Coming to the GoM

What are the thoughts regarding an American company building a vessel overseas and bringing it here? How does it comply with the Jones Act and other Maritime laws?

I hope that the ECO yard in Houma does Ulstein proud with the one they’ll be building.

What flag will it be flying? Will it be completely US manned? Is it performing task no other U.S. Flagged construction vessel is capable of doing? Who did he buy off and will that person be able to provide sufficient cover once the other owners make a beef? It’s tight down here his half assed attempts at skirting the law won’t get a pass. Plenty of companies down here with large in house legal squads waiting to pounce on this.

[QUOTE=Fraqrat;169207]What flag will it be flying? Will it be completely US manned? Is it performing task no other U.S. Flagged construction vessel is capable of doing? Who did he buy off and will that person be able to provide sufficient cover once the other owners make a beef? It’s tight down here his half assed attempts at skirting the law won’t get a pass. Plenty of companies down here with large in house legal squads waiting to pounce on this.[/QUOTE]

No idea on the flag. Not sure on the manning, but I’ve heard that the two Island vessels in Fourchon are primarily manned by US crews. No other US Flagged vessel can do anything close to it, nor will any that are being built with the exception of Oceaneerings new build. It’s half owned by Island Offshore and half by ECO.

Hornbeck has two non-US flagged vessels. What’s the difference?

No difference if he’s flying a U.S. Flag and manning with US Mariners. HOS also has many other U.S. Flag construction vessels already in the GOM with four more to be delivered in the next year.

What’s so special about this boat that nothing else can compare?

[QUOTE=Fraqrat;169210]No difference if he’s flying a U.S. Flag and manning with US Mariners. HOS also has many other U.S. Flag construction vessels already in the GOM with four more to be delivered in the next year.

What’s so special about this boat that nothing else can compare?[/QUOTE]

Deck strength for one. 400t AND 100t crane for seconds. They can put a VLS tower or module handling tower on it. The US boats being built can’t compare to that. The boats HOS is delivering next year are poorly designed. Putting a 250t crane on a 310’ OSV? Makes no sense. The Harvey Deep Sea is no better. It has a lot of issues unto itself. Those 340s that HGIM is building are going to be attrocious.

So you work on those boats? You’re familiar with how they handle and work? Which ones have you sailed on? The chouesticles boat sounds impressive sure hope it’s all American crew top to bottom.

Not going to go into detail but yes I am familiar with how they handle and work and have been on some for work.

Chouesticles…haha. I’m sure it’ll be American crew. Although I’ve heard on the Island Performer, at least, they don’t put enough people to do certain tasks. The engine room in particular.

Im pretty sure it is a full American crew. Island Offshore is rumoured to be a shit company to work for anyway. And who in their right mind wants to work in a hostile place like the US GoM.

The Enforcer and Performer are American crewed top to bottom. No idea what the deal was with the Island Pride that was in Fourchon in the last couple months. Norwegian flagged though so it was likely foreign.

If it’s an Island boat under Norwegian flag, it’s true IO. Vanuatu flagged Island boats are the ECO crewed ones.

[QUOTE=Kraken;169214]Im pretty sure it is a full American crew. Island Offshore is rumoured to be a shit company to work for anyway. And who in their right mind wants to work in a hostile place like the US GoM.[/QUOTE]

Just curious, what wrong with Island Offshore (other the Chouest owns half of it)? Don’t the Norwegian unions and the government make it meet Norwegian employment standards?

I understand why most American Mariners do not like working for Jeaux Boss in the Gulf.

Why would a Norwegian Union mariner on a foreign flag vessel not want to work in the calm waters of the Gulf?

Work culture is important, and American and Norwegian work culture is like night and day as much as I know. Haven’t worked myself in the GoM but I worked with plenty of people who have.

[QUOTE=Kraken;169231]Work culture is important, and American and Norwegian work culture is like night and day as much as I know. Haven’t worked myself in the GoM but I worked with plenty of people who have.[/QUOTE]

In the last few years I"ve become more aware of how important work culture is but it’s hard to untangle what culture is exaclty.

