Projects in China.

[chen]

I am not Chinese, my passport confirms that I am British (although I am not particularly proud of it).

Perhaps there is a degree of naivety on both sides here. Some may consider me to be naive in thinking that you can pay anyone to do anything, but perhaps you are also being naive as it is most certainly true that you can pay some guys enough to suffer a little hardship.

Is it realy that hard to go without the internet (or even phones) for 6 to 8 weeks. Unfortunately I am old enough to remember a time before ships had internet, phones and fax, everyone seemd to accept it then, why not now?

[sedco]

Our days consist of not eight and a half hours but twelve hour basic , unles you are running the job and it then extends to anything up to sixteen and a half hour shifts with NO weekends off but seven / seven for a month or more ………………………… maybe two

This is the theory but how many jobs are as full on as you are suggesting…..maybe 10% of them. A more accurate state of affairs is we have hours, sometimes days, sometimes weeks when we do sweet FA and a trip to the laundry is a welcome diversion.

Sods law of course dictates that the job you are doing the 16 hour days on is the one with no laundry facilities

[Andy Shiers]

Do ya want to be my "Smally Boy"

[Andy Shiers]

I also remember the days when we had no internet or fax or mobile
But we did have Ship shore radio and telex plus a very good wage packet to accompany it .
But now we don’t have to as we have got better communications NOWDAYS so I don’t expect anyless.
BUT , I understand that if I go "Walkabout" in certain parts of Australia my mobile phone dosna work
It might interest you to know that I went on a Biking /camping trip this year and guess what I had Good communications through out at the camp plus very good internet connections

[ROVRatt]

Chris, my replies to your post:

it is most certainly true that you can pay some guys enough to suffer a little hardship.

Yes you can. But they won’t work for you for long. Your staff turnover and therefore fault rectifiation due to unfamiliarity with the system will suffer as well. Be decent to people and they come back to work for you and you’lle have less downtime.

Is it realy that hard to go without the internet (or even phones) for 6 to 8 weeks.

Yes, it is. In a modern world where banking is done by the internet or phones, we need to be in contact. I’ll bet you’re never out of contact.

Unfortunately I am old enough to remember a time before ships had internet, phones and fax, everyone seemd to accept it then, why not now?

So am I. I started my sea going career in 1978, 30 years ago. But then we couldn’t phone from sea and there was no internet, Skype, laptop computers nor mobile phones. Today these things exist and for anyone making the money that offshore people do, they are essential for day to day living.

I am presently offshore writing this on my laptop just after calling my wife on Skype. I wonder how your UK workers are going to react when they eventually find out how they’re being affected by tax. Bet you haven’t told them nor have they heard it by phone or seen it on the internet cause they haven’t got any.

[joeboy]

I am presently offshore writing this on my laptop just after calling my wife on Skype. I wonder how your UK workers are going to react when they eventually find out how they’re being affected by tax. Bet you haven’t told them nor have they heard it by phone or seen it on the internet cause they haven’t got any.

ROFL at this one. How are you going to chase the market if you have no comms to the world? I don’t do the Far East yet, keeping it for when i’m really old and pervy. No access to Ebay, no life…..

[ROVRatt]

Been discussing this one in the van:

Is it realy that hard to go without the internet (or even phones) for 6 to 8 weeks.

To the agency or this particular employer it is "only" 6 to 8 weeks. To the employee it is about 6 months actually, as he needs more than one job a year. Can you afford to be out of contact for half the year?

With the worldwide banking crises and currency fluctuations, those out of contact can only lose money.

[chen]

Been discussing this one in the van:

Is it realy that hard to go without the internet (or even phones) for 6 to 8 weeks.

To the agency or this particular employer it is "only" 6 to 8 weeks. To the employee it is about 6 months actually, as he needs more than one job a year. Can you afford to be out of contact for half the year?

With the worldwide banking crises and currency fluctuations, those out of contact can only lose money.

Its 6 to 8 weeks to everyone, lots of agency guys work for more than one operator in the year and might easily spend 6 months offshore. But remember that we should all work to live and not live to work. Only a few go direct from one trip to the next and for them its thier choice not to spend even a short time getting the rest of the life sorted.
I also think its a contradiction for anyone to claim they are the poor forgotten worker, nose to the grindstone etc. when they can then consider it a problem when lack of internet prevents them playing the markets!

[Scott Beveridge]

Re-read your statement below….

I also think its a contradiction for anyone to claim they are the poor forgotten worker, nose to the grindstone etc. when they can then consider it a problem when lack of internet prevents them playing the markets!

Has anyone heard these platitudes before? Ummmm… yes, we work to live and YES there are standards to keep. It’s human nature that we want to progress (in your case to the 80’s) and have SOME creature comforts. You may want to re-think your workers (not dogs) personal lives. Morale goes a LONG way when it comes to a successful job / contract. How long have you worked offshore – if ever?????

[ROVRatt]

Oh boy.

Chris, maybe you’ve spent too long in the Far East as your English comprehension appears to be suffering. I’ll elaborate:

Its 6 to 8 weeks to everyone

No, as I said, its 6 to 8 weeks to the employer because you only see the guy for one trip. To the employee it is 6 months because he will go on to other jobs for the rest of the year.

lots of agency guys work for more than one operator in the year and might easily spend 6 months offshore

But thats exactly what I said.

Chris, please answer Scotbeves’ query and let us know how much offshore/seagoing experience you have. Or have you always been office bound and now a labour broker? Also, are you ever out of communications contact for significant periods of time?

[DJansen]

Anyhow.. Why go all the way to China for shite conditions ? (been there and done that anyhow)

You can go to Malaysia (warmer, girls don’t have bad breath or spit and the food is better) and work for shonky ole AME on one of their broken down old tubs.. Tiny cramped cabins, fried fish and rice everyday and water makers / engine problems every week…. Did I mention the roaches ?

Actually after the Nan Hai 5 and Nan Hai 2 and a few Chinese barges I don’t think I could be shocked anymore…

Actually there is good thing about China, never having to ask where the toilet is … Your nose will reveal it’s location even if it’s a kilometer away

[rover22]

Hi Chen,

I agree with the other guys, expecting your staff to go away from home and have no contact (email or telephone) for 8 weeks is really unacceptable. In my experience, if a company cannot even provide these basics, there are probably a lot of other things wrong as well. Remember that experienced people who are half decent are in short supply, and these same people are probably the types who would not accept conditions like that. There are plenty of other companies who supply intenret and phones for free for staff, hell, Im off west africa and we have it, so how come China, one of the fastest growing economies in the world does not have it? It really sounds like the sort of job best avoided. Good luck with getting people.

rover22

[ROVRatt]

Chen/Chris,

Any answers? No? Why not? You offshore and got no contact maybe?

[liddelljohn]

Think now i will give China and Blue whale a swerve as the conditions sound so primitive…. Africa has better deals than that.

[toga]

Hi mad-dog i am new here but i work with rovs a long time( 8 years ) i have good experience in seaeye Lynx and work class vehicles too.I work here in Brazil like rov superintendent on a DSV vessel.Thats sound goos for you, if ok i will send you my cv.

[Author]

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