[QUOTE=Capt. Lee;68997]If I had no job and was hungry I would even work for Noble. From what I hear Noble has kept the lights on for many mariners, never burn bridges.[/QUOTE]
Again, it is eating that shit sandwich…Noble will hand it to you with every expectation that you will gladly gobble it down because somehow they haven’t figured out that experienced people do not need to swallow their excrement. (a BIG shoutout to Suzanne P. here!) To say the least, the experience was most eye opening and quite startling but once one realizes the mindset in Houston, then it is all too apparent what any marine person means to ND which is really nothing. To them, marine crew (not effing hands!) is a necessary evil they must hold their noses and tolerate. They truly believe that there are so many of us out there begging for a job that they can discard anybody marine without thought or care. Drilling is completely the opposite…a Driller or AD can’t get fired!
As much as I won’t recommend Noble to anyone now, if it is what one can get, then one should go with them for the experience. Imo, they will be better that any LaFourche mafia company but not by that much. As I said, any of the other Houston based drilling companies in the deepwater are much better so as long as you can get hired by them why go to Noble?
We really should split this thread into two parts…US based deepwater drilling companies and the rest in the world because we are almost all Americans here and the odds of us working for a European or Brazilian based company are much smaller. How many Americans does Odfjell or Stena have on their rigs?
Atwoods is ok, at least they pay the same in the GOM as they do overseas, which for GOM pay puts them at the high part of the list for GOM pay, so those guys on the semi Atwood Condor coming to the GOM wont lose any overseas pay. Diamond is not bad too, especially if you are a Texas A&M graduate.
[QUOTE=Capt. Phoenix;69009]Is the internet wifi or using company computers?"?[/QUOTE]
Hmmmm…
Looks like somebody is thinking of moving on. If the internet is part off the reason why you are thinking of changing jobs, I am thinking you have a pretty good gig where you are.
However, I understand business and you need to go where the money is because “we are all just parts of a big machine” and will be discarded if not needed. Go for it and good luck!
[QUOTE=Capt. Phoenix;69009]Is the internet wifi or using company computers?
What is different drilling that makes you say “you earn every penny of it”?[/QUOTE]
There is some WiFi, but each room has its own internet connection. We also have a bull pen where third party can hook their computers up and a cyber cafe for our personnel with computers installed for their use.
Earning every penny I guess goes for all fields. I do know that I put in less hours on OSV’s and it was less stressful. I can not speak for other shipping duties because this is my background. I feel like everyday is another opportunity for me to learn something and there is so much specialized equipment and tools. On a boat you can pretty much do what you like no problems, but on a drilling rig every thing you do has an affect on a different department. If you have to change heading for example, could affect the drilling operation, ROV, engine exhaust coming across the rig or putting the sun in the driller’s eyes. Just an example, but even simple tasks can be complicated and requires a communication level higher than normal marine operations. Don’t get me wrong, it is well worth it. I am very satisfied in compensation and schedule, there is just a learning curve that has to be overcome to be successful.
Mostly this thread was because all the talk is about osv pay and no one ever talks about the drilling side. I do like to know what is out there though.
My rotation in Nigeria is 4 on 4 off. We have wifi throughout the accommodations plus we have our company computers. We have an IT Specialist on the rig who monitors the wifi and internet usage an he will block off 3rd parties and anyone not associated with drilling contractor, having someone like that helps keep the wifi excellent and everyone happy. We have an excellent gym and sauna onboard. Some rigs I have been onboard has game rooms (xbox and wii rooms), some have very nice cinemas, pool tables, ping pong tables. Everyone has a tv, we will have maybe 4-8 movie channels with 1000s of movies loaded onto the server, plus we have the satellite tv.
Pay for Drilling Companys:
Base Salary + typically a 25% overseas premium (now in the GOM I am seeing 10%-25% match). If you work in West Africa (nigeria, you will get at least an additional 10%+, now they are doing this in East Africa as well for rigs operating in Tanzania)
Higher positions SrDPO on up will get a yearly performance bonus 10-20% of base
Retention bonuses are paid to certain positions as well, and could be anywhere from $10,000- $75,000 (depending on position and could be 2 or 3 years)
Some companies will now even give you a sign on bonus (this could be based on what you are still owed at your present company in bonuses if you leave to go to this other company, for instance I was offered $50K to come to another company-buying out some of my bonuses)
Some companies will pay your medical in full and your families medical
There are still a couple of drilling companies that offer pension plans
401k, i have seen matching from 6%-8% dollar for dollar
Paid training, usually equal to your day rate (base salary for the year/ 365 = your training pay)
Pay no attention to c.captain, the “c” stands for clueless. I have worked drillships for GlobalSantaFe, Transocean, Frontier & Noble… There are good and bad aspects of every company. I also have colleagues with Pacific, Seadrill, Ensco and Maersk. At one point or another they all have gripes too.
Get over it and move on…
Also, with the pay, since some of these companies are completely foreign (Grupo R, Dolphin, Odjfell, Odebrecht, etc.) when you get paid, you get every single dollar, they leave it up to you to pay your home country taxes. Now, if you understand how to manipulate things, you could set up an LLC, have these companies pay your LLC your salary, then you pay yourself a salary of lets say $24,000 a year, thus only paying taxes on that $24,000.
