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A few months back, I wrote about a chance interview I had with David Muir of ABC Nightly News while working on an oil rig in the Gulf of Mexico (My interview didn’t make it through production, but you can view the segment that aired here).
As a result of that story, I received a number of emails from readers and fellow personal finance bloggers wanting to know about what life was “really” like working in the middle of the ocean on the front lines of oil exploration. This is my story.
The photo above is of the Cajun Express. This is the oil rig that I have worked on for the last 5 years. I work a 3 week rotation 12 hours a day while onboard the rig, and then commute back to Maine for 3 weeks of vacation. The reward is that I have 6 months of vacation per year, the consequence is that I am away from home the other 6 months.
On my latest trip down to the Gulf of Mexico I brought along my handy Flip Mino Camcorder
Besides the obvious frustration of being away from family and friends for weeks at a time, the commute to and from the rig usually ends up being the most stressful part of my job.
I fly out of Portland, ME the day before I am supposed to arrive onboard the rig. From Maine I connect through one of many airport hubs on the East Coast (Depending on the particular airline I am flying) and continue on to New Orleans, LA.
Once I arrive in New Orleans, I take a bus or taxi to a hotel that has been booked for me by my company. Sometimes I get my own hotel room, but usually I end up sharing a room with one of my co-workers who is also reporting to work in the morning (a cost cutting move by my company).
Early the following morning (sometimes as early as 3:00am, my crewmates and I assemble in the front parking lot of the hotel and board a company chartered bus for an hour and a half trip to the “heliport” (an airport for helicopters) to check-in for our flights out to the rig. Some companies use boats to transfer personnel back and forth, and I am very thankful that mine uses helicopters.
After an hour or two of waiting (more if there is any flight delaying fog in the area), word is finally given to load up on the trolley cars that carry us out to our assigned helicopters.
At this point most of the crew are tired and just want to get the day over with. Lucky for me I work 6pm to 6am (the night shift), and am usually able to get a couple of hours sleep before reporting to work for my first 12 hour shift. The first night on the rig is very long and I will take all the sleep that I can get.
Read Part Two of the Series HERE…
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{ 1 comment… read it below or add one }
Wow, the video I’m sure doesn’t do justice to the extent of the long commute. You ever think of starting a blog directly about your experiences on the rig? I bet there are some funny stories being out there and some characters on the rig.
Craig
http://www.budgetpulse.com