What are Oil and Gas Jobs All About?
Over the last 30 years since oil was first tapped in the North Sea, the industry has developed to the point where it now has nearly 30,000 oil and gas jobs offshore and employs about 300,000 people onshore but all over the UK.
Pumping, refining and distributing oil and gas from under the sea is a highly technological process and is done out in one of the most inhospitable environments in the World. There are now some 200 offshore facilities producing oil and gas and jobs while supplying around 80% of Great Britain's fuel. The production companies aim to minimize the impact on the natural environment.
From the large drilling and pumping platforms standing on the sea floor, where up to 200 gas and oil jobs are carried out, to the lesser scale floating production vessels on which there may be as few as 30 gas jobs. They are each complex structures in their own right. They transport the equipment needed to get at the oil and gas, and also all the people things needed to sustain the crews doing the gas jobs on board. This means electricity generation, machinery, living quarters and all the other servomechanisms that are taken for granted on dry land.
Five kinds of offshore oil and gas job providers:
- Operating companies are household names and blue chip companies that hold the exploration and production licenses. They run the production facilities. They are all internationally quoted conglomerates, giving gas and oil jobs to many nations of the world.
- Drilling companies subcontract to the operating companies for the specialist drilling work. These companies often operate and maintain their own movable drilling rigs. Like the operating companies, they are international firms.
- Major contractors provide support solutions such as operations and maintenance services to the operating companies. On many installations the gas and oil jobs for the ‘core’ crew of regular offshore people. These contractors can be large international companies, or small to medium sized enterprises.
- FPSO operators operate and maintain ‘floating production storage and offloading’ units. These are huge ships that are designed to remain in place for long periods of time, and carry all of the equipment necessary for safely processing and storing oil and gas.
- Service companies provide all of the many and varied special help to the other companies. Such services would be; well servicing, drilling mud suppliers, cementing companies, scientific well testing specialists, seismology firms, deep-sea divers and catering. After all oil and gas jobs are like armies. They run on their stomachs.
What do offshore oil and gas jobs involve?
The iconic filthy drill floor is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to oil and gas jobs. The 'Christmas tree' sprouts from here. This is a maze of pipe work, cables, joints and valves. The crude oil at this stage is a hot, bubbling, acidic, pressurized liquid made up of gas, water and sand. The crude oil is separated out and piped, or stored until it can be sent ashore.
The gas may be used for fuel, or compressed and piped to shore or returned to the reservoir. Any excess gas is burnt in the platform's flare. The gas liquids are compressed, cooled, dehydrated and piped ashore. Many oil and gas jobs are concerned with monitoring for safe and effective processing of these dangerous substances.
Electricity has to be generated on the offshore facilities to power the production and drilling equipment, and to support people. Oil and gas jobs are often specialized trades and maintenance ones requiring skilled people, technical knowledge and most important of all, teamwork.
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Frank Cullen MD www.oilandgasjobvacancies.com
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