Same shit, different ship

[BLD]

I'm sure tax only came to Thailand for the culture. Armo only came for the Leo's then might of got lucky and found a bird that likes droll humourless pommy cuntys. She might even have a real job to support his tefler ass?

[BLD]

Hugs by a sailor after an offshore trip? Sounds like hugging a rental after a long time, short time no, long time yes. It’s only good manners.

Gotta agree. A knuckle bump will suffice

[BLD]

Imagine,you have been on a boat for a month or 2 and you and yer bosun Sven sign off in some Norwegian port to go take your R&R and go you're separate ways. No. You don't hug Sven. That's gay as fuk. Likewise. I wouldn't do 2 months in Sudan or some nasty ass place then hug Mohammed my driver for dropping me off at the airport

[DrWilly]

indeed, for someone who has spent his whole forum life slagging off mongers, sex workers and the towns they all gravitate to, that was a surprising post.

Say what?

You need to explain yourself better, Tax, otherwise it's just the insane mutterings of an old man.. .


oh I see.

[armstrong]

Say what?

You need to explain yourself better, Tax, otherwise it's just the insane mutterings of an old man.. .


oh I see.

It's because you're missing the context of my post. Sucks that being uninformed makes you look like a twat though.

[malmomike77]

^ If I was going to turn gay it wouldn't be for a reminiscing, hairy-arsed Brummie bus driver, I can assure you.

In fact I am one of the most ungay people I know and cringe when guys give these 'man hugs' at the end of an offshore work trip. A brief but firm handshake is more than enough for me.

The only males on this planet that I show overt affection towards are Yogi, Tommy and Max. I enjoy a cuddle with my dogs.




You would be surprised, this industry isn't nearly as male dominated as it was thirty off years ago. There's five geos on this boat and three are of the female persuasion (however the two seniors are male!). There's a female data processor on board, a female in the ROV crew and even a female officer on the bridge. There are also three females in catering/cleaning, which was always the more traditional department for female personnel.

The times they are a changing. There's bladdy wimmin everywhere.

I'm not sure how I feel about it to be honest, but after seven months of socialising with a pack of street dogs and a 13 year-old daughter, I'm glad that I can still hold my own when conversing with attractive, intelligent and ambitious young Scandinavian women. However I have learnt to avoid certain subjects such as my views on this LTGB stuff nights out on lower Sukhumvit.

so there is confusion over the term gents, they need to add a sign for Men. Aren't you tempted to print out cocks and fannys and post them up, jusrt to be clear. Although you still have to deal with the Tranny issye.

[Reg Dingle]

Looks like someone's trying to point out to the sole EnglIsh person aboard that theres nothing wrong with a post coital cruise man cuddle and that theres been a complaint from the data processor about some sexcrazed Thai ungay sexpat sniffing the females toilet rim?

[dirk diggler]

It’s bad luck to have a woman onboard.

However, this place could do with a mother’s touch.

We are still in Port in Luanda, bit of a shit show so far but hopefully sail by the weekend and fuck off all the mozzies.

I’ve been offered a job elsewhere, for a larger reputable company that actually has their shit together. The money is less but the opportunity for learning, development and ROV diversity is enticing.

I think I’ll give it a go and see if they keep me busy through winter.

[dirk diggler]

^^ Turns out my room mate is a data processor.

[malmomike77]

Looks like someone's trying to point out to the sole EnglIsh person aboard t

no, they realise that under sucessive UK Govts the people have become confused over what a woman is, our present PM depite being married to one and apparently as he's father children must have put his cock in one is still to this day confused as to what a woman is, still that 2 tier for you, and Sympl

[DrWilly]

Malbec Mike at it again

[Mendip]

We are still in Port in Luanda, bit of a shit show so far but hopefully sail by the weekend and fuck off all the mozzies.

I’ve been offered a job elsewhere, for a larger reputable company that actually has their shit together. The money is less but the opportunity for learning, development and ROV diversity is enticing.

I always used to keep the malaria prophylaxis going until we sailed, and the stopped ASAP. That Malarone really used to affect me. And don't get me started on Larium...

