Mud Engineer Jobs On Offshore Rigs

Mud Engineer is a colloquial substitute for the position on oil rigs that should be correctly called Drilling Fluids Engineer. The other title used to name this position on offshore platforms and other oil drilling facilities is Mudman (Mud Man).

The offshore job with similar title is that of mud logger. But besides that word "mud" in the title and in the job description, these positions have very little in common. Here goes the explanation of the difference between offshore mud Engineer and mud logger jobs, often present at the same offshore oil production/exploration unit simultaneously. mud Engineer on offshore oil rig is responsible for choosing, using, and adjusting composition, condition, and standards of the drilling fluid that he mixes to be used in course of drilling oil well. mud Engineer job description states that offshore employee in this position is responsible for continuously monitoring behavior and quality of drilling fluids in course of the entire drilling process and introduces changes as assigned by specifications. mud Engineer's responsibilities and duties also include advising oilsite operator on the preferable mode of drilling and the mud that would fit best for drilling hole depending on formations the drill bit is expected to penetrate.

As for mud logger (annual salary $US 38,000 - $US 75,000), it's a different position. What mud logger does, the individual, holding mud logging Technician position on offshore oil rig is obligated to examine and provide geological description of the rock contents upcast from the wellbore, record the readings on gauges and meters and keeping eye on the essential parameters of drilling. mud logger in the member of mudlogging crew working under the immediate supervision and reporting directly to offshore wellsite geologist. mud logging technician's successful career path normally stems from sample collector to mud logger, and then through data engineer to finally become designated for the top career position of wellsite geologist.

In spite of the word "mud", present in job title of mud Engineer, this is one of the cleanest and safest offshore positions available on offshore rig that involves none of manual labor. It's not uncommon that mud Engineer even doesn't stay on offshore platform, instead remaining on the coast, but always ready to be called up. mud Engineer has to be prepared to work for long hours, because his job can't stop earlier than drilling of the well is over. In case of the contingencies like the necessity to seal the well or block gas evasion Drilling Fluids Engineer intervenes by means of sending cement mixture down the drilling hole or as ascribed by the position contingency handling manual.

Becoming mud Engineer is possible through getting engineering degree at college or alternately one could opt for getting trained at a mud School. According to some estimates, at the time of writing this review there were around 38,000 positions of mud Engineers on oil rigs, most of them filled, of course. Due to such limited demand for mud Engineer specialist positions, there are not many mud Schools, because the people rarely look for this kind of oil rig job. The existing mud schools are privately owned training centers or facilities that operate as offsprings of big oil companies.

Being the most pleasant and one of the cleanest offshore jobs, the position of Drilling Fluids Engineer offers 2 following distinct benefits for the person doing it: no manual labor at all and minimum paperwork (it is reduced just to submitting mud reports).

Mud Engineer Salary

The salary of offshore mud Engineer may vary depending on many factors. The entry-level Apprentice mud Engineer's annual salary stays somewhere approximately at $US 32,000 per year mark. It we translate this to hourly wages, it is $US 16.06 per hour, taken the duration of the working week is 40 hours. For tech school graduates in the same position it could be sufficiently higher. Annual salary for full time position of mud Engineer with up to 2 years of experience, employed offshore, is between $US 57,000 and $US 58,000. The median salary was reported to fluctuate around the mark of $US 108,000. Top 10% of the American offshore mud Engineers, engaged in deepwater or high complexity drilling, earn somewhere around or over $US 165,000.

According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, there's a tendency for growth of demand for offshore mud Engineer specialists due to the expectations of imminent massive retirement of older generation workforce.