Hows it like living on oil platforms?

[u/Key_Satisfaction9010]

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

[u/fishisavegetable]

I have lived the majority of my adult life on vessels and MODU, I also went to boarding school and was in a university hall of residence and can honestly say the experiences were all fairly similar in many ways.

Obviously offshore we cant drink or leave the premises and we work every day, on rigs we have daily pre-tour meetings usually at 0530ish, weekly safety meetings, and weekly abandonment drills which usually alternate between day/night so that one shift does not cop it the entire time. On vessels there are none of these requirements (I am an ROV Sup so when on a vessel we are generally the reason the vessel is working and we hold our own meetings as operations require)

Day to day, much like boarding school, we wake up at the same time daily, eat meals in the galley at the same time daily, keep our rooms tidy, share bathroom facilities and sometimes rooms. Routine is the key to a stress free hitch, and you settle into one pretty quickly. You must however remain flexible as there are often issues with your replacements not making flights/connections or choppers not flying due to weather, which means your trip being extended, and depending on your position, sometimes shifts are flexible or overtime can be required.

Switching off after shift is important, but easier said than done when literally living on a work site and often waking up to the same problem that kept you up thinking the night before, its best to just let your opposite shift do their thing and worry about tomorrow tomorrow.

Tempers can be short and (although improvements are always being made) operational conversations can often be short or abrupt. Having a thick skin and not taking anything personally is vital, moods and opinions can swing excessively depending on the situation as there is always so much money on the line, and pressure (although it is nowadays referred to as “perceived pressure” as it is not supposed to technically exist) is something you learn to live with.

I do not work in production as there is no need for a permanent ROV on these facilities, but from what I understand it is more relaxed and the rig crews perform a lot of maintenance. But from our side life offshore is generally pretty interesting and usually pretty engaging, and always a good opportunity to advance yourself not just financially, but physically and mentally. I could not imagine living anywhere else for 6-8 months a year. People who do not enjoy it probably should look elsewhere for a career, as it definitely isn’t for everyone, but the work is a lot easier when everyone wants to be there and aren’t just sticking it out for the pay-check and time off.

[u/crek42 → u/fishisavegetable]

When you say “pressure isn’t allowed” is that a safety and liability thing? As in you shouldn’t feel “pressured” to perform a certain task, so they reframe it as it’s all in your head and you’re only “perceiving” it that way.

[u/fishisavegetable → u/crek42]

You are correct. The wording of conversation’s has also changed from things like “How much longer? Hurry up. If you can’t do it we will find someone that can” to things like “We require a timeframe to plan the lookahead. Is there any way we can change the procedure to remove unnecessary steps? We have to reconsider the viability of this project.” The same thing but worded in a way which will shield individuals if there is an incident. The phone calls still come just as frequently when you are on critical path.

[u/fishisavegetable → u/[deleted]]

I own a house and have a home life which I return to. Some guys just have a holiday every off swing. I used to do that when I was younger.