With the major Forties Pipeline shutdown project at the end of this month, it’s likely to be those with the right skills and relevant certificates in place who’ll be first in line for the numerous operations and maintenance roles expected.
The three-week shutdown starts at the end of May and includes essential maintenance work and upgrades across the entire Forties Pipeline System (FPS). FPS is one of the UK’s most important oil pipelines and is responsible for transporting around 40% of the UK’s oil and gas onshore from 80 assets in the North Sea. As well as FPS, many of these 80 assets are expected to use the opportunity to carry out their own maintenance and repair work.
These multiple co-ordinated shut-downs are likely to create an unprecedented level of repair and maintenance contracts within an extremely short time frame. A wide range of skills from scaffolding to rope access, painting and blasting, non-destructive testing, welding and mechanical engineering will be in high demand so anyone interested in securing work should ensure their certifications are valid and in-date.
To help people get ‘Forties-ready’, AIS Survivex offer an Oil and Gas Fabric Maintenance Package, which includes basic offshore training, and essential repair and maintenance skills and certificates in one easy to book bundle of courses. This package is also available with an interest-free finance option to help people spread the cost of training.
Charlie Guthrie, group marketing manager at 3T Energy Group, which includes AIS Survivex, said: “Hundreds of skilled personnel will be required to deliver the Forties Pipeline shut-down project and any associated work, and it is those with the right qualifications who will have a distinct advantage in the job market. To make it easier to prepare for the huge number of potential jobs coming, we have packages to help people get the right certificates in place before the expected surge in demand. We are also working closely with our business-to-business clients to ensure their personnel have the right competencies and up-to-date certificates to deliver the required work efficiently and effectively.”
