<strong>Guest:</strong>
<p class="MsoNormal]
Well, it’s always good to have a diverse DP room.<span> </span>There should be both unlicensed DPOs and licensed
DPOs.<span> </span>That way the educated licensed
personnel can get their feet wet in DP before being promoted to CM and Master
in order to make more money that is deserving of their education.
<strong>Guest:</strong>
Merry Christmas everyone.
This is a topic that will be debated for some time I am sure. It has been around since I stated in this industry eleven years ago. I am a licensed mate and a certified DPO. (What is your certificate number?.. ha)
The license requirement issue isn’t universal in the industry, some depends on the type of vessel, i.e. an ROV vessel vs. a drilling rig. A drilling rig has the luxury of more crew than required on the manning certificate which may allow them to employ unlicensed DPOs.
Some of the best DPOs I have ever worked with were unlicensed and for whatever personal reason, never pursued a license, though they were more than capable. I have also worked with licensed DPOs that I wouldn’t trust with the watch. I have never seen how a license makes one more capable of taking in information, evaluating it in a timely manner and taking the correct action. Where most people are lacking is experience and training. I’ll take an unlicensed person with gumption over a licensed person that says “My license speaks for my abilities.” It really depends on their attitude.
As a company, IMHO, a mixture licensed and unlicensed is very beneficial. The licensed people will tend to upgrade their license and move up, and the unlicensed can be your stable fixtures on the vessel, passing on their experience.
TV, Internet, books, magazines, radio, etc. all pose distractions while on watch. It is the DPO who needs to know what level of attention is needed for the existing circumstances. Someone can be daydreaming while staring at the DP system and miss an important environmental change. As the above guest stated, situational awareness is key. Surfing the internet can be worse than watching TV, and so can reading a book. Where is your time spent while the trainee is staring at the DP screen?
Keep the comments coming! Thanks for this post dpojean, I hope things are going well for you.
<strong>Guest:</strong>
I agree with the last guest. DP drilling rigs are manned with licensed and unlicensed personnel, however still meet the manning requirements per flag state. I have worked with mates straight out of the maritime academy who believed that having a license automatically made them more qualified than unlicensed dp operators who had years of experience. I have been in dp for several years and now obtain a unlimited license via the hawsepipe. I agree that both can do the job and do it well. It all boils down to the work ethics of the person.
<strong>Guest:</strong>
Yeah the ethics you mention are just what dpojean sounds like he is missing.
<span style="font-size: 10.5pt; color: #062971; font-family: ‘Trebuchet MS’,‘sans-serif’]Our ships are the fleet upon the sea and all our vessels must sail in the same direction. All non licensed personnel must be eradicated from the service. They are a plague in our industry and give DPO’s a bad name. </span>
<strong>Guest:</strong>
Looks like steverothwt needs to attend a spell check course. I find it hard to believe he is licensed or ever will be.
<strong>Guest:</strong>
I worked offshore years back and license or no license, if you’re sitting around on location who cares, both can do a fine job. What scares me is the unlicensed guys who sit around the DP room collecting sea time then go sit for their license and stand bridge watches underway. This is why I give rigs that are moving a 10mile cpa!!!
<strong>Guest:</strong>
I have worked as a D.P.O for over 10 years now and there are advantages and disadvantages to both licensed and non-licensesed D.P.O’s my question to the group is if non-licensed personnel are on the Bridge as D.P. Operators on D.P. rigs!!! then who actually meets the watch standing requirements for a vessel underway making way? And yes I have worked on a bridge with a mix but this leaves the guy with the license taking all the responsibility and he might not always be the Senior D.P. Operator. There are obiviously big differences in the type of D.P. Operations being discussed here and who is qualified to do them and to any individual who says shiphandling can be done by anybody is an idiot!!! I would guess to say if someone watches E.R. they can be a doctor??? LETS BE REAL. My whole point here if you are going to be a non-licensed D.P.O in the oilfiled there should be a minimium standard of training you have to have. I mean lets face it anyone can push buttons but understanding weather, stability , vessel charastics and vessel operations is a must prior to standing a D.P. watch as the person in charge!!! I currently work with a non-licensed D.P. Operator and he is very good at what he does. I think instead of making this a argument of licensed verses non-licensed it should be what are the standards of training. And on a final note to all management who read this forum having an unlimited masters license also does not qualify as D.P. Experience ask for D.P. log books to verify experience because I have to agree even as a licensed person there are some dumb Unlimited licensed guys out there. Happy Holidays to everyone and be safe.
DPO Jean: I did not say that having a license automatically makes you safer. That is not what I said. I said there is no way in hell that a DPO should not be licensed. When I say licensed I mean USCG licensed not certificated by some BS classes. I can agree that there may be unlicensed people out there that can operate in the capacity of a bridge officer even though they do not have the license, but why have licensed officers if you are going to let the cook drive the ship. Congratulations Jean on being a DPO. If these officers that you were in classes with are so dumb that should serve as an incentive to you to become a licensed officer. That way we will all be so much smarter over all with you joining the ranks.
