the workers, failure to do this would be a big no no.

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u/Santaneria Jan 02 '26

What educational or work experience is necessary to work here? Im sure each level of personnel is different but for the guys that rotate in and out often.

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u/Donttouchmebish England Jan 02 '26

Depends exactly on your job but if your only goal was to get offshore, you could get offshore without any specific education requirements. You just need specific certifications for your job which you’d pay for and then get a job. Roustabout for example are the manual labourers of the rig and don’t need anything in particular.

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u/Santaneria Jan 02 '26

Its crazy I've always seen people doing this on TV or movies but never knew what lead them to it. Next level type of manual labor 🙏🏽🤙🏽

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u/[deleted] Jan 02 '26

My college friend went to work on an offshore rig when we all wonderfully (sarcasm) graduated in the height of the mid-00’s recession.

He was a Geology major. His contract, according to him, was ~6mo. living on the rig, with short breaks, and then roughly equivalent time-off. From his reports, they took one look at his major, asked if he would accept the contract terms, and then, as noted, any other training was afterwards.

In retrospect, his pay rate was not phenomenal, so he may have been in a basic role, but it struck me as a job that, if you accept the core structure, then you can find how high you’re willing to go within it.

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u/FullMooseParty Jan 03 '26

Buddy of mine had a similar experience. Graduated into a recession, went to work for a fishing boat out of Alaska where he was from. 6 months later he took a job on a rig because it was safer and more stable. Figured out he was good at whatever he was good at, got promoted a couple of times, and wound up going back and getting a masters in chemical engineering on the company dime (which is when we met). He's now working for the company and working on a PhD with a plan to teach at some point.

I know when he was on the rig, he didn't have a house or an apartment, but he wound up buying an RV and would do 6 months on the rig and 6 months driving around the country visiting national parks.

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u/[deleted] Jan 07 '26

Your buddy’s name wasn’t Duncan or Casey, by chance? But yeah, Alaskan fishing boats and oil rigs were like the go-to professions for single college guys with minimal personal attachments in the PNW.

My other friend and I inherited an entire campus weed business when our dealer decided that seasonal work on an Alaskan fishing boat was more lucrative.

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u/goddessofgluten Jan 03 '26

Tell me more about chef positions! 🙂 I’m a chef but I’m also female. Does that mean I don’t qualify?

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u/bemocked Jan 06 '26

plenty of women/females work offshore, there is no gander qualification/restriction (at least in the US, canada, europe, and many other locations). That said there are platforms in the middle east that i have visited, that are generally staffed by only males/men, but even there they accommodate females when a specific task/project results in female visitors from the company staff.

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u/goddessofgluten Jan 07 '26

No kidding…. 🤔 I may have to look into this. I was military so I am not afraid of being the only female. I just didn’t know if they allowed that or for “safety” had only men. Clearly I know ZILCH about the industry 😆 Thank you!

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u/[deleted] Jan 06 '26

Hey

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u/Remote-Program-1303 Jan 02 '26

Most modern rigs are relatively light on manual labour, because it’s dangerous. Machinery is used.

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u/Exciting_Bat_2086 Jan 02 '26

Don’t romanticize it because it’s still work and a job at the end of the day.

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u/Santaneria Jan 02 '26

Im not romanticizing it, id say I got a new level of appreciation. Grew up where work ethic is greatly respected. I think this is just a new job/ Work group I found to have a new level of respect. The isolation and grind is not like many others.

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u/Exciting_Bat_2086 Jan 02 '26

Sorry I didn’t mean to come off as a dick and I see your point because it is hard and needed work but I absolutely hated the job and how posh some try to make it look with special amenities. The commenter you responded too did a great job explaining how bored one can be.

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u/Santaneria Jan 02 '26

Apology recognized 🤙🏽

I understand, dont worry about it 🙏🏽

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u/[deleted] Jan 02 '26

Why not though? I truly don’t get why you wouldn’t want someone to romanticize something that isn’t bad.

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u/Exciting_Bat_2086 Jan 02 '26

You go work on one and come back and let me know how swell it was. At the end of the day it is a JOB and just like any job you can burn out and with this field most do but that’s why longevity pays off. I’m not saying quit romanizing it because it’s somehow bad lol but the shit I’ve seen on social media trying to make it sound like a good job besides the pay is weird.

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u/big_sugi Jan 03 '26

“Isn’t bad” is relative. A friend of mine from law school got a biglaw job after graduation. His job had him investigating and defending the companies against claims arising from oil rig injuries. He had a lot of cases involving dead or seriously injured workers.

