How bad do you guys that have been through past down turns think it will be this time ?
Haven’t been through one before myself, but judging by the number of boats pushing mud in Fourchon, either a lot have gone elsewhere to be tied up or there is at least something still rolling.
This west (south unless inbound Fourchon) bank, while populated, isn’t nearly as bad as two weeks ago.
This will be my 4th and it’s not looking good,
This is my third one and I’m feeling less than peachy keen about this one too. The last two were bad, but this slump is sure putting more gray hairs on me than I’d like.
At first, I was afraid, I was petrified Kept thinking, I could never live without you by my side But then I spent so many nights thinking, how you did me wrong And I grew strong and I learned how to get along Oh, no, not I, I will survive Oh, as long as I know how to love, I know I’ll stay alive I’ve got all my life to live, I’ve got all my love to give And I’ll survive, I will survive, hey, hey
Like this!
This is my first, but from listening to all the older guys stories, reading a bit of history, I decided to make it my last. I have a feeling the full effect still hasn’t been felt, and decided to get back into towing before the music stopped and their was still a seat to sit in.
By the time I get out of the academy there will be no more maritime jobs left. I may as well transfer to a community college then get a job selling life insurance door to door.
All industries have cycles. Maritime is no different. The secret is being adaptable. Yes there will be layoffs for those servicing the oil patch. But there will be new opportunities too. Example - There is a big wind farm project off Block Island RI just getting started. When completed in a few years, I imagine spot oil will be headed back to $70/bbl and there will be a hiring rush back in the GoM. If not, there is another wind project in development off the mid-Atlantic.
sorry in advance
I bet there’s rich folks eatin’
In a fancy dining car
They’re probably drinkin’ coffee
And smokin’ big cigars
Well I know I had it comin’
I know I can’t be free
But those people keep a-movin’
And that’s what tortures me
[QUOTE=Jetryder223;157540]By the time I get out of the academy there will be no more maritime jobs left. I may as well transfer to a community college then get a job selling life insurance door to door.[/QUOTE]
there you are wrong…there are always going to be jobs out there but there are not going to be six figure jobs for recent grads anymore. The punks who ended up with those in the drilling world were just damned lucky they entered the market at a very good time and obviously had a good line of BS to sell themselves to some recruiter because every maritime grad during the past 8 years did not end up on drillships although a good number did.
The thing is if you are committed to a maritime career you cannot let starting during a down cycle stop your career. You just have to seek out where the opportunities lie and I still advocate towing for you in the NE. You will likely need to start on deck but there is nothing wrong with that for a recent school graduate and in fact I believe all recent grads should be expected to spend at least six months as an AB before being given their first watch. That way a mariner with experience can size up the fellow to see if he can be trusted with his own watch first before sticking him alone on a bridge. You still get money and can use the AB time to upgrade plus you can unlearn all the school BS and learn the real way things are done at sea.
I know you are going to do fine Jet, you have a first rate head on your shoulders and I would have you on my ship in a heartbeat. In fact, the vessel I am working on now getting it ready for this summer research season in Alaska is going to need good people. Remind me, are you graduating this spring?
I’ll echo c.capt and say if you have half a brain in your head there will always be job opportunities for someone with a license and maritime academy degree. Just remember your first job out of school will likely be the hardest one for you to get. Once you have some experience under your belt your value only increases. Guys like yourself who did more than just the minimum cadet ship and cruises, and bulked up their resume while gaining experience with other Jobs are in the best position you can be in coming out of school.
Also, don’t chase money. I just took a nearly 40k a year pay cut and I am happier than I’ve ever been.
Is it a union gig? The tugs up in NY?
[QUOTE=Traitor Yankee;157579]I
Also, don’t chase money. I just took a nearly 40k a year pay cut and I am happier than I’ve ever been.[/QUOTE]
I have always chased every last dollar and had fun doing it.
