Phase Three coming right up…
Phase Three coming right up?
After months of wrangling about me getting some real technical experience (A and B competencies – aka design office experience) to complement the wealth of project management, team leading and communication skills (C, D and E competencies) I’ve amassed over the last 11 months, I’ve finally got somewhere – but a little further afield than working upstairs for WG PSN who are our main contractor for our technical engineering…
The reason? Well, it seems that although WG PSN’s mechanical engineers are incredibly busy, they don’t really have the work here [in Aberdeen] that their Engineering Manager, Ian Maycock (FIMechE) thinks is suitable for me to develop the competencies that I require to be able to sit and pass chartered review six months from now. And my management (the Team Lead, Peter Neilson and our Engineering Guru, Martin Fragell, also a FIMechE) agree.
But what they (BP and WG PSN) do require, is someone to go and work alongside one of our suppliers, Flowserve, who are currently falling behind on a rather large and quite expensive, produced water re-injection (PWRI) pump. It’s not completely clear what my ROE are just yet, but it seems like I am to go and work with them at the factory/design office in Breda for a few days a week, analyse the problems, and then come back to communicate these problems with the BP management and WG PSN engineering team in Aberdeen, with a view to being able to resolve the problems quickly and effectively back in Holland the week after. I’m told that it is excellent engineering, very mechanical and really technically detailed and complicated, so it does tick the A and B boxes – mostly because I will have to get well and truly immersed in it to understand, and develop, the damn thing! From what I understand, this is one of ETAP’s big process concerns right now (and notably, will be one of the biggest pumps in the North Sea upon completion), and there is plenty of engineering to see me through til Phase Four.
Good thing or bad thing?
Well, if I’m honest, Liz and I do quite enjoy living together, so starting the weekly commute in March rather than August is going to be a bit of a blow, but the hard facts are that working on my jobs hasn’t (in my eyes) given me enough technical clout to sit chartered review right now, nor by July. Could I have done things differently? Well, I’ve worked well (by all accounts) on the jobs I’ve been given, it’s just that BP don’t do the detailed engineering themselves, we just assimilate the information from our teams.
The technical piece is something I’ve been pushing since November, and pushing strongly since January, but with changes of management it has fallen by the wayside and I’ve let it go on, so maybe it’s just me to blame (sob, sob). The weekly commute will be a pain in the arse, as will living out of a hotel week-on-week, but hey I’m not here for an easy ride, I’m here to become a chartered engineer! Hua!
Anyway… other jobs as follows:
ETAP ALQ: Getting handed over to Cat B projects this month, or possibly next, on completion of a structural engineering review by AIG
Bunkering Lines, Cold Boot and Post-TAR decommissioning: Getting handed over this week
Decommissioning, DBBs/SIRPS compliancy and Glycol Balance Line – I’m keeping these as I just can’t let go! This way, I will see them from Appraise through to Offshore Execute. (Well, not decom as I inherited that, but it’s been my most hassle-free project, so I’ll keep the coals burning til offshore execute and “tick off” three TAR jobs).
And in other news:
Liz and I went out with REMEC last week to their Winter Meet based near Fort William. As well as outstanding conditions, it was also good to meet up with Lachlan Robertson and Paul Golding, who are both due to assume STRE command this summer. With the meet being an informal part of the Himalayan expedition selection (Sept – Oct 13) it was good to chat to them about my odds of being able to get away from work to be a part of the expedition; clearly, a lot depends on being in the ‘right’ STRE – and not theirs, as they want to be going away too! Fingers crossed…
Oh, and Dougal the “wonder pup” has passed 30kgs. He’s going to be a machine…
Liz climbing onto the Sgurr a Mhaim as part of the Ring of Steall (eagle eyed viewers will noe the angle of the sky…)
Holdfast Training Services Trial Blog 
Chris, I’m looking forward to Dougal meeting Blaze at some point in the future! Just be careful with how much exercise he does as excessive climbing / walking for larger dogs can be damaging to their joints over the first 6-9 months of development.
Good to see you’re getting the technical experience although I have found (on reflcetion) that the design office is not necessarily any more technical, just a different way of communicating technical aspects (I think that makes sense). Well done on getting what you need though!
Very frustrating not being able to take Dougal out but we’re well aware of that and keep it to under an hour. I had him in work today – well, in the car – and we managed to get out every few hours for between 10 and 40 minutes. I think there’s going to be a battle on when Liz and I have to work out who keeps him… (which Liz will win)
Back to the placement, it’s being billed as a bit of a personality test – can Captain Chris get out of Flowserve what nobody else has managed before – openness and co-operation! I think I should be able to swing it by referring to Rule # 1 but time will tell. Watch this space!!!!