Projects in China.

[liddelljohn]

I have sent Chris Barclay several messages but never get a reply … phoned Blue Whale offices 5 times but no staff speak English fluently so they cannot take a message ..

Whats the point?

[misiuek]

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

why would you want a reply, as per your previous comment. there are plenty translators there not including the expat staff as well, or it could be Chris is offshore ??

[liddelljohn]

If they cannot run an office with staff who can man the phones properly and the senior British guy is out of communication links for days it tells me that they are not a 21st century company or even in the 20th century as a company .

I tried to give them a chance to be fair ..wasting my time.

[Andy Shiers]

Perhaps they don’t want you 😆

[Murray Blom]

Hey DJ,

Glad to see that I have not been the only sucker to work for AME…. Did Auntie Jean and her side kick in the orifice (can’t remember her name) steal half you pay and not pay you your expenses???

I’ve seen them back charge a Malaysian dive for a Hydro-tight jack that was lost on a job, poor bugger was only getting something like US$50 per day.

Did post a warning on here a while ago….

As for China/Blue Whale, as Lost Boy and a few others pointed out this is the 21st century so communications is NOT a luxury but normal part of the job.

If the vessel does not have comms, don’t expect me to set foot on it ❗

There are plenty of operators and vessels who will either supply comms or come with comms as standard, no need to scrape the bottom of the barrel.

The only people who will take these sorts of jobs are trainees and folk who, not to put a too finer point on it, are NRB by most companies, mind you can’t fault the trainees, you have to start at the bottom and work up 😆

The cost to the operator in poor, if any maintenance, downtime due to lack of knowledge, loss of vehicle due to inexperience, loss of client/contract due to incompetence is 000’s of times what it costs to provide decent comms and work conditions.

I remember in the good old days the ROV/Survey company had to put up a performance bond…… If companies still have to, it sounds like Blue Whale is going to be losing their’s on a regular basis if they don’t jack up their ideas………

But then, when does an orifice wally give a flying f..k about what a mere offshore ‘worker’ thinks, they are too busy not answering phones and abusing the expense account 😆 😆 😆 😆 😆

Later

[Andy Shiers]

I agree 8)
Another way to put it …………………
The Orifice Wallah provides the job and equipment ( Well 😕 lacking spares ) WE PAY THEIR WAGES 😀
If we don’t do the job ………………………They have to do it 😀
And THEY don’t wish to sacrifice their liberties like we have to 😯
So Remember ORFICE WORKERS……………………………………….
We Put up with a lot of shite offshore and freedom to do this 8)
We are not convicted criminals doing time ( Although some of the vessels feel like prison )
If you want Your company to have succesful contracts with happy bunnies…………………… SORT IT OUT 👿

[Scott Beveridge]

Lost and ROVsuper,

I’ll say it….. Well said, I’ll second it, etc. ad infinum/naseum MORALE, orifice plonkers, is what gets and keeps your contracts and capable people!!!!!!!!!! 🙄 🙄 🙄 🙄 🙄

[Cabledog]

Scotty,

Morale and………….. 💡 Communication ❗ ❗ ❗

Doy

[Scott Beveridge]

Scotty,

Morale and………….. 💡 Communication ❗ ❗ ❗

Doy

Yes Dog

Comms as well… agreed.

[Murray Blom]

Lost,

Wadda you mean we are not convicted criminals, I’m proud to be… oh wait, sorry, I’am a Kiwi not an Ozzie 😆 😆 😆

Actually criminals have a much better life style, they get to walk around a much larger area and get much better food…… 🙁 🙁 🙁

And they are known for getting time off for good behaviour 😆 😆 😆

[chen]

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?

As I said in an earlier post "I now spend about 70% of my time in the office and 30% offshore". As for my work history. I first went offshore in 1982 on a converted fishing boat and have worked with Seametrix (the first one), Fugro, Thales, Rovtech, Sonsub, Eagle Geo (GRTS), SSL, Western Geo, Stolt, NERC, BAS, Hydrovision, Seaeye and the RN.

In answer to another post.

The offshore guys do not pay the wages of the office guys, rather through the efforts of everyone the company makes a profit and the workers (staff and contract) receive a reward for thier efforts based upon experience, responsibility and capability (including thier individual capability in pay negotiations).

When you measure your own level of responsibility use as a guide how many times you ask someone "what do we do next?". The more you do it the less responsibility you have.

[Andy Shiers]

Hmmmmmm , Nice try but it still dosena work like that old chap 8)
If the company is ROV or Diving then the assets of the said company is the ROV or the diving equipment ( Offshore ) , The investers put up the money to buy the assets and acquire personnel to front the company or guide it to Make money ( Orifice ) They in turn employ the likes of offshore personnel to operate and maintain the equipment and earn a reputation for good service for the company.
If Equipment needs to be replaced offshore , it is up to the Orifice personnel to acquire it FOR the offshore people !
If you write each point down as an equation you will find that in order to earn money or gain a good reputation the main facto is the Offshore personnel Operating or maintaining it 🙂
You as an Orifice worker can bid all the jobs you like , put in Tenders and Bullshit your way into big Oil barons meetings ( even giving the company profile with pretty pictures showing OFFSHORE personnel operating the OFFSHORE assets ) , Sell company teashirts or sponser some charity to get recogintion but even if you do get the contracts it’s worth diddley sqaut if you have no personnel to operate it because you pissed them off over a little thing such as no proper upto date comms , bad food , bad accomodation and crap travel arrangements ! Because The orifice worker wants to squeeze as much money out of a contract as possible 😕
What I do find amusing is when the client rep on board is stuffed into the same predicament as us 😀

[Scott Beveridge]

I can’t help myself….

Here, here!!! O’ lost one. One does get peeved, tired, pissed off at, bored with, insane due to, El wunkers and wunkerettes at MANY of the orifices… Doesn’t one?

[Andy Shiers]

Just a little bit 😆

[chen]

Hmmmmmm , Nice try but it still dosena work like that old chap 8)
If the company is ROV or Diving then the assets of the said company is the ROV or the diving equipment ( Offshore ) , The investers put up the money to buy the assets and acquire personnel to front the company or guide it to Make money ( Orifice ) They in turn employ the likes of offshore personnel to operate and maintain the equipment and earn a reputation for good service for the company.
If Equipment needs to be replaced offshore , it is up to the Orifice personnel to acquire it FOR the offshore people !
If you write each point down as an equation you will find that in order to earn money or gain a good reputation the main facto is the Offshore personnel Operating or maintaining it 🙂
You as an Orifice worker can bid all the jobs you like , put in Tenders and Bullshit your way into big Oil barons meetings ( even giving the company profile with pretty pictures showing OFFSHORE personnel operating the OFFSHORE assets ) , Sell company teashirts or sponser some charity to get recogintion but even if you do get the contracts it’s worth diddley sqaut if you have no personnel to operate it because you pissed them off over a little thing such as no proper upto date comms , bad food , bad accomodation and crap travel arrangements ! Because The orifice worker wants to squeeze as much money out of a contract as possible 😕
What I do find amusing is when the client rep on board is stuffed into the same predicament as us 😀

So whats the real name then? John the Baptist maybe. Try to remember "there is no I in TEAM".

[Author]

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