Any body have any experience working on these? I’m looking for any information about what the job entails or about specific companies that operate these vessels. There’s a company called SPT Inc. out of Freeport, anybody know anything about that company? Thanks.
They do lightering off Galveston/Houston/CC… I went to school with a few guys that work there. I haven’t heard anything bad.
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I haven’t worked on-board a lightering support vessel. But from what I’ve heard and seen the support vessels carry a load of 15’ Yokahama fenders on their back deck to the offshore lightering area. They string the fenders out alongside the ship to be lightered and then drift around until the lightering evolution is complete. The support vessel could be offshore for several days depending on how many vessels they need to assist with lightering.
I work on a lightering support vessel (SPT is our competition) as a deckhand/cook. The basics are as stated above, we are offshore for up to about two weeks at a time if one job runs into the next. The deck work isn’t too bad, but really wet if its rough at all (although lightering shuts down if its seriously rough) You have to be on your toes or you could get hurt for sure, but thats true for most any job I’ve had. Hook up fenders to the ship… weather patterns or anchor (if you are lucky) for a 10-18 hours … then pick the fenders back up… clean, needle gun and paint… clean, needle gun and paint… clean needle gun and paint… If we have work to do we don’t stop for crew change and I think that is pretty typical in lightering (maybe SPT is different) so you have to be flexible and not care too much. if a job comes up an hour before you are supposed to go home, it may be another couple days before you get off. if you carry two sets of fenders the deck work may be more continuous but you won’t put on as much weight or spend as much time painting. Good luck, I like the work… for what its worth.
Lightering ops video