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22 August 2016
In 2013, OOS International received the first members of their fleet, the OOS Gretha and the OOS Prometheus. Since day one, Atlas Professionals has been involved in the recruitment for both platforms. The scale of the project has enabled four of Atlas’ teams to work together and provide the entire marine crew for the floatel and platform. This has become Atlas’ biggest project to date.
For the past three years, the Prometheus has been anchored in the Campos Basin in Brazil on an offshore heavy lift/ logistics support project for the country’s leader in oil well exploration Petrobras. OOS Captain of the Prometheus, Matthijs van der Moer recently caught up with Atlas to discuss life on-board.
Life on the Prometheus
“I’ve been Captain of the Prometheus for just over a year now,” explains Matthijs, “The unit is working alongside six of Petrobras’ fixed platforms. We provide them with logistical means, helicopter operations and accommodation for their workers.”
The Prometheus can accommodate up to 500 POB and includes food communal areas, meeting rooms and a 1,100 ton deck crane. Although every day is different in the offshore world, Matthijs explains his basic routine, “I start my day around 6am and I will then go to the bridge and look at the data that was collected overnight. After this we have a briefing on what happened during the night and all of the operations that are happening that day such as the transfer of cargo, vessels that are coming and going and the maintenance that needs to be done. After this I’ll put my coveralls on and go and do my rounds on deck.”
Sourcing a competent workforce worldwide
Approximately 70% of the marine crew is provided by Atlas. The crew consists of a diverse range of nationalities such as Dutch, English, American, Ukrainian, Russian, Mexican, Polish, Ghanaian, Filipino, Latvian and Brazilian personnel. “Atlas had a difficult task in providing personnel to the Prometheus within a short time frame. This is the first time I have worked with Atlas and with the current market as it is, I was a bit sceptical, as I knew that agencies have been struggling to find competent personnel. Some agencies just look for a cheap workforce rather than a qualified one.
However, Atlas is an organised agency, they send me regular updates on crew rotas, the status of certificates and other relevant information. Their crewing management is handled meticulously and it’s easy to profile, process and archive all information provided. I am confident that Atlas will always supply someone who is competent and qualified to work offshore. I can say that Atlas have accomplished this to a good standard. When you have an urgent request, you ask them for the best solution and they provide it, simple.”
To ensure a close collaboration between crewing departments Atlas’ Administrators and Operations support, Patricia Ernesto and Márcia Carvalho are currently working on the OOS premises in Macaé and in Atlas’ office in Rio. They are responsible for all the documentation for local content which includes logistics, accommodation, visa registration, Brazilian medicals, training, vaccinations and tax registration. “Atlas’ Brazil office has played a supporting role in providing certifications and helping to deal with other administrative tasks,” says Matthijs. “I have been mainly working through Atlas’ Odessa team.”
Atlas’ teams in Odessa, Cyprus, the Netherlands and Brazil have also worked together on the commercial, logistical and administrative tasks for the project. “Atlas’ offices have helped to source the majority of the crew for the Prometheus and the Gretha. My main point of contact is Dmitry Yerofeyev, he actually visited us recently. He really knows his business and has been a great communicator throughout the whole process.” Atlas’ teams have been in close contact with the crewing department of OOS from the beginning and together they’ve made this project a big success.
Standing at the frontier of energy & marine
The crewing for the Prometheus is just another example of how Atlas Professionals is standing at the frontier of energy & marine. “What makes the offshore industry a frontier to me is that it is a dynamic one,” says Matthijs, “its constantly moving, adapting, improving, developing new technologies and challenging its workers on a daily basis.”
