Abdon Callais?

Is Abdon Callais good to work for? I’ve been told that noone can start as 2nd or 1st, that everyone starts as a 3rd. Just want to know what everyone’s opinion is of this company.

According to your profile you have a 1600 ton masters. Why would you go to a company that only has boats under 100grt?

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A buddy has a 100 ton and is wanting to break into the oil patch and I recommended the usual: ECO, Hornbeck, etc., but I’ve heard good things about Abdon and didn’t want to recommend it to him if they were crap.

Everyone does start as a third. When you first start as a third you cannot hold your own watch until you have completed an onboard assessment package. As a third you then have to be evaluated by one of two “training Captains” to advance.

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What is the pay like over there? 3rd Captain, 2nd Captain, 1st Captain? Coming over already having unlimited DP. Any information? Also do they have any equal time boats?

Dont expect much. I know someone who had a 1600 ton was talking to them a few years back, and they told him they could not pay him “1600 ton like money”, that was enough for a deal breaker for him.

Good pay, the bigger boat guys are paid in the $500’s, but you better get in line and bring your knee pads.Lots of back stabbing and drama. And not just among the officers, the deckhands and engineers are all in on it too.

To move up from 3rd you have to have one of the “Assessors” come out and do a ride along and them make a 100 on some bullshit test. Doesn’t how many years experience you have running boats, a 3rd can’t touch the wheel at the dock or offloading at the platform. This creates a lot of problems for the more senior guys because this last winter they would tie up boats in the anchorage and leave only a 3rd on board and when they had to move they would have to get somebody from another boat to come move them. Tons of paper work, way more then required. They even expect the officers to keep track of payroll, but so does Chouest, and makes no sense.

The office is screwed up, above average cronyism. Foreat surrounds himself with too many yes men. Know of a lot of cases where below average captains are still employed even after missing crew changes. If you show that your a dependable, responsible person you just get asked to do more and more with little to no reward.

No training program of any kind. Not even paying for their guys to go to DP school.

Lots of guys are just waiting for things to pick up in the 100 ton market and then they are jumping.

Pay scale has gone down some.

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Great company, good boats and average pay from what I understand. There are WAY worse places to work and only a handful that are better. Every AC person I’ve meet has been great and certainly not your stereo typical offshore worker. Definitely go for it. Feel free to PM for more info.

Abdon Callais is an exceptional company. I have been employed with them for just over a year now. Yes, no one company or person is perfect. But as a whole ACO is certainly worth a look. Good management, good employees, good boats and fair to moderate wages.

I worked there ten years ago. Quit Chouest after an argument with my coordinator and hired on the same day. Worked for them for a couple hitches and it left such a bad taste in my mouth I doubt I could ever try the company again. Of course this is when a guy named Dickey was doing personnel. Still don’t know if it was his name or what he gave to employees.

According to your profile you have a 1600 ton masters. Why would you go to a company that only has boats under 100grt?

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They are paying for DP school.

Are they hiring?

Yes they are.

Do they require deckhands to have a mmc or just a twic and driver license?

Most 100t companies do not require MMC’s for deckhands. I believe their website has a detailed breakdown of requirements for each job.

Cool thanks. I have some friends trying to get into the maritime industry and I didn’t want to give them any bad info. I know some companies want a MMC though it’s not required.

[QUOTE=squatch;66985]Is Abdon Callais good to work for? I’ve been told that noone can start as 2nd or 1st, that everyone starts as a 3rd. Just want to know what everyone’s opinion is of this company.[/QUOTE]
I’ve been there for 10 years, i like the company and the people who run it, i think it is a good company

I hired on with them some years back,they put me as mate on the sister Mary Rolland just a few weeks after it was built.was just there one hitch as I had a family emergency out of state on my off time.cant say a bad word about them though.just never went back as I found a little better pay elsewhere on my return