Does anyone work for Sonsub??

Have you approached your SS7 Project Managers first to ask if you could be considered for any upcoming construction work/any location?

Express your concerns first, prior to jumping ship?

I have requested the boats and am awaiting a place, the general rule seems to be that if you work for i-tech7 then it is near impossible to transfer to Subsea7 and the construction side, the only hope seems to be that i-tech have a few of their own boats.
not ready to jump ship yet, just putting out the feelers.
thanks

Hey, ja im also in the same poition as yourself and with i-tech too. I got fobbed of with ‘would like you to stay another couple of trips then will look into it’.
I have a mate who works with Sonsub, no complaints and plenty of work.

Sonsub used to be a market leader…

Now they are owned by Saipem… 🙁

Expect to be treated like a poor desperate chav from Eastern Europe.. They make up the bulk of Saipems staff… (Plus a few fuckwit Italians with short man disease)

So away from Sonsub’s own vessels where Saipem is in charge of your crewchanges and accomodation expect cheap shitty hotels, cheap seamans tickets and lots of waiting around..

Once there expect cheap tasteless food and all the pasta you can eat..

Instead of being treated as a member of the team Sonsubs ROV guys are looked down upon by the ‘real’ Saipem crew so on Saipem barges/vessels you get the worst accomodation too.. (Sonsub’s boats are much better) Lots of Italians and Frenchies shouting and hollaring and the usual confusion.. It’s a f***ing nightmare… No wonder they are short of exprienced guys. Did I mention the hopeless ‘newbie’ supervisors or the African trainees ?

Crap pay, shite food, f***’ed up crewchanges and lots of political crap…

There are much better companies to work for…

Funny though quite a few of the guys I know left SS to go to SS7 and they say SS7 is better and more proffesional.. ?

Dlansen
Guess you have worked fro Saipem and Sonsub to make such judgements.

Granted Saipem jobs have their dramatics as any job.
I have worked for both as agencey and signed up with Sonsub in the summer.

New vehicle,new vessel,food OK and guys are good crack….maybe unique but there is a definite effort to make the lads happy…..a great Supt. doesn’t hurt.
Thee might be beter but thee is sure worst.

Hi Guys
I can see it’s not SS you have been working for, they don’t have any new ROVs nada. Also the people there, so many local people there don’t know fcuk all, i think more than half is local now, and a few expat there don’t know fcuk all, yes i worked for them, but not for long. Mind you they have some really good people as well, but some is looking elsewhere.

Me, I think you are talking about Sonsub Singapore while Rovbionic is talking about Sonsub Aberdeen. Different animals, same skin.

Yes Scott I’ll chime in here:

I have worked for Sonsub Sing and Sonsub Houston before and after Saipem took over.

Sonsub Houston has gone the way of most GOM companies and promoted inexperienced individuals to the apex of their incompetence! While they have all new vehicles and some good long term work for BP, the trainees all share in a mentality thinking they should be supervisors after 5 or 6 trips offshore. Just that "gosh-dang" Cowboy mentality of stupidity being the only trait exceeding their egos. The REAL ISSUE with Saipem America in Houston is the Human Refuge Department!!! It is run by a bunch of really stupid F’ers, who are ALL better suited being Army recruiters or used taxi salesmen.

Sonsub Singapore has NOTHING NEW. All of the old systems from Houston (excluding Innovators) are shipped to Sing, rebuilt and sent out. MOST of the well experienced hands have been stolen from Sonsub Sing by a new company started by the former Sonsub GM. I’ll not list the company, as J.W. is not hiring wannabe wankers and will fire any jerk straight off a job without hesitation for incompetence. So, if you haven’t received an invitation to join, consider if you have what it takes BEFORE wasting your time applying!

Despite the exodus of the best guys from Sonsub Singapore and a fair amount of locals working in the P/T positions, Sonsub Sing is a decent place to work. Pay is above that of Canyon Singapore and competitive with what J.W. is paying (US$1000 dayrate for ROV Supvs). Again, you make your own deal based upon your PROVEN TRACK RECORD and not your delusions of grandeur.

I have worked with some really great expat types from OZ and South Africa the past few trips. The Filipinos and Singaporeans remaining on the payroll are MUCH MORE switched on than any of the dumb@$$ Coonarses and Texan Cowgirl trainees/Pilot Techs I’ve experienced in the GOM the past few years.

The Filipinos spend a great amount of time in the workshop rebuilding these old ROVs from the ground up, updating the hydraulic and pc control systems. So, what you end up with is a "trainee or bottom level P/T" that can strip an ROV to the frame and put it back together WITHOUT supervision. I’ll take a boatfull of these great guys over 1 single dip$hit from the GOM.

The best thing about using local talent is this. The Filipinos work through a Philippine agency for a 2 year commitment. During that time they are busting their arses to learn and to perform. Those who do so then get hired on direct by Sonsub, drastically increasing their pay and then help train their fellow country mates to do the same with the same outstanding work ethics. Sonsub recently lost a top talent Filipino to Canyon Singapore at above average P/T expat dayrate…LOL!

When a man busts his arse and and puts his heart into his work, it is my pleasure to teach him all that I can to get him promoted up the food chain, regardless of nationality. So, if you have a issue with locals being smarter than you as a P/T, Sonsub Singapore probably isn’t for you.

I haven’t worked in the North Sea/Aberdeen since 1999, so I can only share rumors about Saipem there. Several good mates say that they are filling their crews with former Eastern Bloc guys with bad attitudes and horrible English skills.

What DJansen said about Saipem Vessels is ABSOLUTELY CORRECT! The laundry hands receive better treatment than the ROV guys on these vessels. I wouldn’t work on a Saipem owned/controlled vessel for double dayrate…just not worth the aggrivation. Sonsub vessels and contracted vessels are a mixed bag, depending upon where your are. It ranges from roach infested work vessels in China with horrible food, no laundry or room cleaning service; to outstanding work in Asia on vessels like the Emerald Sea. This is just the nature of the industry where ever you go.

In my not so brief tenure offshore, I have found that Sonsub/Saipem is about average for an ROV company; excluding the anal retentive mindset of the Italians and the Houston HR COMPLETE Idiots.

well maybe it’s a book, but spot on the mark