The maritime crew keeps the vessel or platform positioned and maintained. The production crew operates the equipment that actually produces oil and gas. On any production installation, from a small fixed platform to a large FPSO, the production operators are the people who run the process plant.
**What a Production Operator Does**
Operating the separation trains that separate oil, gas and water from the combined wellstream. Monitoring the process parameters: pressure, temperature, flow rates, liquid levels. Adjusting the process in response to changes in the incoming wellstream or in market requirements for production rates.
Routine inspections of equipment on the process decks. Valve line-ups before and after maintenance activities. Permit to work coordination for work within their area of responsibility.
Responding to process upsets and alarms. An offshore production facility runs continuously and alarms happen at any time. The production operator on night shift who identifies an early stage separator upset and takes the correct action prevents an event that could take the facility offline for days.
**The Control Room and Field Operation**
Production operators typically rotate between control room duties and field operator roles. The control room operator monitors the Distributed Control System displays and manages process variables from the console. The field operator inspects and adjusts equipment physically on the process decks.
The combination develops a complete understanding of the relationship between what the DCS shows and what is physically happening in the plant. Operators who have only done control room work lack the field context. Those who have only done field work lack the systems overview. The rotation between both is how good process operators develop.
**How to Get In**
Process operations experience from an onshore background is the most straightforward entry route. Refineries, petrochemical plants and onshore oil and gas facilities produce operators who understand the fundamental process operations. The offshore-specific elements are learned on the job.
Some offshore operators run trainee programmes for people without prior process experience. These are competitive positions. Applicants with a mechanical, electrical or scientific background have advantages over those without technical training.
OPITO offshore safety training, MIST or equivalent, is required for all offshore workers. The process-specific orientation is done during installation induction.
**Pay**
Trainee or junior production operator: $4,000 to $6,500 per month on rotation.
Experienced production operator: $6,500 to $10,000 per month.
Senior or lead production operator: $9,000 to $13,000 per month.
The ranges reflect the operator’s experience level and the complexity of the installation. A production operator on a large Gulf of Mexico deepwater FPSO earns at the upper end. One on a small mature North Sea fixed platform earns toward the lower end.
**The Career Path**
Lead production operator is the next step for experienced operators who take on coordination responsibilities for a shift team or a specific area of the process.
Production supervisor or production lead is the management layer above lead operator, typically involving shift management and production reporting responsibility.
Production engineer and senior operations roles are available to operators who supplement their operational experience with process engineering qualifications. Many offshore operators support this transition through funded engineering degree programmes for experienced operators.