Anyone worked on Offshore Oil Rigs?

Yum-Yum · 22-09-2006, 08:51 PM

G'day guys and girls,
been thinking about a change in career and one that has caught my eye is working on offshore oil rigs. Does anyone here have experience and able to tell me how to go about finding employment on a rig, any qualifications needed or tickets that may help to open a few doors. I'm 33 with 3 kids and have explained my plans to my children who are happy about my decision. I currently work a 12hr shift and am accustom to hard physical labour, so after reading some info feel I may be right at home as a Roustabout or Roughneck.
Any help or Info you guys can offer would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks all

Outbackjack · 22-09-2006, 09:02 PM

I work with a bloke that worked oil rigs for a few years, from the Irish sea to the persian gulf. Its a darn hard life, but the money is quite exceptional. I think that it is not all that easy to get into either. More a matter of who you know and not what you know. Lots of travel included as well.

Good luck with it. Try contacting the big oil companies in Australia, then maybe the overseas ones.

Green X · 22-09-2006, 09:27 PM

Yeah mate it’s pretty hard to get on to em like the above post said, not what you know but whom you know.

Rigger and dogging Ticket’s would help, as well as senor first aid and a MARCSTA and Experience in the mining/ Drilling industry might help too.

Are you a Tradesman I.E Mechanical Fitter or just fresh off the street just looking for a change?

Yum-Yum · 22-09-2006, 10:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Green X

Are you a Tradesman I.E Mechanical Fitter or just fresh off the street just looking for a change?

Thanks for the posts guys, definitely fresh off the street lol and really looking for a change. No trades what so ever jst a straight labourer. I do work with a couple of guys who know people on a rig off the coast of Perth I think, maybe that's my door so to speak.

Outbackjack · 22-09-2006, 10:06 PM

Thought about the mining industry, there are some pretty good $$ to be had there as well. Another place that might worth looking at is (dont laugh) Woomera. This little town will be a gold mine for the right people very soon.

Yum-Yum · 22-09-2006, 10:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Outbackjack

Thought about the mining industry, there are some pretty good $$ to be had there as well. Another place that might worth looking at is (dont laugh) Woomera. This little town will be a gold mine for the right people very soon.

Hadn't really thought about mining but please do tell. Not sure where Woomera is lol

Outbackjack · 22-09-2006, 10:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Yum-Yum

Hadn't really thought about mining but please do tell. Not sure where Woomera is lol

Woomera is on the stuart highway north of Adelaide. They are building a new lauch pad for NASA and other aero space agencies. Most of the big mines are in WA and QLD with acouple in the NT. Not sure how you would go about applying but a google search of mines in Australia would be a good place to start. Maybe there is an employment agency that handles mine jobs?? There must be someone on this forum that is involved in the mining industry???

AnthonyQLD · 22-09-2006, 11:07 PM

I have done a bit of work on rigs if you want some info just PM me

schmidty · 23-09-2006, 02:29 AM

I've got quite a few mates off mining, they all got in from just fronting up to the mine. The companies are reluctant to give any jobs out or show a great deal of interest on the phone or by email, but if someone is comitted enough to front up to the mine, do a mine course (1 day) and have a medical, they were all working within 2 weeks. A few had trades, 2 were labourers, 2 were uni students, 1 was putting up sheds, and the other was unemployed.

All love it, make great money compared to what they could make here with minimal qualifications, like the work, and are all happy they bit the bullet and moved over.

Much easier life than on a rig, esp if you have kids. Still some sort of notmality to your life. And you also get lots of options to be involved in different areas and projects and can stay in a big mine in a town like kalgoorlie, or head up further doing fly in fly out remote stuff.

OLDFORDNUT · 23-09-2006, 07:49 AM

quite a few mining jobs on the net, try google search of mining jobs.

dan.76 · 23-09-2006, 08:56 AM

i live in a coal mining town in qld , there is lots of work on up here but no accomodation at all to be had.i think that wa is the best bet at the moment

'63Deluxe · 23-09-2006, 03:02 PM

Maybe do a rope access course - something a bit different

IRATA - Industrial Rope Access Trade Association

dan.76 · 23-09-2006, 06:00 PM

looks good till you give the incident reports a look, but dont mind me im scared of heights lol

MO · 23-09-2006, 08:49 PM

There was a thread on similiar subject awhile back...can't be bothered searching....however try and get in touch with svo-347 I'm pretty sure he's in the mining game.

MO · 23-09-2006, 09:02 PM

Just had a thought and this relates to other thread....get yourself into a welding course..which at the end gives you X-Ray standard welding practises...you'll never look back the entire minerals/mining industry needs X-Ray standard welders...especially the gas industry.

FreezeR · 24-09-2006, 02:02 PM

If you want to get into mining jobs, your best off to just show up and ask. Im in kalgoorlie atm working for ausdrill and there always looking for offsiders and drillers.

Lots of work over here you just gotta go to the right places. First off you'll need your HR otherwise most companies here wont even look at you.
I heard karratha is the place to go if you want to get into offshore, most off them fly in and out of there. You'll need your MARCSTA, HUET and some previous drilling experience to get out there though.

PM me if you want anymore info.