[QUOTE=anchorman;157595]I have always chased every last skirt and had fun doing it.[/QUOTE]
Same here, but I thought Traitor Yankee was talking about money…
I got what I needed out of the gulf, but at the end of the day the work and the majority of the people I worked with made me miserable. "Even time? What does your girlfriend have your balls in a box? Not happening we need you here" -management level personnel at ECO Like the add says, mileage may vary. I got pretty shitty mileage most of the time I was at both of the big boat companies that aren't Harvey. I'm only bitter about one or two things, overall it was a career move that got me moving in the right direction.
I’m where I really want to be now though, and the finances work. They’ll even be increasing shortly. So the lesson I learned is that money really isn’t everything, and that the oil industry isn’t a miracle for everyone. Even when you are a good operator and employee.
This is my first slump offshore, but my dad worked for a big oil company for 27 years so I had a ringside seat for the three (or was it four?) from the early '70s through the new millennium.
People whose livelihoods are at stake probably shouldn’t say this (and I guess no one who’s been through a big slump would say it – kind of like no one who has actually ridden out a hurricane says: “storms are fun!”), but … it’s sorta interesting being out here right now. I mean, I’m really fascinated by the decisions my company is making, what boats are working and what boats aren’t, how the E&P operations are responding to the price of oil … it’s giving me a much clearer picture of the industry and my place in it (pretty much looking up at the bottom rung).
Here’s the deal: no matter how long the downturn lasts, there will still be some drilling and production and P&A going on out here, and those projects will need some boats. They’ll probably make do with fewer, and work them harder for less money, but there will still be boats running and crews needed to run them. In the meantime, there will be some folks who decide it’s a good time to retire, or to expand that part-time, between-hitches gig into a full-time business, or just get discouraged (or go broke) and go ashore permanently. At some point – probably when the price of oil goes up and boats begin to come off the pilings – that will mean opportunities for guys just getting into the industry, or guys looking to move up.
All that said, towing sure is looking better all the time.
[QUOTE=Traitor Yankee;157605]I got what I needed out of the gulf, but at the end of the day the work and the majority of the people I worked with made me miserable. “Even time? What does your girlfriend have your balls in a box? Not happening we need you here” -management level personnel at ECO Like the add says, mileage may vary. I got pretty shitty mileage most of the time I was at both of the big boat companies that aren’t Harvey. I’m only bitter about one or two things, overall it was a career move that got me moving in the right direction.
I’m where I really want to be now though, and the finances work. They’ll even be increasing shortly. So the lesson I learned is that money really isn’t everything, and that the oil industry isn’t a miracle for everyone. Even when you are a good operator and employee.[/QUOTE]
I got you. ECO is not chasing money, that is for sure. When a certain top manager left there, I was gone the same month.
[QUOTE=Traitor Yankee;157605]I got what I needed out of the gulf, but at the end of the day the work and the majority of the people I worked with made me miserable. “Even time? What does your girlfriend have your balls in a box? Not happening we need you here” -management level personnel at ECO Like the add says, mileage may vary. I got pretty shitty mileage most of the time I was at both of the big boat companies that aren’t Harvey. I’m only bitter about one or two things, overall it was a career move that got me moving in the right direction.
I’m where I really want to be now though, and the finances work. They’ll even be increasing shortly. So the lesson I learned is that money really isn’t everything, and that the oil industry isn’t a miracle for everyone. Even when you are a good operator and employee.[/QUOTE]
Good man, good for you. Where did you end up going? Rivers, Ocean towing, ship assist?
I always thought it was smart to make your own decisions instead of letting situations make them for you. You swapping over tight now is way better than sticking around Fourchon long enough to get laid off perhaps.
[QUOTE=Traitor Yankee;157605]I got what I needed out of the gulf, but at the end of the day the work and the majority of the people I worked with made me miserable. “Even time? What does your girlfriend have your balls in a box? Not happening we need you here” -management level personnel at ECO Like the add says, mileage may vary. I got pretty shitty mileage most of the time I was at both of the big boat companies that aren’t Harvey. I’m only bitter about one or two things, overall it was a career move that got me moving in the right direction.
I’m where I really want to be now though, and the finances work. They’ll even be increasing shortly. So the lesson I learned is that money really isn’t everything, and that the oil industry isn’t a miracle for everyone. Even when you are a good operator and employee.[/QUOTE]
Congrats on your return to the real world.