Home › Forums › General › General Board › Oceaneering – Is it really that bad?
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tobs.
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December 14, 2007 at 1:29 am #1181
tobs
ParticipantHi all!
First of all, I guess it’s in place to introduce myself: I’m a 24 year old Pilot Tech in Oceaneering, Norway. I have about 15 months of experience in the ROV industry. Well, enough said, back to topic.
I’ve been reading in this forum for a while, and have noticed that the common opinion is that Oceaneering is a bad company. Why is this? What is wrong with Oceaneering?
I have only my own experience from Oceaneering (Norway), so I can’t compare it to other companies, but here is my experience so far:
– The new Magnum (Plus) is a pretty good vehichle.
– The manipulators in use are Schilling Rigmaster, and Schilling T4.
– All new systems (from Jan 2006) are equiped with a Pilot chair.
– After aprox 2- 2 1/2 years a pilot tech gets a 2/4 (2 weeks on/ 4 weeks off) schedual.
– The pay is fixed, either your at home or offshore.
– We don’t work more than 132 days a year. More than that is overtime. (65% extra pay on an hourly rate).
– Skilled crews, and personel are properly treated.
– Alle travel expences covered, no matter where you live in the country.
– 12 hours of pay when travelling to and from the rig.So, why is Oceaneering so bad in your eyes? From this list, I can’t believe that all other companies can be that much better.
PS! If you can’t understand my english, I am sorry. But I am Norwegian, and I am trying 😉
December 14, 2007 at 9:11 am #14965Andy Shiers
ParticipantTobs , I think you will find that most of the Orifices in Norway are pretty switched on and treat the staff better than anywhere else as you Norwegians have a knack of going on strike 😀
I remember the Norwegian Comex orifice was a dammedsight better than the Aberdeen one . The Opps manager in Scotland was an asshole who treated everyone badley unless you had an extremely long tongue to stick up his bum 😯
Oceaneering in Norway were ok but the American side seemed to be lacking in manners or……………….Too much arrogance 😕
I know 🙂 apply for a transfer to another country and find out for yourself 😀December 14, 2007 at 10:07 am #14966liddelljohn
ParticipantIt depends where u work for OC , Asia is improving from a very low base , + low pay, low morale and poor managment , they seem to be addressing these issues but time will tell if they are successful. But OC USA has problems dure to managment techniques ,
They are a big company and some would say lack a cohesive policy on personel managment which has hurt their image among the ROV community.
I have seen this before in other industries , and companies can change , if they are forced too, if they dont have the personel it can hit the bottom line eventually , I saw this happen to NORTEL UK in the 90s and they got burned badly , lost a lot of contracts to NOKIA/Alcatel who had the good personel because they took care of them, no one wanted to work for NORTEL who then overan on major contraqcts and lost £millions.
JCL
December 14, 2007 at 6:01 pm #14967Subhuman
ParticipantHello tobs,
Well you are lucky to be working in what seems to be the only OI office where the company policy is not to screw you over every chance they get.
December 14, 2007 at 6:11 pm #14968Scott Beveridge
ParticipantLost,
Oceaneering in Norway were ok but the American side seemed to be lacking in manners or……………….Too much arrogance
It was / is both. Never worked in NOR for them, but sounds like the usual government – stepped – in – and – sorted – them – routine. The rest of the orifices in the world were / are (?) HUMAN NATURE
December 14, 2007 at 7:15 pm #14969ParticipantUnless 🙂 You are a woodentop 😀
Then you go on strike if you don’t get twenty minutes break every three hours 😀December 17, 2007 at 9:15 am #14970ParticipantNorways employment laws and culture would not put up with what OC do in USA and asia. when i workeed for NERA comms from Bergen in Norway, EU , UK and South America , asia they were the best employer i have ever experienced.
JCL
December 17, 2007 at 11:08 am #14971rovnumpty
ParticipantTobs
Your questions shows that you’ve only worked for Oceaneering from Norway.
If you’d tried any other office, you wouldn’t need to ask. The Norway office have always done things well and looked after their people. Their equipment was always several levels above anything else Oceaneering used as well. At one point, the only spactially co-ordinated arms (T3, etc) the Oceaneering owned were all fitted to systems from Norway. The RCU and most of the other decent tooling Oceaneering do was developed there as well. If you ever get any tooling from them that doesn’t work, you’ll probably find it’s from Morgan City or Aberdeen.
The management attitude from Dubai, Aberdeen and Moron City is the worst I’ve experienced in the ROV industry.
Unfortunatly, due to the fact they make so much bloody money, some other ROV companies are using them as a business model.
I’m considering retraining as a plasterer
December 18, 2007 at 9:23 pm #14972ParticipantIts seems like I’m lucky to be working in Norway, and after reading your replies I’ll guess I’m gonna stay put here 8)
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