Urgent, Urgent! What’s that all about?

[James McLauchlan]

I suspect that the recent spate of urgent vacancies that seemingly require filling at short notice are down to the ROV co’s not offering the right kind of money in the first instance and ultimately getting little response from the right kind of people.

Lets face it, if the jobs were originally put out at say GBP 600/day for a PT would there now be any need for urgency?

[Scott Beveridge]

James,

And I’d dare say there would be less "dandelion" agencies popping up all over the field!

[rovrave]

james,
spot on

that was my reason for refreshing the post is work picking up?

this rash of posts by the agencies seems very odd. why so many all of a sudden. has work really picked up that much?

and why all the hurry hurry

[TBAR]

Bang on the money James
If the ROV companies offered the Proper rate, there wouldn’t be all these Agencies advertising for Crew
Mind you, the Agencies themselves are offering Poor rates also

[subman]

Its funny had the offer of the same job from one agency at £325 for Sups and some other agency offering the same job at £575 .

Work that one out ?

Cheers

Subman

[James McLauchlan]

I would hazard a guess that the agency #1 offering the £325 were contracted by the ROV co some time back (when the ROV co thought they could try it on) and agency #2 offering the higher rate have been contracted more recently, to offer £575, in a bid by the ROV co to try and fill the slot which is now becoming urgent as a result of the ROV co’s ill conceived initial greed.

Agency #1 are at fault, possibly through inexperience on their part, as they should never have taken the contract at such a crap rate. They are pretty much wasting their own resources at their own expense (but not the ROV co’s I might add) and might pick up one or two desperate types. The quality of people that will go out on that rate would need to be in doubt.

There are two areas at fault here.

Fault #1
• The ROV co trying it on the cheap each and every season rather than just running somewhere around the going rate from the previous year. Remember, this only comes about because someone in the ROVco office is sitting there thinking, lets see if we can screw the rate down below anything reasonable and pick up any desperate takers. They have no care in the world whether it’s a reasonable rate or not, they just want to make maximum profits no matter what it takes. It’s a very cheap arsed short sighted view IMHO.

Fault#2

• The agencies just accepting whatever rate they are being given by the ROV co and simply trying it on with people on their books, when in reality they should be telling the ROVco that the rate is way too low and that it is not cost effective to use their resources offering such crap rates.

The agency should be there to represent you and get the best rate for people on their books but these days they seem content making a small fixed sum per person and trying to make their money up with bulk orders.

A few companies/agencies are paying reasonable rates, still too low in my mind (I’ll always think that) but on par with the previous year. Those that are coming out with rubbish money should be given short (curt) responses of the 4 letter word variety, on the end of the telephone.

It is very plain to me that an agency calling and offering a very low rate should not be doing so, and therefore should not be worked with/for, but that is entirely your personal choice.
If they don’t get any takers they will eventually fade away, as will all this so called ‘Urgency‘

[DJansen]

I’ve just come back from a short job.. Considering the work and my experience the rates on offer were pretty poor.. But they would still be considered a decent rate for the North Sea.. 435 a day as Supv.. However apart from the the other Sup none of the other crew had any real useful experience.. A trainee, first job.. not tech background but he had been to Uni 🙄 .. Another trainee had worked offshore before but not in a tech position, his first trip too.. A pilot tech with a years exp on drill support and eyeballs and a ‘sub eng’ who had been in the game for 3 years but no construction time… No manip exp, hardly able to fly and no idea about the particular workscope… But being paid as a ‘sub eng’…

WHERE ARE ALL THE EXPERIENCED HANDS ?

If they are spread so thin and so rare why aren’t the rates going up ?

I’ve been offered anything from 385 to 435 in the last 8 Months all as Supv and all for contruction work…. I’ve turned down countless jobs because of the laughable dayrates… 400 a day ? Poke it where the sun don’t shine ! Work in Asia is paying better but it is still quiet so work in W Africa and Europe is really the main market at the moment but why if they are so desperate is nobody willing to make a deal ? Or are they but nobody is talking ?

All I can say is that the agencies are more concerned with gettign bodies on their books and keeping their clients happy than they are about pushing rates .. Worse they just don’t seem to be able to differentiate between a good useful exp hand and a some gromless dumbfook..’ The rate is fixed’ 🙄 🙄

Meanwhile the OCM is on 800 quid a day and the Bridge Supt who used to be a ‘deck ape’ is on 650…….. WTF has happened to ROV work ?

