Barge Engineer

The job of a Barge Engineer requires knowledge of equipment combined with a desire to work at sea. Most commonly, Barge Engineers are associated with oil rigs and offshore drilling. As a Barge Engineer, you’re a key member of the team as you repair, evaluate, monitor, and maintain equipment on the vessel.

Imagine a platform, floating in the middle of the ocean, shifting with each wave. That’s the kind of environment you work in. Huge, heavy pieces of equipment can’t do their jobs if the oil rig is unstable. So you monitor every shift of equipment from one side of the platform to the other.

You consider the weight of the item, and perform load calculations. If supplies are being loaded or offloaded, you configure the best way to do that while keeping the platform level. You perform similar calculations when lowering or raising the anchor.

You might work in a central control room, but are often on deck. It’s your responsibility to train and supervise staff while they drill for oil.

Communication is a huge part of your job as you impart information, orders, and knowledge. You’re very knowledgeable about water and fire safety, and take every precaution to keep the staff safe. This includes frequent fire and other emergency drills.

While you monitor the electronics and mechanics of the rig, you also keep track of inventory, place orders, schedule deliveries, make sure manuals are up to date, and maintain careful records of the activities onboard.