Offshore Cable Laying Industry

[soopaspud123]

I have an interview for a cadetship tomorrow and was wondering if anyone on her would be able to help me with some information about the offshore pipe laying industry.

Who are the major players, what are the pros and cons?

Any information would be great, thanks.

[noworries182]

Alright mate,

I'm working offshore at the moment, on anchor handling vessels (AHTS) that lay anchors for some pipe laying barges. The offshore industry IN MY POINT OF VIEW! is the best place to be. the wages are good and the rotation as in time off for time served onboard is the best on the industry. I'm doing 6 weeks on, 6 weeks off at the moment a simple 1:1 but i know a lot of 3rd/2nd mates will be on 2:1 or 3 months on 2 off. The work is a lot more interesting as well than just going form port to port delivering boxes or bulk, if you're on a an anchor handler even as 3rd officer you'll be expected to handle the vessel when alongside rigs and platforms and also drive the ships winch which also carries a lot of responsibility.

on the down side you may not get to see a lot of the world, i joined a ship in equatorial guinea 6 weeks ago and have not been ashore once, i have been to sierra Leone and am on my way to Lisbon now, may sound like im seeing the world but i'm seeing it from anchor through binoculars most of the time. This is just my experience though i know lads who have been stuck in hotels for over a week in places all over the world because the ships delayed.

in my opinion i would try my best for this job. when i did my cadet ship I always looked at it as what company and vessels would allow me to move across to different vessels if i needed to for example, it would be easy to move from a traditional general cargo ship to a cruise liner or container vessel but going from a cruise ship to a oil tanker would be hard and a bit of challenge. the offshore industry is notorious for breaking into as you may be able to tell from some of the posts on here.

I hope this has answered some of your questions, im not sure if i have just rambled on. anymore questions feel free to ask and i'll try and answer. but once again if i was you i would most definitely try and get this cadetship, it was offered to me back in 2007 i would have jumped at it but at the end of the day its your choice.

[Rootsea]

Have a look at this, its a documentary about the MV Solitaire, a pipe-laying ship:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Z8V33J4f2U