[QUOTE=PDCMATE;69062]Also, with the pay, since some of these companies are completely foreign (Grupo R, Dolphin, Odjfell, Odebrecht, etc.) when you get paid, you get every single dollar, they leave it up to you to pay your home country taxes. Now, if you understand how to manipulate things, you could set up an LLC, have these companies pay your LLC your salary, then you pay yourself a salary of lets say $24,000 a year, thus only paying taxes on that $24,000.[/QUOTE]
Not everyone is willing to manipulate, especially while having combat troops overseas, but that’s just me.
I have to disagree with some of the comments about noble, they may not be the highest paying or best out there but they have treated me very well. Like alot companies they are new in the dp drilling sector so there will definitely be growing pains. But they have increased the training pay to day rate as well as are now providing transportation from the airport to the heliport and back again. They way I see it any marine personnel are going to be viewed as support for the drilling department since the boats function is to drill. But all in all for a company willing to help me out and many others to get into the industry it is a pretty good company.
The argument about which drilling company is best is similar to the old battle over which Maritime Academy is better than the next. Two rigs working of the same design working for the same company can be at opposite ends of the spectrum in both safety and performance just like two cadets graduating with the same license in the same year. Guys on the same rig will call it the best rig ever while others call it the worst.
A variable with the drilling rigs that hasn’t been discussed is the Client. I’ve found that a client with a long-term contract will invest more in the rig to keep people. They’ve provided gym equipment, wireless internet, phone access, additional bonus payouts, etc. I think they also have a huge influence on the safety culture. If the Company Man and shoreside client management don’t support the rig crew’s efforts then it will be an uphill battle regardless of what the drilling contractor’s safety manuals say.
[QUOTE=rigdevil;69050]Pay no attention to c.captain, the “c” stands for clueless. I have worked drillships for GlobalSantaFe, Transocean, Frontier & Noble… There are good and bad aspects of every company. I also have colleagues with Pacific, Seadrill, Ensco and Maersk. At one point or another they all have gripes too.
Get over it and move on…[/QUOTE]
The original question was a comparison between the companies as far as conditions of employment and life aboard their rigs/vessels. Yes, every company has shortcomings but deepwater drilling in highly competitive for qualified people so the players are all cognizant of the factors that make their company attractive to those they seek to employ. Of all of them, Noble sits at the bottom of both that awareness and willingness. They aren’t hell by any means. I was with them for more than a year and likely still would be today if circumstances had not gone as they had yet now, I am more than aware of the many shortcomings of ND and no longer being an employee do not feel any reason to not lay those out here. Readers can make of my comments what they will yet as I stated before, people who are in the industry with the creds do not leave other drilling companies to go work at Noble. That is the talisman which tells all.
[QUOTE=thetruth;69089]I have to disagree with some of the comments about noble, they may not be the highest paying or best out there but they have treated me very well. Like alot companies they are new in the dp drilling sector so there will definitely be growing pains. But they have increased the training pay to day rate as well as are now providing transportation from the airport to the heliport and back again. They way I see it any marine personnel are going to be viewed as support for the drilling department since the boats function is to drill. But all in all for a company willing to help me out and many others to get into the industry it is a pretty good company.[/QUOTE]
Good on ya myte…if you are new to drilling then you did get an opportunity that probably wasn’t available to you from the other deepwater drilling companies. You may well go far in drilling but it will likely be with one of the other companies since once you gain experience, you will find that you leave so much on the table staying at ND that it will be just too much to justify making a career with them.
Glad too to hear that they finally got aboard with a crewchange van from the NoLa airport to Boothville. A microscopic thing for Noble to provide but a very big thing for the hands that need it. Every person working offshore doesn’t live in driving distance to a heliport and it does at least show that they will listen to their people yet how long did it take before they finally decided to do what everybody else has been doing for the last 15 years? As I have said, Noble does change but painfully slow and they specifically have said that they never will be equal to the rest of the industry as far as pay and benefits go by a matter of policy. Looking at their profits certain shows that one! Regardless of everything else, I believe that ND lags 5 years and at least 20% behind industry averages with regards to pay, 401K contribution, health plan, longevity bonuses, etc… They are most likely 40+% behind the top drilling companies when it comes to the marine side. ND might be well higher for the drilling side and I know the rig manager made a full $120k year more that a master!
Sorry to all the Noble guys here who think you’re getting a great deal. If you came from the OSV or even deepsea side, you are getting better but the guys running the drillship one block over doing the exact same job as you are getting a 20-40+% better deal than yours. That’s just the Noble Way!
[QUOTE=swift sure;69345]Transocean… Any comments?[/QUOTE]
Transocean is where I started and got my foot in the door. I enjoyed my time there, I left in good standing. Its a big company and you are just a number, you may feel like you can get lost in the promotion shuffle. But if you are on a rig with good management (Capt and OIM), they can take care of their people and watch out for you. The pay is not high, they will never be the highest paying, but they are industry average. The benefits are fair, I believe they still have a pension and you are vested after 5 years, so that would put them a little higher than most. It seemed like a good place to start and learn, especially with them putting you through training. Nothing bad to say.
