ROVworld.com FAQs - ROVworld Subsea Information

IMCA (International Maritime Contractors Association) is a trade group set up by like minded companies to develop common standards. They are not a Statutory group, they cannot dictate, they are just a bunch of people who decided to band together.

They have produced a leaflet to assist people who wish to join the ROV industry, it is available at [url]http://www.imca-int.com/documents/careers/IMCA-Careers-wtb-ROVPilotTechnician.pdf[/url]

Note that they say:

[quote]Generally there are no statutory requirements for ROV personnel to have particular qualifications.

However, IMCA has published guidance entitled Entry level requirements and basic introductory course for remotely operated vehicle (ROV) personnel (IMCA R 002, as revised) which may be regarded as an appropriate minimum standard.

Training courses are available at a number of schools which allow newcomers to the industry to learn the basics and hopefully to comply with at least IMCA R 002. However, none of these courses is formally required as a prerequisite by any employers, and they will normally not be accepted as a basis for employment unless the person has the sort of background and

qualifications described above. IMCA recommends that individuals discuss their own employment prospects with contractors before going on a training course.

Many of the larger ROV contractors train personnel in-house, allowing them to focus training on a particular area of commercial interest. A number of independent training establishments offer more general or other specialised training.[/quote]

Also

[quote]There is no world-wide approval system for training providers[/quote]

Many Training Schools like to imply (some don't even do that, they blatantly lie!) that you MUST do their courses to get a job offshore. Worse, some in the past have said they are CERTIFIED by IMCA, something which is obviously not true as IMCA do not certify anyone. Also these courses are ENTRY LEVEL, you do not walk out of a Training School as an ROV Pilot, no matter what they tell you or how many shiny bits of paper they give you.

That said, Training Schools do have their place, it is up to an individual to decide whether it is value for money for them to pay for such a course, as long as they do so without all the sales blurb and some downright lies.

IMCA say what we have always said on ROVWorld to anyone wishing to join the ROV industry:

[quote]Employers normally require ROV personnel to have a good background in electronics or hydraulics. Candidates who do not have formal qualifications (academic, trade or in the armed forces) in one of these areas are unlikely to be considered.[/quote]

Where can I buy a Happy Hooker?

If you were thinking of Thailand, you are thinking of the wrong Hooker. A Happy Hooker is otherwise known as a mooring buoy retrieval hook. It allows you to pass a rope through the eye of a mooring buoy or other mooring rings ti tie up your boat.

It is used in ROVs during the recovery of an ROV or other equipment that is recovered back inboard. It allows you to pass a rope through the equipment to allow better control while coming inboard.

It can be found at www.aspli.com/products/1582/happy-hooker-mooring-buoy-retriever-and-rope-installater

Not geting email notifications from ROVworld.com when a PM is sent to you?

1) Firstly go to Your Account settings/Change Info

2) Under the option 'Notify on new Private Message by Email': Set it to 'Yes'.

3) Check that the email address is correct in your account settings.

4) Check that that your email account is actually receiving email from another source.

5) Check that your email filter is not blocking mail from rovworld.com and treating it as spam.

6) Look in your Spam folder for any mail from ROVworld.com

7) If you have 'White List' add the domain ROVworld.com to the list, or if you have a 'treat mail from the domain ROVworld.com as safe' use that option.[/list]

You should receive notifications if your account/email meets the above criteria.

What does FOB mean in shipping terms?

FOB means Free On Board

A trade term requiring the seller to deliver goods on board a vessel designated by the buyer. The seller fulfills its obligations to deliver when the goods have passed over the ship's rail.

When used in trade terms, the word "free" means the seller has an obligation to deliver goods to a named place for transfer to a carrier.

What does CIF mean in shippng terms?

C.I.F - cost, insurance and freight

A trade term requiring the seller to arrange for the carriage of goods by sea to a port of destination, and provide the buyer with the documents necessary to obtain the goods from the carrier.

Yellow Fever Vacinations?

International health regulations require a booster every 10 years
Check with your local doctor and ask them. Do it as soon as possible don't leave it until just a few days before you travel.
Make sure you travel with a yellow fever vaccination certificate.

Who pays for & arranges Travel/Accommodation?

Flights
The company offering you work always pays for al flight and accommodation expenses. This should never be in dispute. If you are being asked to pay for your flight you may be being taken for a ride!

Never pay for your own flight because, if a job is cancelled at the last moment, you may not get your money back! If you are offered work then the company should arrange all travel and cover the costs incurred via their appointed agent.

Accommodation
The company should arrange hotel accommodation to their account not yours. All accommodation and food (on land or anywhere else) should be paid by the company. Example: Say you live in one part of your country and have to fly to another major city during the day, but the next onward flight is early the next morning.

I need a Visa/Work permit- Who arranges/pays?

When you are offered work the company should instruct an agent to handle the visa application and booking of flights. Some companies will ask you to apply for a visa in your own country, for work in another country. This is not an unusual practice. You can do this and claim costs back on expenses.

Normally a letter of sponsorship would need to be sent to you to assist in the visa application at your local embassy. On other occasions you fly in on a tourist visa and it will be converted by the local agent, or you fly in and are met by an agent who has you processed through immigration as signing onto a ship.

HNC Electrical Engineering - Distance Learning [UK/EU]?

I'm based in the UK/EU and looking at furthering my Education to improve my abilities as a Pilot Tech and wish to take an HNC (remote learning - studying on-line) course. Where do I get more information on this?

Look at: http://www.colu.co.uk/

Higher National Certificate (HNC) in Engineering
HNCs are Higher National Certificates in particular disciplines, in this case, validated by Edexcel and the University of Teesside.

COLU offers 4 HNC courses by distance learning:

Electrical & Electronic Engineering
Mechanical Engineering
Instrumentation & Control Engineering
Chemical Engineering

To download a full description, click here (216k .pdf)

General enquiries:
Tel: +44 (0)1642 342740Fax: +44 (0)1642 342743
enquiries@colu.co.uk

Address:
COLU
School of Science & Technology
University of Teesside
Orion Building
Middlesbrough
Tees Valley
TS1 3BA

What do I need to get started with ROVs

A technical qualification and time served experience.

The second half of the job title is TECHNICIAN, Pilot TECHNICIAN. The 'Technician' title alone implies that you need to be a technical person. Not a person simply clutching a piece of paper from a training school stating you are a Pilot Tech 2. Just because the schools say you are a Pilot Tech 2 does not mean you are one. Honest, believe us!

Ideal candidates will have technical (there is that word again) qualifications such as HNC, NVQs, SVQs, City and Guilds (all UK qualifications, sorry I don't know the equivalents for other parts of the world) in the fields of electrics/electronics or mechanics/hydraulics.

If you come from a technicial background in the armed forces - try and get them to issue a civvy version of your military trade certificate of whatever you were qualified to do in the Forces.

As a wise Operations Manager once said "I want to employ Technicians and teach them about ROVs: I don't want to employ people to teach them to be Technicians"

Read Rookie Corner in the Forum ... More often than not many questions that may pop into your mind have already been answered.... over and over.