Top Of The Oil Rig

Real oil rig employment can certainly be testing, emergencies can frequently occur, you have to be ready for action if you are serious about oil rig employment.

Iit’s like being in the forces, you have to work as a team. In my time there were many oil rig emergency situations one of them particular I have listed for reference.

While on board a North Sea oil rig approx 150 miles off the Aberdeen coast some time in the 1990’s during a routine shut down for maintenance.

At round about 10am there was an almighty bang and the oil rig shook like a jelly then a few minutes later another bang.

At first every one froze thinking of the last disaster in the north sea in the 1980’s which we do not like to talk about, the explosions were every 4 to5 minutes, by now we had regained our composure and we went in to survival mode for which we had been well trained for, but this does not stop you going into a cold sweat and your backside twitching with fear and the adrenalin pumping faster than a formula 1 racing car.

By this time the muster alarm had been sounded and we all made our way to the life boat stations for what now seemed immanent evacuation off the oil rig as the explosions were still happening on regular bases.

After sitting in the life boats for 15 to 20 minutes we moved to the oil rig heli deck where we were evacuated by chopper to near by oil rigs. I was one of the first off and when I got on board that chopper there was a winch man ready for action, another crew member controlling a monitor used for detecting bodies in the water and a pile of body bags on the floor.

It brings it home just how dangerous and volatile it can be working offshore on an oil rig. The oil rig evacuation went smoothly and every one got off safely and with out panic.

On returning to the oil rig a few days later and after the situation had been brought under control. It was found that while the low pressure flair was still alight and some one had given permission to take a valve out of the high pressure flair resulting in a chimney affect sending melted condensate gas to the top.

Which in turn was ignited by the adjacent low pressure causing the explosions, thus causing some of the welds round the tulip pipes at the top of the flair to crack, this needed repairing before the rig could go in to production and this is where yours truly come in.

As I was the only welder on board that was qualified to weld this particular material I was asked as soon as I landed if I was prepared to go to the top of the stack, after very little thought I agreed but I must say my heart was beating like a drum at the thought of climbing and working at such a height. Any way after a safety meeting in which every one involved attended and a close look at the weather forecast it was decided to start the very next day.

We started our assent of the flare stack at about five thirty in the morning, as you can see from this photo it can be along way to the top of a flare stack. It took me three quarter’s of an hour to climb from the bottom to top but as you can see by the view it was well worth it looking down at the heli deck.

When the choppers came in they looked like toys and it’s not many people that can say they’ve waved to a helicopter pilot at 600 ft.

I will never forget that day, the weather was beautiful the sea was calm and the flare stack just had the gentlest of sways which kept the adrenalin pumping.

We made an early start as the weather forecast was good for the next few days, as this particular job had the rig shut down we had to get on with it ASAP.

We did not come down till lunch time then went back up till the end of our shift.

To be fair they did send us thermos flasks of coffee up via a hand line, mind you when we finished that shift and went to the galley for dinner I was one hungry NORTH SEA tiger.

I then went to my cabin and took a shower, I slept like a baby ready to start a fresh in the morning, it took three days in all to complete the job and it was a hard three shifts I can tell you but in the end we were well rewarded financially. I must admit the camaraderie of the team work and the self satisfaction we all had knowing we got the oil flowing again safely will stay with me for the rest of my life.

Oil rig employment can be tough make no mistake, but the rewards and satisfaction make it all worthwhile. You just simply cannot get that type of satisfaction working an ordinary 9 – 5 job, if this is the type of working day that you are looking for? I suggest you make it a top priority to get on an oil rig and start your oil rig employment career._31″ align=”alignleft” width=”150″ caption=”Top Of The Oil Rig”][/caption]

Real oil rig employment can certainly be testing, emergencies can frequently occur, you have to be ready for action if you are serious about oil rig employment.

Iit’s like being in the forces, you have to work as a team. In my time there were many oil rig emergency situations one of them particular I have listed for reference.

While on board a North Sea oil rig approx 150 miles off the Aberdeen coast some time in the 1990’s during a routine shut down for maintenance.

At round about 10am there was an almighty bang and the oil rig shook like a jelly then a few minutes later another bang.

At first every one froze thinking of the last disaster in the north sea in the 1980’s which we do not like to talk about, the explosions were every 4 to5 minutes, by now we had regained our composure and we went in to survival mode for which we had been well trained for, but this does not stop you going into a cold sweat and your backside twitching with fear and the adrenalin pumping faster than a formula 1 racing car.

By this time the muster alarm had been sounded and we all made our way to the life boat stations for what now seemed immanent evacuation off the oil rig as the explosions were still happening on regular bases.

After sitting in the life boats for 15 to 20 minutes we moved to the oil rig heli deck where we were evacuated by chopper to near by oil rigs. I was one of the first off and when I got on board that chopper there was a winch man ready for action, another crew member controlling a monitor used for detecting bodies in the water and a pile of body bags on the floor.

It brings it home just how dangerous and volatile it can be working offshore on an oil rig. The oil rig evacuation went smoothly and every one got off safely and with out panic.

On returning to the oil rig a few days later and after the situation had been brought under control. It was found that while the low pressure flair was still alight and some one had given permission to take a valve out of the high pressure flair resulting in a chimney affect sending melted condensate gas to the top.

Which in turn was ignited by the adjacent low pressure causing the explosions, thus causing some of the welds round the tulip pipes at the top of the flair to crack, this needed repairing before the rig could go in to production and this is where yours truly come in.

As I was the only welder on board that was qualified to weld this particular material I was asked as soon as I landed if I was prepared to go to the top of the stack, after very little thought I agreed but I must say my heart was beating like a drum at the thought of climbing and working at such a height. Any way after a safety meeting in which every one involved attended and a close look at the weather forecast it was decided to start the very next day.

We started our assent of the flare stack at about five thirty in the morning, as you can see from this photo it can be along way to the top of a flare stack. It took me three quarter’s of an hour to climb from the bottom to top but as you can see by the view it was well worth it looking down at the heli deck.

When the choppers came in they looked like toys and it’s not many people that can say they’ve waved to a helicopter pilot at 600 ft.

I will never forget that day, the weather was beautiful the sea was calm and the flare stack just had the gentlest of sways which kept the adrenalin pumping.

We made an early start as the weather forecast was good for the next few days, as this particular job had the rig shut down we had to get on with it ASAP.

We did not come down till lunch time then went back up till the end of our shift.

To be fair they did send us thermos flasks of coffee up via a hand line, mind you when we finished that shift and went to the galley for dinner I was one hungry NORTH SEA tiger.

I then went to my cabin and took a shower, I slept like a baby ready to start a fresh in the morning, it took three days in all to complete the job and it was a hard three shifts I can tell you but in the end we were well rewarded financially. I must admit the camaraderie of the team work and the self satisfaction we all had knowing we got the oil flowing again safely will stay with me for the rest of my life.

Oil rig employment can be tough make no mistake, but the rewards and satisfaction make it all worthwhile. You just simply cannot get that type of satisfaction working an ordinary 9 – 5 job, if this is the type of working day that you are looking for? I suggest you make it a top priority to get on an oil rig and start your oil rig employment career.

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