Proud women among Guyanese working on Noble Bob Douglas

DPI, GUYANA, Saturday, July 7, 2018

There are 46 Guyanese that are working on the Noble Bob Douglas ship, drilling development wells for first oil in 2020.

JSL International has been contracted to provide the manpower for the Bob Douglas. Some of the workers shared their experience with the Department of Public Information (DPI) during a team-building retreat at the Jubilee Resort, Timehri on Saturday.

Gina Haynes, 52-year-old, Georgetown

I am a utility hand and I work in the laundry section. I am the person that keeps the guys clean I make sure they have clothes so

they can go out to work on time. I have been doing this for two months.

It is nice being out there. We don’t know anything about oil but it is very educational. It is good that we can get on board and learn as much as we can. I am proud to be there. Even though there is just a few of us out there [women] we work hard to make

Guyana proud.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Khamroy Hobaichan, 39-year-old, New Amsterdam, Berbice

I am the Catering Manager on board the vessel. We are responsible for kitchen, room and laundry services. I have been in this position for two months I was recently promoted from a utility hand.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Shellion Smith, 44-year-old, New Amsterdam, Berbice

I am a utility hand on the rig. The work feels just like working at home. I am a mother of four washing is not hard for me. The bundles do increase when there is a crew change but it has been a good experience.

The work calls for focus. You always have to work safely, plan your work, be on time and push yourself to be more than you are. I do not want to be doing laundry forever. I find Oceaneering very interesting. I would like to get some exposure and go into the field. I feel proud and happy to be the first female to work on the rig.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ryan Sankar, 30-year-old, New Amsterdam, Berbice

I am a roustabout onboard the Noble. We mostly do the lifting and operation of the cranes under the crane crew. I have been working on the rig for about two months. At first, it was a lot of training.

It is long hours and hard work but if you put your mind to it, it is easy. I worked as an able-bodied seaman before but this is a whole new ball game. You get exposed to things you have never seen before. It has been a real experience getting into the industry and seeing how things work. The position is a good place to start. The guys at Noble they push you to your full potential to ensure you are placed in a suitable position.

 

 

 

 

 

Nekisha Thomas, 31-year-old, Linden

I am an assistant cook. The experience is good; it is more advanced than what I did previously. I have been cooking for seven years. I worked with Cara Lodge, the GDF [Guyana Defence Force] and now I am on the drillship.

Working on the ship is like wow! It is an experience, exposure, everything in one. It is like a dream come through. When I completed Carnegie there was an opportunity to work on a cruise ship but I was afraid to work on the water. It was scary at first working on water but now I do not even know I am water, only if I go outside. Apart from work, there is the gym, game sections and I get to meet new people.

 

 

 

 

 

Narish Samaroo, 20-year-old, Coomacka

I work as a utility hand. I help out the galley and floor and room service. I have been doing this for about two months. This is something new for me and it is exciting.

I am currently the youngest onboard and I am just trying to do my best.  I see myself progressing far in this industry. I am young and I am trying to do more and learn more.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Keron Hetsberger, 23-year-old, Plaisance, East Coast Demerara

This is my very first time going out there. I am trained to go out there as a roustabout. The training was very good. I am very excited to go out there and overwhelmed to be among the first set of Guyanese out there.

I leave Monday to go work on the rig. I expected high safety standards and a friendly environment. I would like to encourage young people to work hard because things are going to get better for Guyana. Keep striving for your dreams.

 

 

 

 

 

 

By: Tiffny Rhodius.

Images: Keno George.