Drilling Company Comparisons

[Capt. Phoenix]

There is a lot of talk on here about different OSV companies' pay rates but no one ever discusses drilling companies.

I think the most useful information would be a comparison of benefits: 401k contribution, health benefit quality, short term and long term disability quality, perks like use of high bandwidth internet and satellite phone, and anything else worth noting.

[c.captain]

let's just keep in simple...shall we?

EVERYBODY'S BETTER THAN NOBLE...THEY ALONE RESIDE AT THE VERY BOTTOM AT LEAST AS FAR AS THE COMPANIES WITH DEEPWATER VESSELS. I CANNOT SPEAK FOR THOSE WHO ARE ONLY ON THE SHELF.


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[richard8000milesaway]

I moved to Noble from Helix (and before Helix a long time at Seacor) in Sept 2011 and I have not looked back. I enjoy Noble and would recommend the company to anyone.

[richard8000milesaway]

I enjoy Noble and would recommend the company to anyone.

In my experience:

1. Every company has its good points and it's bad points.

2. A negative person will always find things to gripe about. And then gripe loudly. A lot. Loudly.

3. A mature professional in a critical leadership position will focus on the positive in order to maintain an effective and happy team.

[rigdvr]

In my experience:

1. Every company has its good points and it's bad points.

2. A negative person will always find things to gripe about. And then gripe loudly. A lot. Loudly.

3. A mature professional in a critical leadership position will focus on the positive in order to maintain an effective and happy team.

Agreed........

[jjbone]

I'm Noble and much happier here as Captain than I was sailing Master in the MM&P. So are a lot of guys. Yeah, it may not be the greatest company, but they have done right by me and I will support them and help them grow into a better deep sea outfit than they are today. If this turns into a stepping stone for a higher paid position with another company than so be it. The HR Department has grasped what we are requesting of them as far as personnel (two way communication goes a lot farther than complaining to your work buds), and they are getting a Marine Department going. The support is there, you just need to figure out how to get it, which is a challenge, but it is there. Benefits may not be the greatest, and I would prefer to actually do 28/28 or even 35/35 vs 21/21, but it's my choice to work here so I accept that. May not have gold lined decks and manna falling from the heavens like other companies, but they sure have a lot of employees and are building towards the future so plenty of guys at pre-tour meetings with advancement on their minds and great work ethic and attitudes to get there in all departments, including the marine. Anyone have any questions about working here, feel free to PM me.

[CaptRob1]

One of the good things able Noble is that they can hire someone without 0 days drilling rig experience, as where some companies require a certain amount of time on the rigs.

[Capt. Phoenix]

Any one willing to mention any other companies benefits and perks?

[Skoidat69]

I work for Vantage... I believe we get decent pay, very good health insurance at low cost (my wife's c-sec and after birth charges for my daughter were billed at over 23k and we owe about $1500), I get 6% matching 401k and disability benefits, paid training and travel.. A brand new MODERN ship with great people onboard and in the office... I'm glad that I made the switch to drilling and came to work for Vantage... Now I need to get ready for my tour.

Sent from my iPhone using gCaptain

[Capt. Phoenix]

Do you guys have wifi on the ship? If so, is it decent bandwidth?

What about phone use offshore?

[gump]

I have worked for Seadrill for nearly 3 years. We do have wireless internet on board, phone usage, and Sat TV.

We get a 8% dollar for dollar match on 401k, and you are fully vested at day 1.
Our health insurance is provided "family coverage" through Cigna at no cost to the employee.
We get paid training,
All travel is taken care of.
Retention Bonus
Salary is pretty much in line with the other major drilling companies

[anchorman]

Do you guys have wifi on the ship? If so, is it decent bandwidth?

What about phone use offshore?