Dirk, go for the bigger company and take the financial hit for now. This industry will be busy for a few years yet and time spent with one of the big, 'reputable' companies will be time well spent.


A good mate of mine from the UK was due on this boat at next week's crew change and I'd put in my order of tea bags, strong cheese, Babybels (for the daughter) and jars of garlic paste... but he's been cancelled.

Bugger.

This meant that the dried mango he'd requested in return was distributed around the boat. I'd picked a load of this stuff up in the Hundred Year Market in Korat, where it's as cheap as chips. In fact, in Thailand it's a lot cheaper than decent chips.




We were back to Gullfaks tonight... the Askeladden drill rig...



And the Gullfaks field centre at the pre-dawn.



The weather is still too rough for dredging ops, so it was time to get the survey ROV wet to make use of the time.



This SROV makes a fortune for this company. Come and work here Dirk... this is the future!



Off she goes...



Another site survey, another project to work through.



This will keep me busy for a while longer yet.

[DrWilly]

This will keep me busy for a while longer yet.

Until AI takes over…

[dirk diggler]

Malarone has no nasty effects on me at all. In fact, they give me a slight mellow buzz and I sleep better with less vivid dreams than usual. I take it for 2 days before travel until 7 days after sail, then 2 days before port and 7 days after I get home.

The bigger company sounds great, but mostly North Sea and also PAYE, so there will be a tax hit on top. It’s a day rate contract anyway with no obligation to accept jobs and will not make me exclusive to that company. So I see it as nothing to lose but more opportunities to get away.

I did drop my CV into DO a while back with no reply this time, but you never know, and I wouldn’t mind a bit of that luxury you seem to be hogging all to yourself!

Do you ever work anywhere warm?

[DrWilly]

I’m sure the boats have central heating.

[dirk diggler]

Unlike Mendy, I work outside.

[Mendip]

The bigger company sounds great, but mostly North Sea and also PAYE, so there will be a tax hit on top. It’s a day rate contract anyway with no obligation to accept jobs and will not make me exclusive to that company. So I see it as nothing to lose but more opportunities to get away.

I did drop my CV into DO a while back with no reply this time, but you never know, and I wouldn’t mind a bit of that luxury you seem to be hogging all to yourself!

Do you ever work anywhere warm?

The best contract I ever had was a dayrate contract with Acergy/Subsea 7. I was treated like staff but without all the bother, first in the queue for any freelance work and on a better dayrate than freelancers because there was no agent taking his cut. I was also paid gross out of Singapore. I think the problem with going PAYE is that you'll lose any advantage from being non-resident in the UK, but if you do it with a big company to get the experience then I guess it's worth while.

I know some people in DO...

I used to work in West Africa and Brazil a lot, but not with DeepOcean. The majority of the work with DO is North/Norwegian Sea and I like to stay in the Norwegian Sector for financial reasons. And also I like the cushy vessels, nice conditions and regular crew changes. The food's often pretty shite though.

DO usually pick up Mediterranean work during the winter when the North Sea is out of season, although it's so busy now that there is no winter break. Last week DeepOcean bought Shelf Subsea, based in Perth, and apparently they are looking at expanding into the Asia Pacific region. This would be of great interest to me as I am so sick of the long haul flights.

[malmomike77]

The food's often pretty shite though.

which is great when you are on a 6 week diet

[dirk diggler]

Yeah I saw that they bought Shelf and almost mentioned it in my last post.

I had a job with Shelf on the Naga project where the jackup leg punched through and the rig sunk.

Although that was diverted through Bintang Subsea.

Anyway, I was all set then the emails just went cold and no replies.

Not uncommon, unfortunately.

[Mendip]

which is great when you are on a 6 week diet

Six weeks?

I've been on a diet since 2003.


We're still at Gullfaks and in the distance to the west, off the port side, there is some activity on the horizon.

Between us and that activity is the Norwegian-UK border, and that activity is at Shell's decommissioned Brent Field. This was one of the UK's most significant oil fields, discovered in 1971, produced over 2 billion barrels, gave it's name to one of the industry's major crude oil pricing benchmarks, and now decommissioned.



