Demand for ROV Pilot Technicians Grows
Marine Technology Reporter
Maritime Training and Competence Solutions (MTCS Ltd.) claims the whole subsea industry is getting busier all the time, with companies investing and expanding. One area in which this has been particularly noticeable is in remotely operated vehicles (ROVs). As the demand for ROVs increases, so does the need for qualified ROV Pilot technicians. Fueled by the search for oil in ever deeper waters and utilizing numerous strands of technology, the world of ROVs is breaking new ground to develop ever more sophisticated vehicles, meaning an increased need for pilot technicians. The global demand for ROVs was recently highlighted in a report from analysts, Douglas-Westwood, which revealed that expenditure on work class ROV operations had more than doubled since 2002. The energy analysts predict that by 2012, $1.458B will have been spent in this sector.
MTCS, an ROV training company, based in Windermere, U.K., is familiar with the demand for ROV training, as it prepares to launch a new, 10-day ROV ‘Fast Track’ Technician Course on Monday, October 28 to Friday, November 8 (weekend is free time), which will offer a range of ROV technical systems. MTCS will be working with DPS Offshore, part of the Forum Energy Technologies (U.K.) Ltd, a specialized Offshore engineering company, to deliver this training program. Daron Larcombe, ROV Rentals & Business Development Manager for DPS Offshore said: “It is important our personnel take this opportunity to gain additional training on ROV technical systems in addition to their ongoing competency programs.
The skills they learn in these courses will allow us to continue to offer our customers quality personnel with a proven background of ongoing training required in today’s high-tech subsea environment.”
MTCS is a fully accredited assessment and training center. It can provide a spectrum of operational, technical and supervisory training to the offshore industry, both in the U.K. and abroad. With a new facility now open in Singapore, MTCS will also be delivering courses in Loyang from November 11-22, with further courses planned for 2014. Courses also run from their Aberdeen facility.
The majority of their courses focus on ROVs as used in the oil & gas, nuclear and renewables industry, with the fast-track course being open to candidates with a Pilot Technician Grade II, who are looking to gain Pilot Technician Grade I certification. The ‘Fast Track’ Technician Course will focus on: ROV Control systems; Fiber Optic testing and repair; ROV electrical power and distribution; Long line fault finding; Umbilical testing and repair; Hydraulic systems; Interfacing sensors and tooling, and Assessment & Action plan. Richard Warburton, Managing Director for MTCS said, “ROV pilots are in huge demand in the oil and gas industry and this is set to continue over the coming years.
In recent months we’ve seen companies such as Canyon Offshore, CTC Marine, Subsea 7, Saipem and DOF Subsea all recruiting, plus agencies such as Advance Global Recruitment and EuroSearch have been putting out calls for ROV Pilot Technicians for their clients. In addition to these advertised posts, here at MTCS, we have been inundated with requests for student CVs – almost four times as many as we had for the same period last year. Estimates are that by the end of 2013 there will be almost 6,000 subsea wells in operation, with vacancies in the Scottish sector of the North Sea, plus opportunities to work abroad in Norway, the Middle East, Asia, South America, Africa, Australasia and China.”
Email: [email protected]
www.mtcs.info
(As published in the September 2013 edition of Marine Technology Reporter - www.seadiscovery.com)
February 2024
