- Kailem Donovan, 37, from Middlesborough, England, works on oil rigs in the North and Baltic seas.
- Donovan works 12-hour shifts but gets three weeks of holiday every three weeks working on the rig.
- He said offshore isolation is tough, but it can also feel like summer camp without cocktails.
This as-told-to essay is based on a transcribed conversation with Kailem Donovan, an offshore rope access rigger who works on oil rigs in the North and Baltic seas. It has been edited for length and clarity.
Working on an oil rig has always been my dream job. It sounded like an adventure.
When I left school at 16, I decided to get a job in construction. I worked on building sites and in power stations until I was 30.
Some of my friends worked on oil rigs and encouraged me to apply. Because getting an offshore role was so competitive, it took over two years before I got my first job.
Oil riggers need to be qualified
I was already a trained scaffolder, but my friend, who was a rigger, said I should qualify as a rigger because they covered a wide range of tasks like working with cranes or swapping out pipes.
I decided to focus on working on wind farms. I had to take several certifications, like my Global Wind Organisation exams, the Minimum Industry Safety Training exam, and the Basic Offshore Safety Induction and Emergency test. It cost me over £3,000, around $3,900, to get certified.
The course and exams focused on working at height, sea survival, and fire awareness. I also needed a medical from a physician.
In 2017, within three months of passing my final exam, I got my first job as a rigger on an offshore wind farm in Aberdeen.
A contract offshore worker will work three weeks on and three weeks off. I already had children before I started working offshore. My daughter was 11, and my son was one when I started working away. On the building sites, I could get one day a week off. Now working on the rigs, I have more vacation, which is a big plus as a parent.
The money is good as well. An offshore worker can earn from £5,000 to £15,000 every three-week shift, depending on their trade and experience.
Rigs have lonely moments, but everyone is family
I worked at different wind farms for the next two years before getting a contract on an oil rig. My skills were more in demand on oil rigs than on wind farms.
I would live on a ship while working on a wind farm, so I was used to being away from home.
When I arrived on the rig for the first time, I was amazed by this huge structure in the middle of the sea.
The first rig I stepped onto, and every rig since, had a family-orientated vibe. The whole crew checks in on each other. It was like a holiday camp without the cocktails.
Around 100 people work on an offshore rig. As a contractor, I often work at a different rig with every new contract. When you get off the helicopter, you get a health and safety talk and a rundown of the rig’s procedures, and then straight to work.
It’s still a tough place to be. You’re working out at sea for three weeks. You can’t pop to the shop and go and get a paper.
You can’t get a phone signal, so you need to use the WiFi, which can be restricted. You can’t download a movie, so it’s mainly used for Facetime. I speak to my family nearly every day.
Sometimes, it’s mentally taxing, but everyone looks out for each other. On a building site, you might walk past a person without acknowledging them, but when you’re offshore, it’s always “Hello mate, are you OK? How was your sleep?” We’re not asked to, but it comes naturally.
Every day can have special or challenging moments offshore
There is a day and night shift on a rig, which are both 12 hours long. You tend to share a cabin with someone who is on the opposite shift to you.
The day shift usually starts at about 6:30 a.m. I wake up at 5 a.m., have breakfast, and attend the morning meeting. Everyone goes and gets their task for the day. As a rigger, I always work in a pair. If you slip and bang your head and there’s no one around, it could quickly lead to a fatality.
It’s tough work, but I do like a sunny day on the rig when the sea is calm. I love the adrenaline rush of abseiling under the rig, and it’s always so quiet and peaceful once you’re offboard — hanging from the rig on ropes.
I’ve seen a minke whale swimming right underneath me. I’ve also seen a pod of 50 or 60 dolphins, the baby dolphins playing in the waves.
The toughest conditions I’ve experienced were in December in the North Sea. The platform was knee-high in snow. There was also trigger lightning caused by cold air passing over a warmer sea surface. I didn’t think I’d get home for Christmas.
It’s not easy to get a contract, but once you’ve built up some experience, you are more likely to get a callback. Winter is quieter than the summer months. As a rigger, we mostly go to rigs when they want to shut it down to change a new spool (pipe).
Offshore life can be fun and sociable – and we’re always well-fed
When I arrive at a new rig, it’s like visiting a new hotel. The best rig I’ve worked on was in Norway. It had a five-aside football pitch, a cinema room, a golf simulator, and a fishing station. You could store your catch in a freezer. It also had a hobby room where you could knit, make a glass object, or use a kiln to make pottery.
We are well-fed on the rig. We’re always discussing what will be on the menu. Two nights are the same on most rigs in the North Sea: Fish Friday and Steak Night Saturdays. It’s a zero-alcohol policy on the rig. You have random alcohol and drug tests offshore, so everyone knows you’re working in a clean environment.
My favorite time on the rig is finishing my shift on a Saturday. Knowing it’s steak night, there will be a football match on Sky — we all get together for the football.
It’s hard to miss family events
You’ll have lonely days. You can’t always be full of beans. Sometimes, events happen at home, and I should be there.
The most challenging days for me mentally are when it’s my son or daughter’s birthday and I’m on the rig. It’s hard to explain to a child why daddy can’t come home for their birthday.
When I get home from the rig, the first thing I do is get a haircut. There are no barbers on a rig, so you’re looking quite rough after three weeks. Then I rush to pick up the kids.
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