With regards to the GOM if workers are satisfied or not (never worked in the oil patch, based on reading posts) seems to depend if the industry is expanding or shrinking.

Due to thethe Superiority Illusion aka the Lake Wobegon effect everyone believes they are above average. So when the industry is expanding and you get promoted, it has to be because you are an awesome boat handler so clearly the system works on merit. On the other hand when you get laid off and you feel sure you are better then the other guy the system clearly is not based on merit but instead on some form of favoritism. In fact the system works the same way in both cases.

everyone notice how I am not saying NOTHING here?

[QUOTE=c.captain;169237]everyone notice how I am not saying NOTHING here?[/QUOTE]

[QUOTE=c.captain;169237]everyone notice how I am not saying NOTHING here?[/QUOTE]

Come on. You are an expert on what is wrong with the work culture in the Gulf. Go ahead and weigh in.

Kraken is too polite to tell us what is wrong with the work culture in the Gulf.

[QUOTE=lm1883;169244]I don’t think there is that much difference.[/QUOTE]

The view on unions is the clearest difference and it is big. A Norwegian union is nothing like an American union.

Work environment in the GoM:

A license that actually [I]covers[/I] the vessel? Training? Experience!? Who needs all that!? I have a NUT SACK!!

AND my cousin is dating Billy Jeaux Boss Jr’s nephew.

NAH, I don’t need all that…I’m good.

[QUOTE=Kraken;169247]The view on unions is the clearest difference and it is big. A Norwegian union is nothing like an American union.[/QUOTE]

Where are you getting your information on what an American Union is like?

One of the great things about the maritime industry is the difference in work cultures. The different work cultures come about because of historical and geographical differences which don’t much matter here. The important thing is that they exist, which is a good thing. The system allows people to pick the trade that suits them best. “To each his own”.

 A maritime “work culture”, I believe, is a mix of work hours, days at sea, time off, degree of manual labor, degree of watchstanding, etc. Mostly it is a philosophy based around this question; are we going to approach the work to be done passively or aggressively? Both ways work. To say one is better than the other is an empty argument. But the difference in attitude does strongly influence the work culture. In some work cultures work is approached by thinking first “How do we do this without anybody getting hurt?” In some work cultures work is approached by thinking “Get the job done.”

As soon as people read that statement they immediately take sides. It’s one of those completely polarizing issues. One side will say that it’s not “passive” to get a job done safely. And maybe that statement is correct in all aspects. But those in the “aggressive camp” will say they are just as safe and will argue the other side, forever. In reality, when both cultures get to work they both get the job done, and usually no one gets hurt. They just have different attitudes to completing the goal. Humans being what we are, however, we endlessly haggle over who is “right” and who is “wrong”, so we can trumpet our superiority over the other guy and feel better about ourselves.

I’ve fished and I’ve sailed deep sea. The fishing industry has an aggressive work culture. My opinion is that the deep sea union trade has a passive work culture, in comparison to fishing. Everything is relative. Those aren’t value judgments. Neither is right, neither is wrong. If you like fishing, go fishing. If you like sailing deep sea, sail deep sea.

  Just as there are a lot of different human personalities out there, there are a lot of different work cultures. To say one culture is better than another is like trying to say one personality is better than another. It’s a childish statement. Remember: the non-union GoM captain might slam the union tug captain over work culture, but the dentist thinks you’re both crazy for doing what you love. Which of the three is right? Silly question.

 People are what they are, and luckily we have enough different work cultures in the maritime trades to accommodate most people. If you don’t like unions you can avoid them. If you like unions you can join them. If you like warm, calm seas head south. If you prefer cold weather and the drama of  heavy weather, head north. There are jobs that are relatively easy for the people who don’t like sore muscles. There are jobs that are physically hard for people who can’t sit still and who like physical work. 

  Just as there are people who like to relax by sitting in a Lazy Boy and watching TV, and people who like to relax by running 26 miles in their underwear, so there are work cultures suited for the motivations and drives of different people

still ain’t saying squat!