Part 4: On becoming a Marine Mammal Observer(MMO) and Passive Acoustic Monitor (PAM) operator

This is part 4 of my blog posts ‘On becoming an MMO/PAM operator’. If you've been organized, perserverant and/or lucky then you've been offered a contract and are packing your bags...but what about life at sea? This blogpost will provide some information about what life for an MMO/PAM operator is like offshore with a focus, this time, on life on a seismic vessel. So here goes…

What is the life of an MMO/PAM operator like offshore? THE SHIP

One of the biggest questions we have before departing for a contract is.... what will our home for the next few weeks will be like? Will it be spacious? Comfortable? Will you have your own cabin? Does it have many amenities for entertainment when you are off shift? Oh, and most importantly…how good is the food?

When it comes to seismic ships there can be a lot of variability in comfort and what amenities you’ll have so, as is much the case with this work, be flexible and keep your expectations minimal…this way you won’t be disappointed. I have worked on some very nice ships, some basic but still comfortable ships and, fortunately only a couple of times, some not so nice ships.

So, I'll start at the bottom of the list and describe what I'll call the VERY BASIC, the COMFORTABLE, and the BEST ships I've been on. Of course, how you rate life on these vessels is somewhat subjective and based on what you think is most important i.e. would you prefer to have a gym and pool or karaoke and access to movies and video games?

Hmmm...wouldn't want to end up on a ship like this ;)
 

 
THE VERY BASIC
If you’re not-so-lucky, you might end up on one of the very basic vessels. I've only been on a couple of these vessels. my very first offshore vessel was an older vessel and it seemed it was maintained for function rather than comfort. I also worked on another very similar vessel more recently.

Here are some of the finer points of life on my first seismic vessel: 

Space - I was in a shared cabin with one of the two other women on board; it was just a bit wider than the bunks, with just enough space to stand and change. if the two of us were in the cabin at the same time it was incredibly difficult to move around each other. we shared our bathroom (aka 'head') with the cabin on the other side of the head. we were pretty lucky though as only four of us were sharing that bathroom…the rest of the MMO crew shared a cabin of three and shared a head for six! 

Basic amenities - There were not many on board amenities (I honestly don't remember if there was a gym?) and the ‘lounge’ was a small room with a sofa, books and a tv with video games. despite this fact, we still managed to keep ourselves entertained while not on watch.   

Food - Besides the tight quarters the food was pretty good (fresh baked cookies at every coffee break!). yum!

Source

Crew morale Unfortunately, the crew morale on this vessel was not very high…and I have to say, especially if you’re on a not so nice vessel, having a crew that works well together and can have fun can often more important than being on a fancy ship! 

Now, the vessel which will forever stand in my memory as the least comfortable vessel I've been on, was one I only worked on for three weeks. Much of the job we were off the ship either in the process of getting visas or in port for repairs (so buggered off to a hotel as quickly as possible :). Still, this time felt MUCH longer than three weeks!  

Here’s what made this vessel so memorably nasty to work on although, once again, many of the crew were fun so I’ll give it that! Additionally, when I worked on that vessel I had gone from the best I’d worked on (see THE BEST later) to this one, so maybe it just seemed really bad? Here is some info about life on this vessel:

• Vessel size - The vessel was small…a mere 40 m and after working over a year on 100+ m vessels you notice this difference! Despite this, I always try to look on the bright side and I will say that one nice thing about working on this smaller vessel is that it was great for watching and photographing bow-riding dolphins, of which we had many while offshore Colombia. On the other hand when you’re only 7 m above the water you don’t see nearly as far so you’re much less likely to spot those distant sperm whale blows!

Tiny Ship of Order (or mostly disorder on this ship, ha ha!) Source

• Cleanliness – this vessel was downright nasty when we joined in Panama. There were two accommodation decks with shared toilets and showers on each. The toilet was separate from the shower areas and, thankfully, we could lock the door to the shower but…yuck, let’s just say not clean! Fortunately, we took on Colombian nationals to work as deck hands and they were great for keeping things as clean as they could. As well, many of the crew didn't have the best hygiene practices which didn't help!

This is very true when working offshore!

