Back before the last bust/boom in the gulf and the whole DP revolution i went out and got all of my offshore and later my Oceans stuff.
I have until 2014 to get some sea time or I have to redo my 5 day BST and BRM among whatever else they stamp a renewal date on by then.
I managed to renew my last 5 years by the skin of my teeth on sea time that was almost 5 years old.
I started getting better inland towboat offers about the same time the gulf was headed into another bust (especailly shallow water).
I saw a pick up in activity goin in and out of the passes. I asked a skippper on a DP Small Supply Vessel / crew boat.
He said it is mostly just normal spring / summer wx construction.
I told him as I have told others that I expect this administration to open up the flood gates on drilling permits during his election year.
Sure enough shortly after the killing of Bin Laden, the production of a Long Form Birth Certificate to make Trump look like a reality tv punk, now they are giving the permits away like hotcakes.
As I predicted they have opened up East Coast, Gulf and West Coast Drilling along with Arctic areas right on the border of ANWAR.
Soon we will see directional drilling into ANWAR from shallow water coastal areas to minimize the impact on the wildlife.
So, I got sick of paying for my own classes right after ARPA / GMDSS. I got my Oceans for my towing license but not really for my OSV as much.
I figured I would just sit on the offshore ticket until employers were lining up to offer to pay for all the bs they have added like “Safe Gulf”, Huet, DP, ect, ect, ect.
So obama is opening up the spicket. Gonna take awhile to affect the price at the pump but i am sure he will work something out to get “soccer mom’s mini van gas” back down under $3/gallon nbyb Nov 4th.
It will take that long for the big offshore production rigs to get brought back from Indonesia, africa, or where ever they are leased to now.
Anyway, morale of the story is if you been sitten on your offshore ticket passin on $300/day or less offers get ready for a job boom.
Alaska for 7 plus a day 3/2. Yeah i could do that.
Supply boat job in the gulf with free DP training and 750/day plus yeah I could do that.
Shake up some of the stagnent union offshore atb companies with some fresh hawsepipe blood. that would be good too.
oops, that may have been political. better go. no time for hate mail