The field consisted of three concrete GBS structures, from south to north, Brent Bravo, Charlie and Delta. And to the south of these, Brent Alpha with a steel jacket



It looks to me that that vessel is working on the four concrete legs of Brent Charlie, the topside long since cut off and taken away.



To the south of the vessel, the concrete legs of Brent Bravo.



And to the north, the concrete legs that used to support the Brent Delta topside.



There was no sign of the steel jacket for the Brent Alpha platform, and I think that these steel structures are relatively easy to cut off at seabed level and take away. How on earth they will remove the massive concrete GBS structures for the other platforms I have no idea. Personally, I think they should be left in situ as a refuge for the dwindling fish stocks from the relentless trawling, but the likes of Greenpeace won't rest until the oil companies are made to pay... regardless of the advantages to wildlife of alternatives. The politics of conservation.

And as for politics... the Brent and Gullfaks fields share a similar reservoir system... the Brent field has been decommissioned while the Norwegians are using new technology to increase the yield from Gullfaks even further. Many new wells are currently being drilled at Gullfaks during a large phase of development, to be tied back into existing infrastructure. The gas will be sent to the European market, including the UK.

The UK hasn't run out of hydrocarbons, they have just decided that it's better to import gas instead of exploiting their own reserves. The oil companies are going elsewhere.

[malmomike77]

Six weeks?

I've been on a diet since 2003.

intermitently very......

[BLD]

Six weeks?

I've been on a diet since 2003.


We're still at Gullfaks and in the distance to the west, off the port side, there is some activity on the horizon.

Between us and that activity is the Norwegian-UK border, and that activity is at Shell's decommissioned Brent Field. This was one of the UK's most significant oil fields, discovered in 1971, produced over 2 billion barrels, gave it's name to one of the industry's major crude oil pricing benchmarks, and now decommissioned.



The field consisted of three concrete GBS structures, from south to north, Brent Bravo, Charlie and Delta. And to the south of these, Brent Alpha with a steel jacket



It looks to me that that vessel is working on the four concrete legs of Brent Charlie, the topside long since cut off and taken away.



To the south of the vessel, the concrete legs of Brent Bravo.



And to the north, the concrete legs that used to support the Brent Delta topside.



There was no sign of the steel jacket for the Brent Alpha platform, and I think that these steel structures are relatively easy to cut off at seabed level and take away. How on earth they will remove the massive concrete GBS structures for the other platforms I have no idea. Personally, I think they should be left in situ as a refuge for the dwindling fish stocks from the relentless trawling, but the likes of Greenpeace won't rest until the oil companies are made to pay... regardless of the advantages to wildlife of alternatives. The politics of conservation.

And as for politics... the Brent and Gullfaks fields share a similar reservoir system... the Brent field has been decommissioned while the Norwegians are using new technology to increase the yield from Gullfaks even further. Many new wells are currently being drilled at Gullfaks during a large phase of development, to be tied back into existing infrastructure. The gas will be sent to the European market, including the UK.

The UK hasn't run out of hydrocarbons, they have just decided that it's better to import gas instead of exploiting their own reserves. The oil companies are going elsewhere.

Interesting, as usual.

[Topper]

^ agreed, very interesting! Thanks Mendip!!!!!!!!!!!

[dirk diggler]

I remember the Brent Charlie well.

Freezing my knackers off on the top deck (ironically called the Weather Deck) in a howling horizontal Blizzard while pumping Nitrogen to purge out all the hydrocarbons at the beginning of a shutdown.

Brutal.

[Reg Dingle]

A good mate of mine from the UK was due on this boat at next week's crew change and I'd put in my order of tea bags, strong cheese, Babybels (for the daughter) and jars of garlic paste... but he's been cancelled.

Bugger.

This meant that the dried mango he'd requested in return was distributed around the boat. I'd picked a load of this stuff up in the Hundred Year Market in Korat, where it's as cheap as chips. In fact, in Thailand it's a lot cheaper than decent chips.

You sure he only wanted some dried out mango in return for your half a shopping trolley request?

Wasn't it you who who bought a cheap dehydrater off Lazada last year too, to dry mango and the Flippo chef's chili?

Are you sure he's been cancelled and hasn't jumped ship with more generous folk like Dirk and his Scottish crew?