[Scott Beveridge]

Djan,

Good points and questions above….

All these "dandelion" agencies – sorry, a term I just made up yesterday…. Thinking of Dandelion wine (plonk)…. Dandelions are a type of garden weed in which when one sprouts it’s roots, there’s dozens within a week and if not checked (quelled completely) total proliferation of your once beautiful garden – in other words – RUINED. An analogy exists here….

Got a call from Joe Blogs agency in the UK (I live in Thailand). Calls real irritated like, sounds like a NE accent which the best of you in the UK have a hard enough time understanding much less us old hippie – type Yanks (non-hero-type…)…. Told im’ I was spoken for… said something unintelligible, asked him to repeat several times until I understood. The answer to his question had a few parts to it (people ‘s names) , told im’ ayyy… wait a mo’ a couple of more names and he say’s aw’ mate gotta go, got 8 min. to get someone before I lose the contract…. Snigger, snigger to myself and cut the line.

I gave the guy a name or 2 he should have in his data base and didn’t. Of course I didn’t give any contact numbers….

Another Dandelion pops up…. Industry going down the tubes? Yep!!! Greedy Farqin’ Barstewards in upper management not ever being offshore or can barely spell ROV??? Yep!!!

Djan,

Why don’t all us old crusty barstewards (say, approx. 35% of all ROV personnel worldwide) sit on our haunches again??? By old Barstewards, I mean the guys who’ve got 20 yrs. or more….

FARQ!!!! I’m getting SO bleedin’ tired of actually fighting for a measly $50 – 75 every other time I have to re-negotiate. The farqers know our names, what we’ve done, where we’ve been, and yet it’s the relentless hassel / haggle situ each and every time.

[Subhuman]

I hear ya Scot. I go through the same hoops every new contract even if it is with the same out fit I worked for last time out. And this has been going on for years now. The excuse I get is that the economic down turn has affected the company and they can not pay the same rate as last time or…….. would you mind going out as a SPT this time! As we don’t need a Supervisor!!! 👿 😯

[Scott Beveridge]

Subhuman,

It’s a bunch o’ bleedin’ rubbish!!! Tell em’ to stuff it each and every time!

[elle nevertell]

Some really good points. What is even more frustrating is the agencies are re-sending the same jobs over and over ( Iran, Nigeria, Egypt, and Norway). The rates offered so far are about 33% lower than last year. If going to Norway take out another 40% for tax, and you havent much reason to go. From what I can tell, the clients are being overly picky and looking for any reason to disqualify you. Or maybe, they are just filling their resume stacks., and bottom fishing for the lowest paid worker.

[Scott Beveridge]

Prop,

I think the last seven words in your post says it all!!!

[DJansen]

They deffo aren’t being picky… You should see the state of some of th efellas I have worked with this year.. One trainee still couldn’t manage to operate the LARS unsupervised after 30 days on the job… Not even a crane or manual unit a fully automated constant tension setup… The start up and remembering which buttons to push was just too complicated… No ability, no practicality, no work ethic, no interest, no self respects… How is it that there are supposedly thousands of guys dead keen to break into this industry but all you get is brainless fookwits, lazy fookwits or burnt out useless leftovers… Or worse fellas who have managed to get on three of four jobs leant nothing and for some reason are now classed as ‘experienced’ 🙄

As for the constant stream of jobs in Egypt, Norway, Nigeria etc…. Blame Saipem.. They have made their worksites so unattractive and the working atmosphere so miserable that anybody decent only lasts one trip.. Hence the constant need for new bodies….

[elle nevertell]

Well it’s all becoming clear. They don’t want to pay for PT’s so they are sending out a Supervisor and 2 trainees. What an industry!

[TBAR]

Too true Propwash
It’s an all too common tactic by the ROV mangers to save money, send out two trainees on contract (paid bugger all) and charging out to the Client full rate,spruce up their respective CV’s and the Client is none the wiser – that is until something goes tits. If the Client has any smarts, he’ll twig to it, the company will just send out another bunch of wannabees: The more trainees the better the profit margin…
It makes it hard for the Supervisor as he has to be on tower for the whole 12hour shift, hope fully he can train one of them up so he can go and have a break for 10minutes
What to do???……

[Author]

Posts