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- Work on oil and gas rigs, maintaining equipment & unloading supplies
- You'll need practical skills to operate machinery and excellent teamworking skills
- You could become a crane operator, or a roughneck, who helps with drilling operations
DAY-TO-DAY DUTIES
- Cleaning and maintaining the deck and equipment
- Using lifting gear to unload supplies from boats
- Moving supplies and equipment to storage and work areas
- Repairing pumping equipment
- Preparing the drilling equipment
DAY-TO-DAY ENVIRONMENT
You may be handling hazardous materials and so you'll wear protective clothing, including a safety harness. The UK offshore oil and gas industry is mainly off the east coast of Scotland and England, but there are also fields in the Irish Sea and west of the Shetland Islands. You could also work overseas. Your employer will put you through safety training.
You'll live and work on a rig for 2 or 3 weeks, then have 2 or 3 weeks at home. You'll work up to 12 hours a day in shifts, covering days and nights. Platforms and rigs have accommodation, canteens and recreation areas. You can't drink alcohol, take drugs or smoke on a rig. The job is physically demanding and you'll work in all weathers, and at height.
You'll need
This role would be ideal for someone with good practical skills to operate machinery, and excellent teamworking skills.
There are no set requirements, you may be able to apply directly for jobs if you've got experience and qualifications from engineering, construction or other areas of the oil and gas industry.
You must be over 18, complete basic offshore safety training and have an offshore medical certificate.
You could do an engineering operative intermediate apprenticeship before applying to work on offshore rigs.
CAREER PROSPECTS
With experience, you could become a crane operator, or a roughneck, who helps with drilling operations. With further training, you could progress to be a derrickman, assistant driller or driller.