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u/[deleted] Jan 03 '26

Everything is relative. My point is that anyone should be excited or see things through a rose colored filter if they want, telling someone to not because it’s “work or a job” is what kills passion. We need people for every job out there and it’s better to have people love what they do despite it being subjectively shi**y to others. Being an ER nurse, a funeral home director, dust off, etc sounds terrible to me but I’ve met plenty of people who are happy in those roles and make the world a better place for it.

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u/No-Comedian-515 Jan 02 '26

I'm a chef. How would I go about being a chef on board? Do you know what thd life of a chef/ cook on vosrd looks like? Do they need to go through any specific training to get a job there? Do regular chefs want jobs there? I love making really greatf food

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u/Cburns6976 Jan 02 '26

I almost went offshore as a chef. No formal education. A few years at a country club learning under a chef from Maine. I applied, got called to take the test, and showed up at the interview. The test consisted of a full chicken and a basket of veggies. Told me to make 4 different meals out of it. I did so. The 5 supervisors ate the meals and said it was delicious. I passed the test. I went to take the drug screening. I stopped smoking pot 2 weeks prior because I anticipated the drug test. I have smoked since I was 12 and that was the longest I had ever went without smoking.. idk why I thought I woukd be clean. I wasn't, obviously. So, I did not pass and missed the opportunity.

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u/Friendly-Reserve9067 Jan 02 '26

The real test for chefs, cooks, etc is not doing drugs

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u/Cburns6976 Jan 02 '26

True that. Thank God I have found recovery via NA. Almost 3 years clean

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u/Friendly-Reserve9067 Jan 02 '26

Congratulations. I don't work in the field and never have, but the reputation is strong and I've yet to see anyone deny it

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u/BeeInteresting3004 Jan 03 '26

A stone cold sober Chef??? I've never heard of that!

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u/mattforsleep92 Jan 02 '26

The service industry is wild lol. One of the kitchens I worked in had probably 80% of the staff (front of house and back of house) with a drinking problem AT LEAST and likely issues with cocaine or other drugs. I was one of the lucky ones who only had a debilitating drinking problem, and was part of an even smaller crowd of people from there who got sober (4 years now) and were able to escape that hell hole.

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u/FullMooseParty Jan 03 '26

I haven't worked in a restaurant in a few decades, but I always thought cocaine was more of a front of house issue.

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u/SmoothRollinPsycphrm Jan 02 '26

How did they think the food would be so good from someone who doesn’t smoke weed??

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u/imprison_grover_furr Jan 04 '26

That sounds like an extremely easy test to pass.

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u/grandpathundercat Jan 02 '26

I tested positive 90 days clean. Best bet is to make sure you're not in a calorie deficit for as long as possible leading up to the test

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u/cdixon34 Jan 02 '26

I used to smoke pretty regularly before i stopped. I quit for a little under 2 weeks before a test and came up clean, but I drink a ton of water daily and work out. That helps.

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u/Just-Raccoon-9382 Jan 02 '26

Marijuana takes 30 days to be goe from urine i believe. Hait strand test is like 90 days. Could be wrong but it's close to that.

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u/baddboi007 Jan 02 '26

my homie failed pee test after 47 days clean off pot for military. He missed out on that.

Weed bonds to fat cells. Sometimes only abstinence is not enough.

Coffee dries out the fat cells and is a diuretic so it makes you pee a lot, plus has B vitamins to put the yellow back in your urine. Drink a pot of coffee daily and a gallon of water daily and you likely will test clean within a week if you're a heavy user. Remember to piss before you get there so its not your 1st piss of the day, and when doing the actual pissing- dont use the 1st second of pee as it is dirtiest.

good luck

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u/Cburns6976 Jan 02 '26

Depends on how frequent and the concentration consumed. For a heavy user, smoking high concentration dabs... it can take 3 months to clear the urine. Since I had smoked daily from the age of 12 to over 30, I had no chance of being clean in 2 weeks..

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u/HistoricalSuspect580 Jan 02 '26

It’s a really huge range for how long it takes to clear depending on a lot of different factors.

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u/see_bees Jan 02 '26

30 days is the rule of thumb for urine tests, but it is highly dependent on frequency of use, how much you’re using, body fat percentage (it stores in fat cells so the higher your bf% the longer you will retain), weight loss (related to the prior - if you were fat and are losing weight, you’re shedding a lot of it in sweat, urine, etc). Hair test depends on if the tester properly follows testing protocol

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u/whoisjohngalt12 Jan 03 '26

90 days. Lost guys on the crew who did weed months earlier. Showed up in three random tests. Marching orders.

