Offshore Overtures
A friend once asked me how is life offshore. I told him it's very romantic, at least the first night was. Then none of them ever were.
I haven't been offshore for about four years. And I don't miss it. Yes, the first night was romantic - I watched the sun went down. The wind was blowing softly. There was the pleasant smell of freshly baked loaves from the galley. It was that good.
And after that it was a blur of jobs ranging from one night stays to my longest ever, a thirty eight day stay offshore Indochina. Went through the worst storm to hit the South Shina Sea in forty years. The food on most offshore installations are good. If you don't feel like eating chicken chop, lamb chop or steak, you could always order a la carte - maggi mee. Nothing beats a bowl of maggi with two eggs thrown in cooked by a galley hand with looks only a mother could love and they usually call you boss. Semua tarok....
You only bring one set of good clothes offshore - the ones you arrive in. Once in your room, you hang them properly in the closet if you have one or anywhere if your room does not have a closet. You never send these clothes to the laundry. You will ruin them. Those will also be the ones you will be wearing on your "Hari Raya", "Hari Raya" being the day when you leave the rig after you have done your job. So if you see a guy smartly dressed looking like he has swallowed the sun it usually means that he is waiting for the chopper home. A chopper usually means newspapers, new tools and new work programs and instructions. I usually leave behind the clothes that I bring offshore except for my coveralls. The industrial detergent they used offshore ruins your clothes. They smelled awful too - my children would cringe their noses at the smell, should I wear any of them home.
But I think I'll stick to this desk job. Two years ago one of my engineers, Kevin, had to spend Hari Raya offshore and before leaving he wrangled a promise fom me that I never ever make him spend Chinese New Year offshore.
Hari Raya offshore? Been there, done that.
I haven't been offshore for about four years. And I don't miss it. Yes, the first night was romantic - I watched the sun went down. The wind was blowing softly. There was the pleasant smell of freshly baked loaves from the galley. It was that good.
And after that it was a blur of jobs ranging from one night stays to my longest ever, a thirty eight day stay offshore Indochina. Went through the worst storm to hit the South Shina Sea in forty years. The food on most offshore installations are good. If you don't feel like eating chicken chop, lamb chop or steak, you could always order a la carte - maggi mee. Nothing beats a bowl of maggi with two eggs thrown in cooked by a galley hand with looks only a mother could love and they usually call you boss. Semua tarok....
You only bring one set of good clothes offshore - the ones you arrive in. Once in your room, you hang them properly in the closet if you have one or anywhere if your room does not have a closet. You never send these clothes to the laundry. You will ruin them. Those will also be the ones you will be wearing on your "Hari Raya", "Hari Raya" being the day when you leave the rig after you have done your job. So if you see a guy smartly dressed looking like he has swallowed the sun it usually means that he is waiting for the chopper home. A chopper usually means newspapers, new tools and new work programs and instructions. I usually leave behind the clothes that I bring offshore except for my coveralls. The industrial detergent they used offshore ruins your clothes. They smelled awful too - my children would cringe their noses at the smell, should I wear any of them home.
But I think I'll stick to this desk job. Two years ago one of my engineers, Kevin, had to spend Hari Raya offshore and before leaving he wrangled a promise fom me that I never ever make him spend Chinese New Year offshore.
Hari Raya offshore? Been there, done that.
posted by dudae_simboyo at 18:14
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