from Other Industries to marine contracting
There are times in life when it pays to challenge the status quo and look beyond the obvious in furthering your career.
Have you, for example, considered the marine contracting industry as an option, where your skills and qualifications will be recognised, valued and rewarded?
If you are already working in a parallel industry - onshore construction and the automotive and aerospace industry being three obvious examples - then you may well find that marine contracting offers a wider and more exciting diversity of opportunities than you might imagine.
Marine contracting is a thriving $20-billion international industry with virtually unlimited opportunities for those whose core skills lie in the areas of solving problems, communicating with others about options for solutions, choosing cost-effective paths and delivering projects to customers.
Here are just a few examples of where your future might lie:
- In the construction area there are worldwide opportunities spanning all the engineering disciplines in major offshore oil and gas field developments, including installing new platforms, laying new pipelines and cables, as well as modifying and maintaining existing facilities - always with a cutting-edge approach to safety and environmental protection. It's here, too, that engineers can further develop their technical and professional skills in an industry in which processes and technology are constantly moving forward.
- Underwater remotely operated vehicles (ROVs) offer another interesting career choice in which electronic, hydraulic and mechanical technology come together to create complex robotic vehicles capable of an increasing number of subsea tasks. It is estimated that new ROV spreads will require some 1200 additional personnel to operate them.
- Of course, offshore operations also depend on the officers and crews of support vessels, which are among the most sophisticated ships at sea - and some of the new vessels currently being built or on drawing boards give 'sophisticated' a whole new meaning! An increasing number call for the unique skills of dynamic positioning (DP) to keep them constantly in the right place. Full crews are needed for literally hundreds of new vessels, and here we are talking of marine crews including bridge, engine room and DP watch keepers, electricians and others; and construction crews including crane and winch operators, welders, riggers and many other engineering-related disciplines.
- Then too the industry needs those involved with the earth sciences and physics to design and carry out hydrographic surveys; it also offers opportunities for electrical and electronic engineers; survey engineers and technicians; and virtually unlimited options for IT specialists since cutting-edge computer systems and digital data play an ever increasing role in just about every aspect of the marine and offshore industries.
The one thing they all these opportunities have in common is the buzz that pervades our industry. There are few other careers that combine the challenge of major construction projects with cutting-edge technologies and opportunities for international travel.
At sea, and on land, a career in marine contracting will be fast-moving, often stimulating and always absorbing. So don't simply settle for the status quo when a career in the marine contracting industry could offer so much more.
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