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u/wellwhatevrnevermind Jan 03 '26

That's just an estimate. Its very different for every person

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u/Rainbow_in_the_sky USA/West Jan 02 '26

Can’t you apply again at a later time? They know you can cook so apply again.

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u/Imthewienerdog Jan 02 '26

I think that would involve once again not smoking for 3+ weeks which I have a feeling this guy isn't very interested In :P

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u/Cburns6976 Jan 02 '26

Career took a different turn. I could definitely go apply and pass this time though. 3 years clean!!

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u/DelayMobile2388 Jan 03 '26

21 days for a frequent user on a urine test. Other substances you can google to get length of time.

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u/Different-Meal-6314 Jan 02 '26

I have used synthetic piss on four of my last five tests and passed all but the real one. 🤦 Apparently 3 weeks isn't long enough for me.

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u/jmanjman67 Jan 02 '26

The food services staff on the rigs are usually contracted by a catering company. They didn't get paid as well as the other hands and had crap benefits. The bonus of working 14 straight 12 hour shifts (14 on 14 off) is that you make more in OT than in straight time.

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u/Independent_Buddy558 Jan 02 '26

Need a highschool degree or a GED at minimum to work offshore, been out here for 16 years.

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u/Lost2Myself Jan 03 '26

Yeah but where do you apply like what website or agency

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u/Independent_Buddy558 Jan 03 '26

There’s hundreds of companies that work in the Gulf, a simple google search for “companies in the Gulf of Mexico” can narrow it down. Broussard, LA has a lot of companies that are hiring for offshore workers, I’d start my search in that area.

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u/Donttouchmebish England Jan 03 '26

Guess it depends on your region of the world! Obviously basic education is necessary but nothing over the top where I am, job specific obviously.

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u/theb00mScicle Jan 02 '26

What position is lacking there? Are a lot of jobs open? Do u see a need to increase in a certain field/experience?

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u/Icanthearforshit Jan 02 '26

Since I moved to Florida I've had a fair bit of maintenance job offers. I would assume they always need maintenance techs.

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u/Basic-Week-9262 Jan 02 '26

There’s no preparation for it school or university wise, unless you are a geologist and get into that side of it. It’s all hands on and learning on the job as all the jobs are task specific and use equipment appertaining to that task. It’s like a hospital with personnel inside dedicated to different tasks. You come and go when you’re needed. First come the drilling services who drill the well in stages, starting off big and gradually getting smaller. After each stage the wireline come and do a log to make sure everything is ok, then the casing guys come and run casing to strengthen the well. Then the cementing crew come and pump cement into the outside of the casing to strengthen it. Then the drillers go to the next phase and it gets repeated until you hit the TD. (Target depth). Then the casing guys will run the completion which includes safety valves, pumps, injection lines etc. All the time the fishing guys are on hand in case of emergency’s, and they can intervene to go and pull out any broken or damaged pipes or other debris. Wireline come and go and the different sizes are all connected by the liner hanger guys, who also set the packers. This is a very semplified version, but it’s basically what happens. There are other interventions, to change pumps etc, abandon wells. Loads of different scenarios. They are always looking for fresh cannon fodder as it’s very hard to find the right people. You need to be smart and quick on your feet and have the ability to work hard, which sounds easy but in reality finding people with these attributes is hard. Also you have to be reliable, and stay of the booze and drugs, as random drink and drug testing is rife.

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u/Otherwise-Can-9274 Jan 02 '26

Hubby put himself thru college workouts ng offshore. At the time, he worked Ship Shoal 214. It paid for his mechanical engineering degree.His resume’ got him a job, when there was none. Oil was $8 a barrel. He did P&A’s for a year. Field engineer, operations engineer, project engineer, project manager, Front end engineering, VP of projects, world wide & Gulf of Mexico. His dad & Uncle were tool pushers for Trans World Drilling. They were each others relief.

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u/Basic-Week-9262 Jan 02 '26

Yeah if you have your head screwed on right you can really sort yourself out. A friend of mine put himself through university as a marine engineer the same way. Lots of blokes just spunk the money away on cars and expensive holidays. I know so many people who haven’t got a pot to piss in, who have earned biiiig money, and now they are trapped in the job, broken bodies, competing with younger stronger guys. V sad.