Also I don’t think hawsepiper or academy has anything to do with what type of officer you are. That is all up to the individual. Has nothing to do with education, but I would have to give the edge to the academy graduate. Myself being a hawespiper. Be cool on the Enterprise Jean. I will make sure I give you a wider berth next time now that I know you are unlicensed.
<strong>Guest:</strong>
correction Jean is on Deepseas or Spirit:) Make us TSF hands proud Jean
Gentlemen,
I want you all to know that I am an unlicensed and only have a little over a year experience in DP with 10 years in the Marine industry. I am very thankful that this company allows unlicensed operators to work unlicensed and offer them a chance to obtain one at the company’s expence. I have enjoyed all of the feedback that I have gotten. I hope that I have not irritated any of you too much. I have been stoking the fire a little to add controversy to the discussion. I really do enjoy working with Maritime graduates and licensed Hawspipers. Everyone has something to bring to the plate and as a team we can get the impossible accomplished. I hope that <font color="#ff0000]gcaptain </font>has enjoyed all of the hits that this discussion has created. Hope you all have a Happy New Year!
Dpojean
Discoverer Deep Seas
<strong>Guest:</strong>
Why are you trying to save face now DPOJean. You have already insulted everyone on gcaptain.
Thanks
Ring knocker
Can’t speak for everyone, I’m not insulted…and don’t see how anyone else could be. Everyone has An opinion…and I learned that before I was old enough to get a Z-card.
<strong>Guest:</strong>
I wouldn’t say he has insulted everyone. DPOJean is only showing his true colors . He is the pride of the fleet.
I am not insulted either Jean, and by the way, we knew you were inexperienced! HAHA!!! ROOKIE!! GET A LICENSE!!
Next Subject Please y’all are sounding like a broken record.
<strong>Guest:</strong>
I worked with DPOJean when he was aboard the Enterprise and I’m not surprised that he’s acting his usual self with this forum post. Not only is he unlicesned but he’s also unfamiliar with the spellcheck function.
I wish the Deep Seas good luck dealing with him. He was our problem, now he is yours.
There have been some interesting comments posted here and I hope that this falls into that category.
Having served with several of the commenters in this forum, including DPOJean, I do not agree with the previous Guest. Besides, he must not have used spell check either. Jean may be relatively new to the field, but he has the desire to be the best that he can be, and continuously works toward that goal.
I have worked for 3 companies as DPO, Sr. DPO, Chief Mate/Captain, as well as spending a lifetime in the military. For one of those companies, all DPO’s were licensed and there were some that were excellent DPO’s and some that were lousy. At RBFalcon, all the DPO’s were licensed and again there were excellent and some not so good. I have spent time on both Deep Seas and Enterprise where there is a combination of licensed and unlicensed personnel. I have found that the blend of licensed and unlicensed personnel to be most advantageous. Is it perfect? By no means am I saying that. It doesn’t matter a whit whether a person has a USCG license to be an excellent operator. Some companies believe that it does, but it’s not true. All it takes is the desire and work ethic to do your best, the focus on what’s important while monitoring the system, and the knowledge of what to do when the 1% of the time comes when something that requires immediate action happens.
As to having licensed personnel there, it really helps when fulfilling manning requirements while underway to have a person that knows the DP system as well as being able to stand underway watches. It does get awkward at times when the junior DPO (licensed) has more authority while underway than the Sr. DPO (unlicensed). However, if the junior and senior have a good working relationship and the junior doesn’t flaunt it, there should be no problem.
Some of the previous comments also referred to TV, reading, web surfing. I have seen the gambit of this. As DPO, I have had to monitor the screen so intently that if you even turned around in the seat, you were chastized. The powers that be there wanted you to take immediate control with joystick if anything happened. I prefer evaluating the situation before taking any corrective action. I have also had to stay near the console, but also answer all the radios, do the radars, correct charts and pubs, and do logs. I have been on vessels where the senior DPO was so engrossed in the internet that the junior had to basically stand the whole watch (and yes a couple of the commenters here are in this category). I have also been on vessels where common sense was in place and even though a tv/internet might be on, the operators knew not to get so engrossed into it that they forgot about their duties. Staring at the DP screens constantly for your entire watch is going to make you lose focus. Some vessels forbid any reading on the watch at all and have the person out of the seat working on spreadsheets for any contingency. I personally prefer a relaxed atmosphere with knowledgeable personnel, whether they be licensed or unlicensed, in control of their abilities and having their wits about them so I can feel comfortable enough to sleep at night.
Sounds to me like Jean is craw fishing now that he’s been called out. That’s Houma for you!
Bruce, I worked with Jean on the Enterprise as well. You say Jean has the desire to be the best that he can be, but that’s not saying much. If he is as good as you say then why did the Enterprise not promote him but instead shipped him off to the Deep Seas?
<strong>Guest:</strong>
I’m new to this site and this thread has been interesting to follow. Well I hate to sound like a broken record but it appears dpojean’s reputation seems to precede him. What has this guy done to anger so many in the industry?
