Wisse Prins (26 years old) is working as a hydrographic surveyor on Boskalis’ subsea rock installation projects. He makes sure the crew knows exactly what’s going on beneath the surface during challenging offshore operations on the fallpipe vessels Rockpiper and Seapiper. “Rock installation may sound straightforward, but working with 10 cm margins at a 700 m depth is quite a challenge.”
Wisse’s passion for the ocean and complex math inspired him for a future in the field of offshore survey. He first came into contact with Boskalis while studying ocean technology on Terschelling. “At first, I only saw Boskalis as a dredger”, he explains. “But I quickly learned more about the other activities and realized Boskalis was the place to be to follow my offshore heart.”
As a surveyor on Boskalis’ fallpipe vessels, Wisse gets to work on different types of (international) projects from covering pipes and cables to securing structures for fossil and renewable energy constructions. This variation, combined with the opportunity to work with high-end surveying equipment, really appeals to him. “Our survey team gets a lot of freedom to do things our own way and find the best solutions together”, he smiles.
“Whether we’re working on the North Sea or in Australian waters, our survey team usually looks like this”, Wisse continues. “The party chief is in charge and leads the online and offline surveyors. ‘Online surveyors’ actively monitor what’s going on beneath the vessel and have real-time interaction with the ship’s crew. The role of ‘offline surveyor’ is less hectic but just as important and involves processing gained data to design the actual rock installation.” Wisse enjoys the interaction on the bridge and prefers the position of online surveyor, but says it’s good to gain experience in both roles.
Working at sea for a couple of weeks in a row has to suit you. Wisse has no problem with that. “Time flies when you ‘live on the job’ and the onboard facilities are good. With up to 50 people on board, there’s always someone to play a round of table football after work. And when in need of some time alone, you can always retreat to your comfortable home-away-from-home cabin.”
“I still have a long career ahead of me and would like to work on other types of offshore projects as well”, Wisse concludes. “But for now, I’m perfectly happy at subsea rock installation. My focus is now on gaining more experience to become a party chief within a couple of years.”
Are you looking for an adventurous survey position at sea? Check out the survey vacancies for Boskalis’ offshore, dredging and other operations here.
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