• Maintenance – I’m only going to mention the maintenance issue that most impacted me during my stay; regarding the cabin myself and the other woman on the crew shared. It can surely be said though that the rest of the vessel was in a similar state. First of all, from the first day we were in our cabin there was a steady water leak coming through the ceiling creating a nice soggy spot on the carpet below. After mentioning this to the captain and other crew they began an investigation to figure out where the leak was coming from. 

• Despite the search it was not clear what was causing the leak but the magnitude of the problem soon became evident one afternoon shortly after we left port. On this particular afternoon my cabin mate was fast asleep (she was on night shifts) but suddenly, after dreaming of waterfalls, woke to water streaming down through the ceiling. She had to run out of the cabin and grab a garbage can to catch the downpour! After this very rude awakening the crew ripped the ceiling apart (although it was already falling apart from the constant dampness!) and for most of the rest of the trip we were graced with the view of a ceiling of rusty pipes and mouldy wood…probably would've been best to wear a respiratory mask in the cabin for the rest of the trip!

• In addition to the soggy carpets, mouldy ceiling and rusty pipes we had issues with air-conditioning in our cabin and throughout the vessel. The Freon in the air-conditioning units was at useless levels and all the air filters were badly clogged up. The next time we were in port this problem was solved and we finally had a cool vessel; up until then it was incredibly stuffy inside the ship in the hot, humidity of Colombia!

• The sewage stench! – This was the main reason my co-MMO and I affectionately dubbed this vessel “The Floating Turd", ha ha! In the words of my co-MMO “it floats like a turd, it rolls like a turd and it smells like a turd!”. Okay, that’s not the nicest nickname to give a vessel but it’s hard to say it wasn't deserving of this name given that from the bridge and the next deck down there was the nasty odour of sewage swirling and wafting around due to the sewage system backing up daily. Fortunately, we didn't have to stay inside on the bridge during our watches so we could escape this little bit of nastiness when we were in the fresh air on deck…but it was definitely not fun when we had to go onto the bridge for our hourly data recording and collection!  

Source

• The gym (or lack therof!) – Okay so there was a gym on this vessel but I have to admit I only used it once and this is because it was a barely functioning gym. The gym area was outside on deck and tucked forward and between one of the stacks and a cargo container storage area. The one time I did go for a workout I discovered the cross trainer wobbled, i.e. the handles moved as much to the side as back and forth, the stationary bike pedals couldn't move (rusted stuck), the free weights were covered in rust and the black foam handles crumbled and left black residue all over when you used them. By the time I finished my workout I was covered in sweat, rust and black from the foam handles! I can’t really complain though because I had spotted a group of bottlenose dolphins swimming by us during my cross trainer session!

     Here are some photos from these lovely vessels :)

One of the more basic vessels I have worked on...not too fancy but it did the job 

This vessel had a purpose-built 17 m high MMO tower with Big Eyes binoculars mounted on each end and a little 'office' in the middle - not bad for conducting watches

Our 'office' with direct phone line to the instrument room for communication with the seismic crew

The galley - basic but cozy and the food was pretty good (yummy fresh baked cookies daily!)

Another very basic vessel I have worked on

You can see the 'gym' on deck, guess I couldn't really complain...at least there was something!

Then one of the freezers broke down...and we had to eat as much ice cream as we could before it all melted in the tropical heat, ha ha!

The passageway on the first deck leading to our cabin down the hall and the galley to the right

The cozy galley (which also served as the lounge area)

**apologies for the messed up formatting in the following in this post...I'm working on trying to fix it. For some reason Blogger has turned all my text into caps and I'm having trouble changing it back without having to re-write the entire thing again. Hopefully this will be repaired soon!

Now you have learned of the worse of the worse from my experience but I have heard about some of the other 'very basic' ships including a Chinese vessel I was supposed to work on, until some visa issues arose, this past year. I had friends who worked on that vessel warning me of what to expect and, in hindsight, it’s probably a good thing we had those visa issues!