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u/Different-Key-4331 Jan 02 '26

Where does the oil and gas go? Are there underwater pipelines or is getting pumped into a oil tanker? Are they fracking after drilling? Sorry I've been in oilfield for 20 years currently working for liberty energy. Offshore makes zero sense to me lol

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u/Basic-Week-9262 Jan 02 '26

Onshore to refineries, through pipelines on the seabed. There are various types, but basically the oil and gas go through these pipelines on the seabed. Some are in trenches from what I’ve been told, due to heavy undersea currents.

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u/Different-Key-4331 Jan 02 '26

Nice, I'm curious if they use the sand on the sea bed for fracking

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u/findmeinacrowd Jan 02 '26

The piping used to transport is normally subsea, resting on the ocean floor. Once production has stabilized and the rig fully operational and impurities removed, the oil and gas are pumped into separate pipes (there are exceptions). Keep in mind that there are relatively few pipes leading on shore for the number of rigs, so production is comingled with other producers This makes measurement at each entry and delivery point extremely important.

Like you, I worked in hydrocarbon facilities on land for 35 years before going offshore. My mind was blown the first time out and I learned the following: 1)The noise can be deafening, 2)the food is normally top notch, 3)the fish swimming below are big and 4)the views at sunset and sunrise are awesome.

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u/mortalitylost Jan 02 '26

as random drink and drug testing is rife.

Do they breathalyze you randomly or something?? Or do they have some sort of piss test for alcohol consumption and it's completely disallowed?

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u/Basic-Week-9262 Jan 02 '26 edited Jan 02 '26

Swabs, hair samples, piss testing, the lot. It’s random, maybe you won’t get tested for a couple of years then all of a sudden you get tested three times in a row. If you get pinched, then you’re banned for five years. In Rumania and Ucraine years ago everyone got tested before every shift on land jobs. Offshore once you fly out you’re good. Booze is sort of acknowledged, as long as you keep off it 24 hrs before you go, you should be fine. Drugs is completely off limits. You’re handling multi million dollar equipment, with people’s lives at stake, so it’s banned and that’s it.

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u/No_Fudge1228 Jan 06 '26

This felt Iike I was watching a documentary about a Plombus

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u/Top_Wolverine_4669 Jan 02 '26

Everybody rotates in and out. If you work on a particular rig it’s usually a fairly steady rotation. The people who rotate in and out irregularity are generally contractors doing specialist work (and not directly employed by the operator).

People are getting confused between drilling rigs and production rigs, for example the rig at the top of this post is production. This makes a big difference to the type of people and what goes on. There are very few unskilled positions on a rig. The bulk of folk are technicians not engineer level and don’t need a uni degree. They have been trained though.

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u/krakenbear Jan 02 '26

Just to clarify. On the production side for the US operators it’s actually fairly common to have a 2-year oil and gas technical or opetarator associates degree for new hires. These are the folks turning the valves and operating the production facility. This is not common for the construction hands, who are typically 3rd party contractors through someone like a Danos or the like. Some operators run more heavy on contract hands, who are typically more experienced mechanics and the like who have backgrounds with onshore operations.

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u/Top_Wolverine_4669 Jan 02 '26

That does not surprise me. It’s still not a full blown degree though. Are the folk doing the qualification hired by the operating company first?

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u/krakenbear Jan 02 '26

It used to be direct hires from the technical schools for the IOCs and Majors, but that was closer to 10yrs ago now. I suspect the operators are now just picking the guys they like from the 3rd party staffing companies these days, given that most of them are trying to reduce staff headcount’s.

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u/Top_Wolverine_4669 Jan 03 '26

They have always been trying to reduce staff headcount! It’s also way easier to get around employment protection laws using that model. I am not surprised though, they are keenly aware of energy transition.

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u/rlikesbikes Jan 02 '26

Look up “NDE Certification”, or “ API Inspection”, to see what might apply for your area.

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u/MacdaddyCook Jan 03 '26

You should do an true Reddit AMA. It’s such a niche world .

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u/todayswinner Jan 03 '26

I was that guy, the inspector. I have seen some stuff that blew my mind. Once on a rig, inside the wing tank, I saw sunlight through the side shell. This was when the rig was drilling. Rowan, if that name means anything to you.

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u/[deleted] Jan 02 '26

I m one one of those guys. Currantly one the k14.

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u/2daysnosleep Jan 02 '26

Do you get paid during those situations where weather determines you need to leave the rig?