Offshore Oil & Gas

There are three main areas of work in the offshore oil and gas industry: 

• Exploration – conducting surveys and tests to find worthwhile reserves of oil and gas

• Field development – deciding how to extract the fuel, setting up production facilities and drilling wells 

• Production and maintenance – operating and maintaining equipment

There are jobs offshore on support vessels, platforms and drilling rigs and onshore at terminals servicing the equipment and constructing new platforms. There are also opportunities in engineering design, planning and project management. 

• Roustabouts do the basic labouring jobs, such as loading and unloading supply ships and helicopters and general maintenance
• Roughnecks carry out the manual work of the drilling operation
• Derrickmen work high up on the derrick (or steel tower) under the driller’s direction
• Drillers operate the drilling equipment and direct the work of the drilling crew
• Toolpushers oversee operations and may run the whole drilling rig, making sure work goes smoothly and that materials and equipment are available
  • Assistants to toolpushers are often graduates gaining experience
• Mud loggers are highly trained geologists who are alert to signs of precious hydrocarbons during drilling

Offshore installations also need production operatives, welders, electricians, mechanics, storekeepers, medical workers and cooks. There are also jobs for divers to maintain the platforms. The vessels in the offshore fleet (construction, drilling, seismic, supply and floating production vessels) all need deck and engineer officers, as well as crew. Some vessels and rigs can have hundreds of people on board, so they need lots of facilities and services. 

• Scientists and engineers mostly work in labs or offices onshore, but they may spend occasional spells on offshore installations
• Geologists/geophysicists study underground structures using computers and analysing data from seismic surveys to assess the prospects of finding oil or gas
  • They prepare reports, charts and presentations for the contracting company and may also work as mud loggers
• Petroleum engineers apply principles of maths, physics, chemistry and engineering to the recovery and processing of hydrocarbons
• Drilling engineers are responsible for the safe and efficient development, management and maintenance of drilling
• Reservoir engineers work out systems to ensure that every last drop of oil is recovered from the reservoirs
• Subsea engineers design, install, maintain and operate engineering equipment on the seabed
  • Subsea wells and processing systems must be installed at depths using remotely operated equipment
• Pipeline engineers are involved in the installation and maintenance of rigid and flexible oil and gas pipes
  • Where there are no pipelines taking products ashore, floating production, storage and offloading vessels are used to process the oil from the wells and transport it to export pipelines or shuttle tankers
• Structural engineers, naval architects and project managers design, plan and manage the construction, installation, operation and maintenance of offshore platforms and vessels
• Deck and engineer officers run the vessels in the offshore fleet
• Graduate engineers and scientists are also involved in new challenges, such as harnessing sustainable energy from wind, waves and currents
  • Equipment has to be designed, built, installed and operated safely and cost-effectively

To work offshore, you need to: 

• Be fit and strong (for manual work)

• Be reliable, responsible and very safety-conscious 

• Be prepared to work outside in all weathers 

• Have excellent teamworking skills 

• Have leadership and project-management skills 

• Be prepared to work on a shift basis and to cope with periods away from home 

Before working offshore, you have to undergo an offshore survival course. Once employed, workers receive further safety training and, if appropriate, training in firefighting. The minimum age for working on an offshore installation is 18. Basic offshore labouring work usually requires no formal qualifications, but relevant craft or technician experience or training helps. Advanced Apprenticeships for technicians are available.

Most engineers and scientists have degrees in a branch of engineering, chemistry, physics, maths, geology or geophysics. Further training is usually on the job and through short courses. Chartered and Incorporated Engineer and Engineering Technician status is available to suitably qualified, experienced and competent engineers via a number of professional bodies including the IMarEST and the Energy Institute. Chartered Marine Scientist and Chartered Marine Technologist status is available for other science and technology professionals via the IMarEST.

• International oil and gas companies 
• Companies involved with renewable energy 
• Offshore contractors 
• Engineering design consultancies 
• Drilling, maintenance and specialist service contractors 
• Mud analyst firms 
• Suppliers of materials and equipment 

There’s a shortage of skilled workers in the industry. With the right experience, abilities and personality, promotion is possible at all levels.

For instance, it could take just a few years to progress from a roughneck to driller. Apprentices usually progress to supervisory posts. Professional engineers may move into management positions. Many countries want to harness their own supplies of energy, so there are opportunities to work almost anywhere in the world.

• British Wind Energy Association
• Cogent Skills
• Energy Institute
• Engineering Council UK
• The Institute of Marine Engineering, Science and Technology
• The International Marine Contractors Association
• Oil & Gas UK
• The Science Council
• Society for Underwater Technology