- Environment Primarily outdoor work
- Education High school diploma
Career profile
Offshore control room operators have several responsibilities including monitoring, operating and maintaining the vast network of pipes, pumps, separators, centrifuges, processing units and valves on an offshore petroleum production vessel. They monitor flow rates of oil into storage tanks as well as process indicators, instruments, gauges, and meters to identify potential problems.
They supervise, coordinate and educate service operators and operator assistants and any third parties in rig up, operations, routine service and rig down. They also perform general housekeeping including general cleaning of equipment.
Offshore
In this occupation, activities may include:
- Operating control panels to coordinate and regulate process variables such as temperature and pressure, and to direct product flow rate, according to process schedules
- Adjusting equipment performance to match operating requirements (centrifuges for low gravity solids removal or barite recovery), optimizing screen selection on shale shakers or mud cleaners etc.
- Ensuring equipment is in good condition and operating properly
- Reading automatic gauges at specified intervals to determine the flow rate of oil into or from tanks, and the amount of oil in tanks
- Monitoring process indicators, instruments, gauges and meters to detect and report any possible problems
- Operating and servicing compressors, pumps and separators
- Supervising, coordinating and educating service operators and operator assistants and any third parties in rig up, operations, routine service and maintenance and rig down of all operations equipment
- Conducting general housekeeping of units, including wiping up oil spills and performing general cleaning duties
Education
- A High School Diploma is required with some companies requiring a College Diploma in process operation, sciences or a related subject
Certifications
- The following certificates may be required and obtained by taking short courses for work in an offshore environment:
- First Aid
- Hydrogen Sulfide Awareness (H2S Alive)
- Blowout Prevention
- Well Control
- Workplace Hazardous Material Information System (WHMIS)
- Transportation of Dangerous Goods (TDG)
- Firefighting
Licensing
- A provincial power engineer licence, compressor operator or refrigeration certificate may be required when certain kinds of equipment are included in the process.
Additional Requirements
- Specific health and safety certifications may be required, determined by location of work and company requirements. Marine work in general includes:
- Basic Survival Training
- Helicopter Underwater Escape Training (HUET)
- Helicopter Underwater Emergency Breathing Apparatus (HUEBA)
- Marine Emergency Duties (MED)
- Minimal or no travel
- Shiftwork/variable work hours
- Primarily outdoor work
- Physical work
- Safety-sensitive environment
- Work away from home/in camps
- Building and Construction
- Production and Processing
- Works Safely
- Promotion of Occupational Health and Safety
- Interpreting Documents/Plans
- Mechanical Operation
- Preventative Maintenance
- Equipment Maintenance
- Equipment Selection
- Operation and Control
- Operation Monitoring
