Offshore oil and gas
The oil and gas industry provides energy for industry, fuel for transport and raw materials for many consumer products. In its various segments, it employs thousands of people and is considered a major contributor to the UK economy. A total of £486 billion was invested in the exploration, development and production of UK’s oil and gas reserves in the last four decades alone. The industry employs around 375,000 people in the UK.
There are a great variety of opportunities within the global offshore oil and gas industry for seafarers, working directly on the different vessels that support the industry, such as platform support vessels (PSVs), anchor-handlers (AHTSs), emergency rescue recovery vessels (ERRVs), diving support/construction vessels, and survey vessels. These vessels are often very sophisticated and offer a challenging environment to work in as a mariner.
With the correct skill set and marine/academic qualifications, seafarers can make a transition on to mobile offshore units or fixed production offshore installations.
There are various mobile units supporting the industry, such as:
- accommodation barges
- exploration jack-up rigs
- semi-submersible rigs
- drill ships which can be found operating in different areas around the world and whose operation is structured like that of a commercial vessel.
