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THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 18, 2008 THE DAILY TELEGRAPH
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CAREERS IN OIL AND GAS PEOPLE
The Daily Telegraph
industry means workers can probably afford a good break too. So far this year, Jennifer Watson, a lab technician for InterTech on the Beryl Bravo platform, says she has travelled to the South of France, New York, Miami and the Caribbean in her "off" time. Groves, meanwhile, who is married with two children, aged 14 and 17, explains why the lifestyle suits her: "I actually feel like Ive got my life back, because Im not trying to cram everything into a weekend now, and I see more of my children than I did when I was working in the office. When youre doing a nine-to-five job, you rush home after work and
TRAILBLAZERS
FOUR OFFSHORE WOMEN WORKERS REVEAL WHAT INSPIRED THEM TO PURSUE A CAREER ON OIL RIGS. AS NATASHA MANN FOUND OUT, IT WASNT THE DE RIGUEUR BOILER SUITS AND EYE GOGGLES, NOR THE 5.30AM STARTS
Out and about: Above left, production engineer Sarah Andrews arrives for work; above, Sheila Groves is a North Sea operational excellence adviser
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atricia Lespinasse, a 39-year-old pipe engineer with the Total Energy group, is currently working on the Moho Bilondo platform, just off the Congolese coast. "Its a very exciting, interesting human experience," she says of her seemingly unique role. Only, female offshore workers are not as unusual as we might think. In the North Sea, for instance, there are female Offshore Installation Managers -- aka rig bosses -- as well as engineers, abseilers, doctors and caterers. Lespinasse, then, is not the least bit fazed at finding herself in such a male-dominated environment. "Its actually quite nice," she says simply. "They all take care of me. They quite often tell me its nice to have a woman on board." And, as 27-year-old Amelia Swanney, an environmental consultant for Exodus points out, the jobs are so intensive that its really a case of everyone just mucking in together. "I think if Pamela Anderson was to land on an oil platform the men wouldnt even turn their heads," she laughs. "Were all working 12-hour days and so are wandering about exhausted half the time." Romances, unsurprisingly, are a definite nono offshore and there are strict "no alcohol" rules. "The men on the rigs can be a bit rough around the edges," says Sheila Groves, a North Sea operational excellence adviser for Chevron, "but the banters always friendly. Sometimes Ill hear them talking and Ill turn around and say: `Are you guys talking about moisturiser? and theyll reply: `Aye, but your skin gets really dry out here." All of which knocks a rather huge dent in the image of the rough, macho, greasy-necked oil-rig worker. Today, the domestic quarters are also kitted out to suit modern lifestyles. On Groves platform -- the Captain WPP -- for instance, the living areas are homely and they make an effort to recycle. "There are no posters of scantily dressed women or anything like that. And you dont go around putting your feet up on the furniture." Todays oil-rig accommodation includes TV lounges, gyms, saunas, good food, daily newspapers and internet connection. The lengthy onshore periods are another draw for these women. The general two-weeks-on, twoweeks-off policy, allows plenty of time for a holiday between shifts -- which is all jolly nice because working in the oil
Sometimes Ill hear them talking and Ill turn around and say `Are you guys talking about moisturiser? and theyll reply `Aye, but your skin gets really dry out here
everyones tired and stressed out, and then its up in the morning and away again. You really dont get any quality time together." That said, while the lengthy breaks are nice, theres certainly no shirking offshore. The hours are long, and the rotas involve working for 14 days straight. The women agree you need to be a sociable type, able to take the office banter. You also need to be unfazed by the prospect of working in 110 mph winds. As Watson points out: "Its still quite a mans world and the work can be hard, physical and tiring. Youre working 12-hour shifts, and getting up really early in the morning. The weather can get really bad too, and it can be a bit tough to battle against it when youre outside walking about." Another challenge is "not to completely lose touch with your feminine side," she says. "As soon as I get home I like to get dressed up. You dont get up at half past five in the morning to work on an oil rig with a full face of make-up and your hair done. So when I get home, I like to have nights out with my husband and friends, get my nails done and just enjoy more feminine things again." Sarah Andrews, 31, a production engineer for Amec, meanwhile, admits that some of her friends cannot understand why she has chosen such an apparently unorthodox working life. "I think its the living away from home for weeks at a time and the being out and about that puts them off. They probably want more of an office-based culture, but thats just not me."
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*** II *** *** THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 18, 2008 THE DAILY TELEGRAPH | *** CAREERS IN OIL AND GAS SUSTAINABILITY The Daily Telegraph CUTOUT ANDKEEP WORLD THE RACE TO MAKE FOSSIL FUELS A MORE ENVIRONMENTALLY FRIENDLY OPTION IS RESULTING IN SOME OF THE INDUSTRYS SMARTEST IDEAS ESPECIALLY WHEN IT COM
*** *** THE DAILY TELEGRAPH THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 18, 2008 *** *** | III The Daily Telegraph GRADUATES CAREERS IN OIL AND GAS TANTS THE CONSUL Priya Sodhi, 25 Consultant accountant, Deloitte Consultancy is another great career option for those looking to enter the oil and gas industry, with a var
*** IV *** *** THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 18, 2008 THE DAILY TELEGRAPH | ***
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*** VI *** *** THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 18, 2008 THE DAILY TELEGRAPH | *** CAREERS IN OIL AND GAS NEW RESERVES The Daily Telegraph T CORBIS THERES SO MUCH SCI FI-LIKE ACTIVITY GOING ON BENEATH THE OCEAN FLOOR, IT TAKES DARING AND A SPECIAL KIND OF SKILL TO WORK THERE. JO CLARKE UNRAVELS THE MYSTE
*** *** THE DAILY TELEGRAPH THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 18, 2008 *** *** | VII The Daily Telegraph INNOVATION CAREERS IN OIL AND GAS THE EDGE OF REASON THE DRIVE TO MAKE FOSSIL FUELS CLEANER AND GREENER IS RESULTING IN SOME AMAZING TECHNOLOGICAL ADVANCES THROUGHOUT THE INDUSTRY, SAYS ESME MCAVOY. WE TA
*** VIII *** *** THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 18, 2008 THE DAILY TELEGRAPH | *** CAREERS IN OIL AND GAS PEOPLE The Daily Telegraph industry means workers can probably afford a good break too. So far this year, Jennifer Watson, a lab technician for InterTech on the Beryl Bravo platform, says she has tra
