Life on a rig: What offshore living is like

Unexpected offer 

Judith was studying chemical engineering in a private college before she was offered a place in UTM to study petroleum engineering. When she had applied to UTM earlier, her first choice had been chemical engineering. Petroleum engineering was her second. Eventually, Judith accepted the offer, thinking that the course would be similar to chemical engineering. 

It was far from the same. It had more to do with oil, gas and drilling than chemistry, explained Judith. Still, over the four years she spent at UTM’s Skudai (Johor) campus, she came to enjoy the course despite being one of the few girls in her course.  

The big hurdle was the fear of failing. “Some subjects are nearly impossible to pass. In my final year, there were some subjects where out of 67 students, only 23 passed.” 

Undaunted by the challenges she faced, Judith just took one thing at a time and four years later, she was an engineering graduate braving the job market.  

Being a practical person, she decided not to be fussy and applied to “any company I could think of, from electronics to cement”. That’s when she chanced upon the position of a mud engineer advertised by the Petaling Jaya-based company Kota Minerals and Chemicals Sdn Bhd (KMC). 

The position was reserved for males, but Judith went ahead and applied for it anyway. The company called her in and offered her another position instead as engineering coordinator, a deskbound job based in Petaling Jaya. She accepted and found herself coordinating the company’s engineering department. “Basically I was an engineer in the office,” said Judith.  

Although she went through the same training as her colleagues, she stayed in the office while they headed offshore. “It was very sad,” she said, laughing.  

“You can’t blame my company,” she added quickly. “They can’t send women out because there was no space on the oilrig for women.”  

Meaning, no bed space or worse – female toilets! 

But Judith did not give up on her dream to work on an oilrig. Her break came six months into the job. KMC decided to let her “familiarise” herself with the operations on the oilrig for five days. “Come and look,” she said, summarising their intentions. 

When she finally landed on that oilrig, excitement took over. Perhaps it was the helicopter ride, or the sight of the oilrig rising out of the sea, but it was then that Judith made up her mind. “I decided that I did not want to work in an office. I want to work out there.”  

At the end of her stay, Judith was really bitten by the bug. She was determined to work on the oilrig, no matter what. “Everything seemed so logical, so real,” she explained. “Whatever you’ve studied, you’re seeing it.” 

Her company eventually relented. After going through a three-month training programme, Judith was sent offshore at the end of July 2001. 

Living offshore 

The barge – where she lives and makes mud – is linked to the production platform, which is part of the platform, with an access ladder that is safe and very precarious-looking at the same time. Accidents however, can happen while crossing the ladder.  

“During the monsoon season, the barge tends to rock, so we need to take extra care crossing up.”  

Although she always gets dirty on the job, her place on the rig is very comfortable.  

“It has nice beds and comforters, and there's air-conditioning. And I have my own toilet, thank God!”. 

Although women do visit the oilrig occasionally, Judith is the only mud engineer there. She did get a fair share of wolf whistles considering the all-male working environment.  

“Initially, there was a lot of attention. So it depends how you handle things. If you return the attention, they might take it the wrong way. If you don’t smile and act arrogant, people think that you’re being bossy. You have to balance it, you know? Be friendly but leave it at that. You smile at everyone and say, Hi, apa khabar?” 

Judith explains that a mud engineer works with a “pump man” who makes the mud based on the mud engineer’s instructions. 

“A pump man, probably working 20 years in the oil and gas field, taking instructions from a lady (young lady at that) – now, that can be an issue for some people. So you treat the pump man with respect. 

“But in my case I had pump men who were really cooperative. They were really comfortable with me and they did not find it difficult taking orders from me. In fact, they knew I was new and they showed me the ropes.”  

The men onboard are not at all like the oilrig men in the Hollywood movie Armageddon. They’re regular guys, explained Judith. “Fathers, grandfathers, who often miss their families.”  

One of the perks of the job is that Judith spends two weeks on the oilrig followed by two weeks’ leave.  

“For two weeks you’re cut off from your family, friends. You don’t get to go for movies ? things that normal people do on a weekend. If you’re working in an office, as soon as you leave the office, it’s considered time off. In our case, when you finish your tower, you’re still in your work environment.” 

Although one gets enough physical rest after completing one’s tower, and there’s television to watch and relax with, it still doesn’t compare to spending time on land.  

“It’s nothing like gossiping with your friends, talking to your parents or quarrelling with your sisters and brothers.”  

That’s why they are given equal time off to spend time with the family on land, she explained.  

Judith admits that she feels pressure from being the only female mud engineer on the oilrig.  

“When you’re there with 110 men, you are under pressure to perform. And since you’re the only female mud engineer there, you need to show that you’re equally strong to a certain extent.” 

Away from the pressures of work, Judith really enjoys being out at sea. 

At night, she loves to sit on the helipad, looking at the stars. The sight of the lighted oilrig is also something she loves.  

For now, being a mud engineer is the only thing Judith wants to be. Her parents were initially confused about the nature of her job. 

“They didn't understand my work. Their only concern was for my safety – my being away from them and being the only girl there. But after seeing how happy I am with the job, they gave me their full support. 

“I’ve always had this sense of adventure,” explained Judith about her decision to rough it out on the oilrig. After all, she has always “roughed it out” in church camping trips growing up.  

“So I was not brought up in a dainty environment. I was always going for camps, getting injured while biking and being very happy about it. To me being offshore is an adventure.”