Martin has been working with us as a Senior Maintenance Engineer since 2019. When he, with his long track record in the offshore Oil & Gas industry, expressed his interest in a position with us, we didn’t have to think long.
Can you tell us something about your background in combination with your current position?
My career in offshore Oil & Gas started in 2005. It is completely coincidental that I ended up in this industry with my background in Energy Technology and Measurement & Control Technology. I found the first moments of going offshore after my studies very impressive. All those training and courses, but especially the new experiences, gave me enormous satisfaction.
I remember very well the first offshore job I had. It was in November, a period with a lot of storms and rain. My job was to roll out cable reels on deck for a large project. It didn’t take long before the Supervisor discovered in me another talent and that was much more in the administrative area. So behind the computer. From there I went to the office to make the planning. After working in an office for a number of years, where I learned a lot in many different positions, I started working offshore for a number of years as an E&I supervisor for projects.
From 2014 onwards I continued as a Construction Work Planner for Electrical & Instrumentation. These projects were very challenging, and all facets of the offshore work had to be prepared down to the last detail. There was great pressure on this, especially during a shutdown, given the high costs associated with such an activity. The period in which the platform does not produce gas produces nothing, so it costs a lot of money. Fortunately, I had gained the necessary offshore experience and knew exactly how things work on such a platform.
Energy challenge Equans Offshore Services
What do you find important in your work?
What is important to me is that the work is interesting and challenging and that you also enjoy it. For me, this job has all of that. It makes me happy to work in this industry. Everything that happens offshore happens for a reason. It is up to us to ensure that no accidents occur and that any problems are addressed and resolved as efficiently and safely as possible.
What are your duties and what do you like about your work?
I joined Equans Offshore Services in 2019 and now work as a Senior Maintenance Engineer at one of the customer locations. As a Maintenance Engineer, I ensure that maintenance at all locations, both corrective and preventive maintenance, is properly prepared. The great thing about this work is the diversity and communicating with the people offshore. But also with the various companies that carry out maintenance at our locations. Everything must be arranged down to the last detail for them too. I think the most important thing is safety for people. By creating an efficient working environment, where everything is arranged for them, this also benefits safety.
It is also important to work in a well-ordered and structured manner at the office. To achieve this, I create nice overviews and lists of all outstanding and current work orders. By keeping track of this, you can see at a glance where the bottlenecks are and where more attention is needed.
What attracts you to working offshore?
Despite the coincidence that I got into it; the offshore Oil & Gas industry has become my passion. Working at an offshore location is simply very special. Plus, not everyone rides in a helicopter to get to work! The offshore world is very dynamic, everything related to logistics, helicopter & boats, it must be a well-oiled machine. To be part of that…