@ PDC

Wifi is very limited for personal use. It gets the job done. Phones usually take priority, then server (ship/shore) allocation, then ship's business, ie. ship's computers for department heads, and personal wifi usage gets what's left. One good thing, just approved, but not yet implemented.....a new system will be installed in the next month where all personnel will receive a personal Wifi cell phone with 10 minutes free usage per day. If you do not use the 10 minutes, it can be reallocated.

As far as how PDC compares to the rest, I have no way to determine that, but I cannot imagine a better atmosphere. We have a very good management team where all personnel are respected and driven to succeed.

[c.captain]

Certainly, if the company has Norwegian, Swedish or Danish roots then you'll get the world on a platter. STENA is the creme del la creme from what I have heard. The closer you get to Houston and the old school companies, you'll get enough for the company to be able to attract the people they need. Again, Noble is one which feels that just enough is all they need offer and so far it has worked for them. They'll change but only as much as they must and it will be slow in coming. Still, I've said before that they are an entry into the industry and that can be quite valuable in the long run but you never hear of people leaving other drilling companies to go work for Noble unless they get forced there out of circumstances. With Frontier it was a different story because they offered more than anybody else in the US. When Noble bought Frontier most everybody bailed to other companies, I stayed because of the promotion I got and do not regret that at all. They're very good as a stepping stone.

One other thing that sucks about Noble which I didn't put in my original list is that they make you wear these hideous yellow coveralls which make everybody look fat. The original blue was so much more flattering.

[anchorman]

yellow coveralls which make everybody look fat.

I think they make fat people look fat, just doesn't hide it as good. That's about as far as I get on the feminine side! No further comments on how colors look on oilfield workers.

[richard8000milesaway]

YELLOW coveralls??
They issued me PINK ones! WTF!

[richard8000milesaway]

I thought ENSCO had the worst reputation, not Noble.
Also have heard horror stories coming from Diamond's Brasil division....

[c.captain]

YELLOW coveralls??
They issued me PINK ones! WTF!

Ewww...you have my sincerest sympathies. Nice now to be back in my Dickies khaki pants and button down short sleave shirt aboard. Also very nice not have the one Stop Card a day nonsense either. I do so much more like an "offshore support ship" as opposed to a "drillship". The difference is like being able to breath again. Nice too when the money isn't a big climb down but I know that was just Noble's below average pay. If I had come from anyone else I would have had to eat a big cut. That alone is why the other companies are better than Noble. Why work for so much less than the guys doing the exact same job on the drillship in the next field over? Anyone note how huge Noble's profits were last quarter? Seems they could toss a few bucks more towards their hands and pay for a crewchange shuttle.

sheesh, how cheap can a company get?

[c.captain]

I thought ENSCO had the worst reputation, not Noble.
Also have heard horror stories coming from Diamond's Brasil division....

On the DP semis they don't have marine hands which does suck but I have a feeling that they treat the drillships much better. Remember that those ships all came from Pride and still have mostly Pride people managing them.

Rowan also appears to be setting up their deepwater division right from the start. I know that alot of their key managers are ex GSF people and I always heard good things about that operation.

[c.captain]

I think they make fat people look fat, just doesn't hide it as good. .

I saw photos of myself in my banana suit which made me look a portly 250# instead of the svelte 200# I am. And yellow just makes one's complexion look just god awful. Like I said, the blue they had was really quite nice and nautical. Frontier's orange sucked but it was better than yellow. At least red or orange look more professional.

Yellow also just gets so damned dirty so quickly and another think about my ship was the clean clothes in the messdeck rule was never even considered to be enforced by the rig manager. I tried but the pushback was more than a mere master could overcome...aw the power of the drilling hands. What a bunch of effing slobs!

[PDCMATE]

Top Payers:
1.Grupo R
2.Sevan
3.Songa (if you can make it to your retention)
4.Odebrecht
5.I like to call this my fab five: Seadrill, Pacific, Maersk, Dolphin Drilling, Odjfell. All are in the general same area with pay and benefits.

Bottom Feeders: Everyone knows!