Page 44: of Maritime Logistics Professional Magazine (Q4 2015)

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OFFSHORE OUTLOOK “There is no shortage of talent, but there is a shortage of very capable and highly experienced personnel.” – Damir Tomicic, “It’s cautious, not all doom and gloom.” managing director, South America, Swift – Eric Peters, managing director for the

Worldwide Resources LLC

Americas, Faststream Recruitment, Ltd.

workers throughout the maritime and oil and gas industries So not surprising is the seeming paradox of companies con- going forward will face is the loss of full-time “permanent” tinuing to recruit even as they lay off by the boat load. They employment. Instead, companies seeking to cut their labor have to, in part to make sure they have people ready to step costs are increasingly contracting out work by the project. “It up when the market comes back again. A large percentage of doesn’t mean a lesser type of employee or that your job is any Marine and energy workers are over 50, and many are taking less uncertain. Whose job IS permanent?” asks Peters. retirement packages.

This will be the case regardless of the cost of oil per bar- Companies have to plan for what they’ll lose through “natu- rel. FPSO projects are plagued by cost overruns and delays. ral attrition,” say the recruiters.

As operators attempt to claw their way back to a reasonable For all the talk about wanting to avoid another industry level of expenditures, these solutions to cutting labor costs are brain drain, employers are limited in what they can do. Their likely going to be permanent, even if the jobs are not. best retention tool, is communication, say the recruiters. They can’t pay people they don’t need until the market returns. And

The light at the end of the tunnel … when that will happen is anyone’s guess, although several re-

FPSO builders and operators are in a bind because they need cent reports are predicting a slow, if uneven, turnaround over to cut costs to stay a? oat today – but they know they will be the next two to ? ve years.

desperately hunting for skilled employees once the market In the meantime, candidates who are more accommodating turns around. And it will be hard to ? nd good people. and open to doing contract/consulting work, who are ? exible

Shipyards are worried about when the market kicks back up to the geographic setting and or who are willing to move on- and there’s an onslaught of cold stacked vessels needing main- shore and transfer their skills to a different sector, will get tenance and repair work. “Who the heck is going to do that? more phone calls, and as Peters says, ? nd that there is still

Class societies say they can, but they can’t,” exclaims Peters. “good work to be done.”

FPSO Crystal Ocean moored at the Port of Melbourne

Credit: Marcus Wong (2010) 44 Maritime Professional 4Q 2015I I 34-49 Q4 MP2015.indd 44 11/18/2015 9:45:45 AM