So Your Offshore Project Has Been Green-Lit. Now What?
Ready. Set. Go.
Once an offshore project has been approved, attention quickly turns from strategy to delivery. Schedules are confirmed, equipment is mobilised – and one of the most complex pieces of the puzzle comes into sharp focus: getting the right people with the right skills and qualifications to the right place at the right time.
While offshore projects often share broad similarities, no two are ever truly the same. Each comes with its own location-specific requirements, client expectations, regulatory constraints or technical nuances. That means personnel logistics is never a simple case of assigning names to dates. It requires careful coordination long before the first member of the team steps offshore.
Building the Right Offshore Team
At FoundOcean, offshore crewing starts well before mobilisation. Every project requires a tailored approach, matching engineers, qualifications, experience and location to the specific demands of the task.
In practice, this means having a detailed picture of each individual – their role, current location, recent work history, rest status, training, medicals and travel documentation – and aligning that with the project requirements provided by the Project Engineers and Project Managers. Those requirements are refined through regular project meetings and ongoing dialogue as details evolve.
The aim will always be the same: to ensure that the offshore team we provide is fully compliant, has the right level of expertise and is thoroughly prepared for the work ahead.
What Does a Typical Offshore Crew Look Like?
On many FoundOcean offshore grouting projects, operations are carried out by two teams, each working a 12-hour shift. This structure allows for continuity, appropriate working hours and effective handovers.
A ‘standard’ FoundOcean crew typically comprises two sets of:
- Deck Supervisor
- Grouting Equipment Operator
- Mechanic / Mechanical Fitter
- Lab Technician
The team members work together to deliver the project safely and efficiently, although each will have specific roles and responsibilities during the work. For example, lab technicians are responsible for taking grout samples at the beginning, middle and end of each grouting operation, ensuring continuous quality control throughout the process.
For larger or more complex projects, crew sizes can increase. On a recent jacket foundation project, for example, we mobilised additional QAQC technicians (Quality Assurance and Quality Control) alongside the more usual roles. On an upcoming project we are mobilising a larger crew, all working on the same wind farm where our client is planning operations using multiple vessels.
Project Engineers
While the core roles are almost always present, the assignment of the Project Engineer (PE) can vary. Depending on the project, they may be:
- offshore as part of the operational team e.g. the lab technician
- offshore but in a standalone role
- onshore in the host country supporting the project delivery from there
Practicalities Behind the Planning
Once a project moves towards mobilisation, the crewing process becomes highly detailed.
Key considerations:
Mobilisation Timing
The mobilisation date is often not the point at which crewing begins. Projects can require personnel to be assigned earlier to support equipment mobilisation, maintenance activities or material deliveries. Preparation work is almost always needed before offshore operations commence.
Mobilisation Location
Knowing the ‘where’ allows the crewing team to assess visa and security requirements, vaccinations and travel routes. International offshore projects can involve complex logistics where early planning is essential. Budget considerations also come into play, with agreed costs per head being carefully managed.
Travel Documentation
Every country has its own requirements and these can vary widely. Visas, work permits and entry documentation can take weeks to secure, particularly for regions such as the USA, India or parts of Asia. Planning for this is a critical part of the crewing timeline.
Crew Size and Rotations
Crew sizes can range from a single specialist to teams of up to 14 people. Project duration also varies significantly, from short campaigns to multi-year programmes.
Understanding the expected duration allows the team to plan crew rotations in line with both client expectations and local legislation. In some regions, such as French waters, trip lengths are capped, requiring shorter rotations. Staggered crew changes are also carefully planned to maintain continuity, ensuring that too many people from the same role or shift are not demobilised at once.
Training and Certification
Every project comes with a training matrix setting out the certifications required. These typically include offshore safety training, medicals and sector-specific qualifications, but may extend to project- or country-specific requirements. Just a few examples would be Rig Passes for some US projects, PSSR (Personal Safety and Social Responsibility) for India, or Escape Chute training for projects in Norwegian waters.
Travel documentation requirements are often embedded within this matrix, allowing the crewing team in our Livingston HQ to cross-check visas, permits and entry clearances alongside technical competence.
The Resource Planner
All of this information feeds into FoundOcean’s resource planning system – effectively the offshore “bible”. This tracks where personnel are, whether they are offshore, on leave, or on rest days, and ensures appropriate recovery time is built in following trips offshore. Our people are our greatest asset and it is important that we look after them well!
Experience Matters
Once all these factors are taken into consideration, the process of matching people to projects begins.
This is not done in isolation! The crewing team holds regular review meetings with senior supervisors who have extensive offshore experience, ensuring decisions are informed by practical, hands-on knowledge as well as logistics and compliance.
Each project brings its own challenges and, for projects requiring multiple crew changes, the process continues throughout the campaign. It’s a puzzle that comes with extension packs!
The Invisible Backbone of Offshore Delivery
Personnel logistics may not be the most visible part of an offshore project, but it underpins everything else. Getting it wrong would create both delays and risk. Getting it right supports the safety, quality and efficiency of our offshore projects.
At FoundOcean, careful planning, experience and collaboration ensure teams are not just mobilised, but properly prepared – ready to deliver safely and effectively, wherever in the world the project takes place.
And, perhaps most importantly, crewing is never considered complete until the project has finished and every team member is safely home.