So, just so you know what other delightful vessels might await you ;), the highlights of this vessel included:
Language - The vessel was operated entirely by Chinese crew who spoke almost no English. This made it quite difficult for MMOs to communicate necessary mitigation information to the crew.
Outside communications - Well, there was internet, which is usually available but somewhat slow offshore, but it was clear that only limited websites were available on this vessel. Apparently, it was difficult to get much access to current world news and some other websites. It was a Chinese vessel, and as you might well be aware, there is extensive internet censorship in China.
Food - Apparently, the food on this particular vessel consisted only of rice and greasy meat (not good for a mostly veggie person!) and almost no fresh fruit and vegetables. Just prior to my planned departure I bought freeze dried fruit and camping food, multi-vitamins and protein shakes to help supplement my diet out there.
Smoking - There was smoking INSIDE many areas of the vessel, i.e. in the bridge, and not in a designated smoking lounge or deck area. The smell and stuffiness that arises from smoking inside on land is bad enough...but take it offshore on a small rolling vessel and this sounds like the perfect recipe for seasickness ...not to mention the lousy diet to top it off!

Source

• Gym - No gym or really anywhere else to get any physical exercise! Aaagh! If you don't normally go to the gym on land you quickly learn to appreciate a gym on a ship where there are rarely other ways to get any form of physical exercise. If you're lucky and you have access to a heli-deck it is typically the only place you can really go for a good walk or jog and get a stretch in the fresh air. 

THE COMFORTABLE 

It is safest to assume you are going to be on a basic but COMFORTABLE vessel on most jobs. They aren't fancy but they have all the amenities you could want while working offshore. The vessels I've worked on that fall into this category include the HarrierExplorer (in the Gulf Of Mexico), OspreyExplorer (Mozambique) and the Artemis Angler (Angola). 

The Harrier Explorer (Source)

The Osprey Explorer (Source)

The Artemis Angler (Source)

So, what made these ships basic but comfortable? They had many of the amenities the BEST vessels have (see following) but they aren't as new or quite as fancy (many are converted fishing or supply vessels):

• Space - On these vessels it’s still very likely you’ll be sharing a cabin although I have been lucky enough to get my own cabin on occasion. The most important factors on whether or not you’ll get your cabin is how many crew are on board, how many women and men (they won’t, or shouldn’t!, mix the two), and what working schedules crew have. For example, I have spent time working in regions with a risk for piracy and there will be additional crew in the form of private security and local military. That being said I have usually been quite lucky sharing with cabin mates and we have managed to make it work. It’s amazing how we adapt to the situations we are in. Plus, when you get home you realize just how amazing the space you have at home is!

• Lounges - These vessels have lounges but these are typically smaller than those found on the nicer vessels with no or few games, musical instruments or other entertainment besides a large TV. Despite this you can still have a great time doing movie nights with fellow crew.

• Food - Typically, the food is still very good on these vessels. The galley will be smaller but then, as they also tend to have fewer crew on board, there is still plenty of space. If anything, having a cozier galley is better for conversation among crew members during meal time. Yes, amazingly enough I have been on vessels with very little conversation during meals! I was on one vessel with 35 Russians and a few Americans and Canadians (the Party Chief, other MMO and myself). Although the Russians always politely said ‘Good Appetite’ to everybody when they walked in the galley, they did not speak at all while they were eating together; instead they looked down at their food busily shoveling it into their mouths.

• Gym - Most of these vessels had a gym which was functional but usually fairly small. Once you get past the small size of the gym though (you often can’t really have more than one, maybe two people, working out at once) it worked well. In the end you will just be happy there was a gym!

Here are a few photos from these vessels:

The cabin on the Harrier Explorer was actually quite large. It was a 2 person cabin (you're only seeing half the cabin here) but I had it to myself most of the time :)

Hard at work on watch...actually I was on my break doing a bit of extra work while lazing on the sun lounger :)

 My co-MMO on watch on the heli-deck in the hot sun of the Gulf of Mexico 

Approaching the Artemis Angler...my home for the next 10 weeks!

My office on the Artemis Angler heli-deck. The 360 degree, nearly unobstructed view was amazing for spotting wildlife!

Our data entry office (in the radio room) on the Artemis Angler

The bridge of the Artemis Angler

The cute and cozy galley of the Artemis Angler

The gym in the Artemis Angler

THE BEST (I have been on!)

I was very fortunate to spend over over a year working on three sister ship’s, all Fugro (now CGG) vessels, which were quite fancy and made life at sea very comfortable indeed :) These ships included:  the GeoCaribbean (I spent two rotations offshore Mozambique), Geo Celtic (one rotation off Kenya and another off Mozambique) and the GeoCoral (one rotation off Kenya). 

