Working in Norway was amazing. I would even go as far as saying that I really enjoyed the work out there as well as the life back onshore. The difference between Abu Dhabi and the North Sea (and Barents Sea!) was even bigger than I could have imagined. The technology and engineering that is prevalent up there is mind blowing. I spent a week on Statfjord A a production platform just offshore Bergen and then 2 more on Transocean Barents a semisub 300km north of Hammerfest.
Statfjord A was absolutely enormous and staying on the platform is more like staying in a fairly nice hotel. I was also demoted back to a MWD as the other engineers out there usually have more than 4 or 5 years experience. This was definitely necessary as I had no idea about half the operations the clients wanted us to run, this combined with me stuffing my face at every meal and getting generally over excited at everything probably made me look like a bit of a simpleton but it was damn great to be out the desert!
Transocean Barents was the more interesting of the two rigs. This rig is super modern and everything on it is automated and huge in comparison to what I was used to. The other big difference was that this is a dual derrick rig. So we would be expected to prepare and pick up the tools for the next run while the rig was drilling the current one - this really does not give justice to how quickly this rig could operate and how tough it was preparing our tools so they would be ready for the next run. It is literally like have two rigs next to each other with them taking it in turns to drill the same well. There were several days where I barely entered the unit and even when I did it was usually to pick up some documents or equipment I needed and these are 16h days in -6 deg weather with the wind so strong you would get blow sideways across the deck.
The funny thing is that I loved it, the well was an exploration well and it was truly out in the middle of nowhere. It really felt like you were involved in something big and important and were out there at the cutting edge working against the elements in the wild winds of the arctic. It was a fantastic experience and justified why I wanted to work in this industry and I would be happy to go back if I get another opportunity.
Statfjord A was absolutely enormous and staying on the platform is more like staying in a fairly nice hotel. I was also demoted back to a MWD as the other engineers out there usually have more than 4 or 5 years experience. This was definitely necessary as I had no idea about half the operations the clients wanted us to run, this combined with me stuffing my face at every meal and getting generally over excited at everything probably made me look like a bit of a simpleton but it was damn great to be out the desert!
Transocean Barents was the more interesting of the two rigs. This rig is super modern and everything on it is automated and huge in comparison to what I was used to. The other big difference was that this is a dual derrick rig. So we would be expected to prepare and pick up the tools for the next run while the rig was drilling the current one - this really does not give justice to how quickly this rig could operate and how tough it was preparing our tools so they would be ready for the next run. It is literally like have two rigs next to each other with them taking it in turns to drill the same well. There were several days where I barely entered the unit and even when I did it was usually to pick up some documents or equipment I needed and these are 16h days in -6 deg weather with the wind so strong you would get blow sideways across the deck.
The funny thing is that I loved it, the well was an exploration well and it was truly out in the middle of nowhere. It really felt like you were involved in something big and important and were out there at the cutting edge working against the elements in the wild winds of the arctic. It was a fantastic experience and justified why I wanted to work in this industry and I would be happy to go back if I get another opportunity.
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