Phil · 24-09-2006, 03:08 PM

I work in underground mining, been doing it for over 12 years. Mechanic by trade. Underground maintence trainer now.
If you want to work in WA a few of employment agencies run courses to get people in. Best bet is pick up "The West Australian" News paper on a Saturday and have a look through the job section. There is a bit at the back that lists all the mining training courses. What sort of job you looking for? Trades or operator? With alot of jobs in West Australia you cant just show up at the gate asking for a job as most of them are in remote areas.

EXECJIM · 24-09-2006, 11:41 PM

Should ask **, he has done everything

Yum-Yum · 25-09-2006, 05:57 PM

Thanks for all the replies guys, you've really got me thinking now lol I have no trade qualifications what so ever and have been a labourer most of my working life so am trying to find out what pays better so to speak.

MO · 25-09-2006, 08:55 PM

Just another thought and this relates to the offshore rigs...if your up for it get your diving ticket and welding..x-ray..ticket and try saturation diving and maintenance....is dangerous...but big..big money.

jasonl351 · 25-09-2006, 09:10 PM

if u wanna get offshore u have to work onshore first,ring places like cetury drilling.o d&e, oca. coz most offshore mobs only employ drillers, derrickmen and tradies they have a thing called the iron roughneck.

XRQTOR · 25-09-2006, 09:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MO

Just another thought and this relates to the offshore rigs...if your up for it get your diving ticket and welding..x-ray..ticket and try saturation diving and maintenance....is dangerous...but big..big money.

What do you call big big money, to me that'd be 25o+

Longreach · 25-09-2006, 09:19 PM

Hmm i don't know if this is were you want to head, but since you've got the kids. You could head to Collie in WA, around hour and half out of perth and they have quite afew mines in the area, and because of hte proximity to so many local towns, you could move to a town which isn't purely mining, but at the same time isn't overly huge, depending you may be able to base ya self out of a decent sized community if you could find the right mine. Which would allow you to go home and see the kids each night/day depending on shifts, without having to be fly in fly out. I am pritty sure that the bauxite industry is being upgraded or is planned to do so soon, so should be plenty of jobs available there, as they have a lack of people within the area as there all just about already work at the mines :P.

Don't quote me on the info its just what i picked up while i did some work down there about 6 months ago, with that said i worked on an agricultural property but the mines did come up in discussion acouple times.

MO · 25-09-2006, 09:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by XRQTOR

What do you call big big money, to me that'd be 25o+

That, from memory and relating to todays rates is about what it is.

XRQTOR · 25-09-2006, 09:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MO

That, from memory and relating to todays rates is about what it is.

As in $25o,ooo a year, holy Fu*k.

SO what exactly does this work involve, just underwater welding or is there more to it. Surley there's a reason why they pay stupid money.

MO · 25-09-2006, 09:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by XRQTOR

As in $25o,ooo a year, holy Fu*k.

SO what exactly does this work involve, just underwater welding or is there more to it. Surley there's a reason why they pay stupid money.

Yes there is more to it I'm not real sure about OZ but in the Nth Sea rigs they spend 1 mth under and two on top...they live in a nitrogen filled atmosphere in a submersible...its very cramped and cold...and it takes quite some time for your your body to normalise after each dive.

Perhaps a google would offer more info than I know...I'm not sure but I think the dive duration may have been shortened....but the money is there.

An after thought your time outside the sub is limited which is why you are part of a large team...from memory you can spend about half an hour out of the sub...the depths there working at are 100mtr ++++++

XRQTOR · 25-09-2006, 09:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MO

Yes there is more to it I'm not real sure about OZ but in the Nth Sea rigs they spend 1 mth under and two on top...they live in a nitrogen filled atmosphere in a submersible...its very cramped and cold...and it takes quite some time for your your body to normalise after each dive.

Perhaps a google would offer more info than I know...I'm not sure but I think the dive duration may have been shortened....but the money is there.

When their top side do they work or have the time off, dam shame they dont have and rigs off sydney thats would be a pretty cooly job. So you dive from the submersible living area.

Longreach · 25-09-2006, 09:39 PM

Speaking of crazy money, people that drive the huge trains up North. A women used to drive the large haul trucks, she quit that on the mines went and got her train licence, first year somthing like 80grand, and working its way up to around 350g if i remember correct, and another bloke was on just under half mil, for driving those huge trains. 8 days on 6 off, something like that.
It would have to be a boreing job, but i guess you'd be sittin there just dropping 2$ coins in a jar in essence

XRQTOR · 25-09-2006, 09:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Longreach

Speaking of crazy money, people that drive the huge trains up North. A women used to drive the large haul trucks, she quit that on the mines went and got her train licence, first year somthing like 80grand, and working its way up to around 350g if i remember correct, and another bloke was on just under half mil, for driving those huge trains. 8 days on 6 off, something like that.
It would have to be a boreing job, but i guess you'd be sittin there just dropping 2$ coins in a jar in essence

Are you talking about driving interstate freight trains or trians that are used in the mines.

MO · 25-09-2006, 09:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by XRQTOR

When their top side do they work or have the time off, dam shame they dont have and rigs off sydney thats would be a pretty cooly job. So you dive from the submersible living area.

No they don't work its time out to recover from the dive...it takes about a week or more for your voice to return from squeak to normal.

As I said its a very dangerous job.

Which is why the pay is so good...but the average saturation diver only lasts about 5 to 8 years...then enough is enough.