Additionally, I worked on a PGS vessel, the RamformValiant (two rotations offshore Egypt) and a Dolphin Geophysical vessel, the Polar Duke, (two rotations offshore Tanzania). Although these ships were just a shade less fancy than the Fugro vessels, they were incredibly comfortable and the food was great! So, what made these vessels stand out to me? 

Here’s what these vessels had for amenities:

• Private cabins - I had my own cabin on each of these vessels. On the Geo Coral my cabin was very large and included a bed, a couch, a TV and DVD player, wifi and access to the ship’s server with loads of movies and TV shows

• Lounges - Two very comfortable lounges (one was an enclosed smoking lounge) with TVs, karaoke...and, yes, I had a couple fun Karaoke nights with the Filipino crew!

• Gym - A huge gym with a spinning room (multiple spinning bikes with a large screen TV to watch spinning videos, two treadmills and a cross trainer), rowing machines and weight equipment. Also, because the gym was large enough, the medic and some of our security conducted boot camps, jiu jitsu/grappling and Aikido classes…a wonderful added bonus when working offshore!

• Saunas! - A men’s and women’s sauna in the gym area. There's nothing like a nice sauna after a good workout!

• A swimming pool on deck! - Now this was not a huge swimming pool but it was large enough to cool down after a workout or an MMO watch on deck in the hot African heat or to play a  game of volleyball.

• Basketball - There was a basketball hoop set up on deck next to the pool (although I must confess I only took advantage of this a couple times). Be careful not to accidentally lose the ball over the side :D

• Games - Darts, fussball and table tennis. On one of the vessels we had a ship wide competition; the crew split into teams and competed until we got down to the best in all three games. This was great way to bring the crew together to socialize after shifts.

• Cinema and conference rooms - There were comfortable conference rooms and a large cinema room which spanned two decks in height.

• Art - On the Fugro vessels beautiful art adorned the passageways, galley and lounges. Many of the other vessels also have art prints displayed throughout.

• Food - These vessels had nice big galleys with many different food options and lots of fresh fruit and veg (an important thing when offshore!). As well, although I don't usually mention it to the galley crew, I usually eat vegetarian with the occasional fish. When the galley crew found out I was mostly vegetarian they went out of their way to be sure I had a good vegetarian option with each meal. On most vessels our Saturday night meals were delicious (usually steak and prawns and lots of other tasty options). One Saturday on the Ramform Valiant I counted 23 different desserts- pastries, ice cream and candies. Delicious! This is when you need that gym onboard ;)

• In addition to these amenities the working areas were very comfortable and spacious and we could conduct our watches without feeling like we were in the way of the marine or seismic crew.

Here are some photos from around these very comfortable vessels:

 Ramform Valiant in Malta...where we spent a week before transiting to Egypt

Conducting my PAM watch on the Geo Caribbean

The coffee and office area on the bridge of the Geo Caribbean

View of the bridge from the bow of the Geo Caribbean

Artwork on (and of) the Geo Caribbean

On the bridge of the Geo Celtic

View from the starboard bridge wing of the Geo Celtic

Getting the PAM ready for deployment on the Geo Celtic

The Geo Coral

 BBQ time on the Geo Coral (with the pool, drained for cleaning, to the right)

  The sauna on the Geo Coral :)

   The spinning room on the Geo Coral 

    The rest of the gym on the Geo Coral

   My very spacious cabin on the Geo Coral

   Another one of my favourite things on the Geo Coral...the swimming pool! And to make it even better it had a killer whale painted on the bottom!

The crew meeting room and cinema on the Geo Coral

The Polar Duke (Source)

The galley on the Polar Duke

Our shared cabin on the Polar Duke

The starboard lounge on the Polar Duke

The port lounge on the Polar Duke 

The gym on the Polar Duke 

On the bridge of the Polar Duke in the evening 

Like I said, the food is one of the most important things...like this wonderful Christmas dinner on the Polar Duke 

I think you now have a pretty good idea of what to expect of life on a seismic vessel…now what about those people you will be working with? Who are the rest of the crew and what will they be doing on the vessel? Read my next blog post to learn more about the crew you’ll be working with...Next time:

6)What is life for an MMO/PAM operator like offshore? 

The people you'll be working with -THE CREW :)