Im an east coast tug boat guy, but I have been thinking about heading to the GOM to work in the oil patch. I have a general idea of what you guys do but a lot of it is unknown to me. What is an average day aboard an OSV like? What do the mates do? What is it like in Fouchon? I have a 500 NC master and a Master of Towing and im planing on taking DP basic in the near future but before I leave my tugs and spend the money on the class and door knocking I want a better idea of what im getting myself into.
[QUOTE=“Bayrunner;114512”]Im an east coast tug boat guy, but I have been thinking about heading to the GOM to work in the oil patch. I have a general idea of what you guys do but a lot of it is unknown to me. What is an average day aboard an OSV like? What do the mates do? What is it like in Fouchon? I have a 500 NC master and a Master of Towing and im planing on taking DP basic in the near future but before I leave my tugs and spend the money on the class and door knocking I want a better idea of what im getting myself into.
[QUOTE=Bayrunner;114512]Im an east coast tug boat guy, but I have been thinking about heading to the GOM to work in the oil patch. I have a general idea of what you guys do but a lot of it is unknown to me. What is an average day aboard an OSV like? What do the mates do? What is it like in Fouchon? I have a 500 NC master and a Master of Towing and im planing on taking DP basic in the near future but before I leave my tugs and spend the money on the class and door knocking I want a better idea of what im getting myself into.
Thanks![/QUOTE]
Let me see, what is it like in Fourchon? Just try to imagine the most crowded little yacht harbor or marina you can think of. Then try to imagine navigating a 300 foot OSV down the middle of this crowded little harbor, with crew boats passing you on both sides, shrimp boats pulling right out in front of you not answering the radio, and no place to tie up to stand by when you don’t have business at a specific dock.
What do mates do on a OSV? For the most part, take a random picture of the ocean then sit there and stare at it for 12 hours, with the random chance of taking a picture of a drilling rig or platform, then sit there and stare out the stern control station for 12 hours, with an occasional pushing of a button on the DP consol.
What is it like on an OSV? You go to random docks, hook up a hose load mud, disconnect hose. Go to the next dock hook up another hose, load fuel and water. Go to another dock, hook up another hose and load barite and or cement. Go to another dock and load deck cargo. make 12 hour run to drilling rig. Watch crane remove deck cargo and then watch your engineers hook up hoses and pump off all product they spent 3 days putting on boat. Return to Fourchon and repeat.
And if you land on an anchor boat that actually does anchor work expect vast periods of boredom separated by shorter periods of sheer terror… Like free boat rig wrangling with the leg 15 feet off your stern roller going 2 knots sideways.
Blame most of that on the customers and the assist tugs if it applies! Been on both sides and an hour later or earlier means a lot of $$$ on docking fees, longshoremen, assist tug or tugs and all the other little things. And space wasted on the OSV for cargo is a big thing, no one wants the blame on that one.
It’s really easy, the boat handling is easy, the dp work is pretty easy, ocassional moments of terror. Fourchon is not nearly as big of a deal as people make it out to be. It is impressive from a technical standpoint, and the concentration of equipment.
[QUOTE=Traitor Yankee;114538]It’s really easy, the boat handling is easy, the dp work is pretty easy, ocassional moments of terror. Fourchon is not nearly as big of a deal as people make it out to be. It is impressive from a technical standpoint, and the concentration of equipment.[/QUOTE]
Ya tell me about the boat handling. Im on a conventional tug now but I know most of those OSVs are z-drives. I have never run a z drive before how hard is it to pick up?
Once you wrap your head around the concept it’s not bad. Some guys pick it up quick but others take time. Lots of gear is also CP wheels with bow and stern tunnels. Those will drive more like you’re used to.
Thanks for the info guys, please keep it coming. Im thinking about taking DP basic at MPT in Ft Lauderdale in Sept and then the next time im off heading down to LA to knock on some doors. I work 2/2 now so I have to split things up and im not going to quit my current job until I have secured another one down there.
A buddy of mine is already down there and he seems to like it.
Good info, and keep it coming. Just seems like a diff world, im also from the tug/barge side, and alot of you guys have been really helpful, but even the little things help.
While you have lots of close quarters stuff in fourchon, you also have a lot of vector able thrust available. It’s different, and enjoy it, but hell gate or Erie basin with a product barge would make me pucker a bit more.
The “line catchers” are only allowed to touch three lines, doesn’t matter how many you need put out. Also they can only drop the lines on the ground because two of them walked off the edge of the dock while passing lines to the boat. YOU CAN’T FIX STUPID!!
