Meet the Team - Cian O'Donovan

WORKING FOR STENA

How long have you worked for Stena Drilling? 10 years

What is your role? Barge Engineer on Stena Evolution

What do you do at Stena Drilling?

My role at Stena Drilling is a Barge Engineer. This entails managing the safe and efficient running of the Marine Department as directed by the Barge Master. I supervise stability, stability calculations and ballast operations, and maintain the watertight integrity. The job of the Barge Engineer is incredibly varied.

What's the best thing about your job?

The best thing about being a Barge Engineer is that no two shifts are ever the same. The offshore drilling sector is a fast-paced and dynamic industry, and every day, week, and hitch are different. In any 12 hour shift, I could be involved in everything from meetings and planning to fixing a fire hydrant, loading bulk cargo from PSVs (Platform Support Vessels) or being The OSC (On Scene Commander) in an emergency…Thankfully, that last one has never happened.

YOUR CAREER

Tell us about your career path

My seagoing career started way back in 2005when I attended the National Maritime College of Ireland in Cork, this involved completing a Merchant Naval Cadetship and achieving a BSc (Hons) in Nautical science.

After this I started working with BP shipping as a Navigation/Deck Officer, I served on a variety of different Tanker ships including, Very Large Crude Carriers (VLCC), and Liquified Natural Gas Carriers (LNG).

In 2013 I had the opportunity to join the Stena Drilling Team as a Trainee DPO (Dynamic Positioning Officer). This training period lasted two years, after which I attained my Unlimited DP certification and started working as a DPO within the fleet. I spent five years as a DPO, and two and a half years as Senior DPO, and then I was promoted to Barge Engineer.

What is the best advice you've ever been given?

I think the best advice I was ever given was from my Dad at a very young age, he said “Cian, If you train hard, you will win easily”. He was referring to my sports training, but I have always tried to apply this mindset to all aspects of my life.

ABOUT YOU

What are your top 3 favourite books?

• Animal Farm by George Orwell
• Ever Wonder Why by Thomas Sowell
• Dark Hollow by Michael Connelly

What do you enjoy doing when you are not working?

After a busy hitch, it’s nice to relax and chill out, but I do enjoy going to the gym and trying to keep fit. Cars and whiskey are two big passions in my life but never mixed together. If I’m not taking road trips, I will be trying to find new and interesting whiskeys for the collection.