Offshore Oil Drilling Labor

Natural oil and its by-products are perceived as valuable commodities across the world. Obtaining this high demand commodity from reservoirs where it has collected deep within the earth proves to be an inexact and demanding undertaking. Adding to the challenge of the oil drilling industry, no concrete methods have been discovered for accurately determining the location of oil deposits. The only way to know for certain if a location contains oil is to actually drill into the ground at the risk of a costly disappointment.

Oil drilling operations originally took place only on land. Next shallow water drilling evolved, and eventually extensive equipment made offshore deep ocean drilling feasible. Since oil forms from the remains of ancient sea life under intense heat and pressure for millions of years, the ocean bottom is a desirable site for oil exploration. For marine oil and natural gas drilling, offshore oil platforms are set up in the ocean above the location that is to be drilled. Platforms can be anchored to the ocean floor, float on the surface or create an artificial island in the sea.


Laborers who work on offshore oil drilling rigs typically spend weeks at a time at sea living either on the platform or in a nearby anchored ship. Many oil platforms contain amenities similar to those in hotels such as a means of eating, places for sleeping and laundry facilities which allow workers to reside on the rig for extended periods of time. A schedule is typically arranged such that workers stay offshore and work with members of their team for a specified number of days, then return to shore for another specified number of days. Offshore oil jobs can facilitate lucrative careers for fitting individuals.

Author: Bob Jent

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How To Get Hired Without Drilling Experience

So, you want to work an offshore drilling job. Do you know which companies are involved in offshore oil drilling? Besides the super-big players like Esso, BP, Shell, etc. Quite often nowadays, they are forced to subcontract some of the work to smaller players.

Have you heard of these companies: Diamond Offshore (Houston, USA), Dolphin Drilling (Tananger, Norway), and Frigstad Offshore (Singapore)? How about Offrig Drilling ASA, Scorpion Offshore, Songa Offshore and Thule Drilling ASA? These are just some of the companies in the modern oil industry. During the last slump in oil prices, the giants like BP and Shell stopped investing in their staff and oil drilling technologies. But some smaller companies correctly predicted that prices would rise again. They invested in R&D to develop new drilling techniques and technologies. They build new oil rigs for deep-ocean drilling. These are the boys that Shell and BP are sub-contracting for oil drilling services.



If you want to work on an offshore oil drilling rig, you have two main choices. The path most people think of is to go on board as part of the drill crew. If you have prior experience, you will probably be a pumpman or derrickman. Drillers are pretty much the 2nd-in-command and assistant of the oil rig manager. Technically, a roughneck/roustabout is a laborer. Unlike a normal laborer, who never gets the chance to work his way up to manager level, a roughneck with the proper attitude has a reasonable chance to become a manager on an oil rig. If you have some useful trade, like a cook or medic, this will be a good choice regardless of your offshore oil rig experience. You get the same generous living conditions of the drill crew, and better salary than a comparable job on dry land.

Just because it is an offshore oil rig does not mean it does not need office staff. Except that on the oil rig they are called tool pushers. They work in the rig offices and rig floors.

You also have the mechanical department and electrical department. The mechanical department hires motormen, mechanics and maintenance supervisors who are responsible for all mechanical operations. The electrical department includes jobs like electrician, electronics technician and maintenance supervisors who repair and look after of all the electrical equipment.

An offshore drilling job is a very lucrative career. As you can see, you do not need drilling experience to get hired on an offshore oil rig. You can get in as part of the drill crew, or as a tradesman.

RigWorker.com has been helping people get offshore drilling jobs since 1998.


Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Calvin_Loh

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