Name: Ross Mungavin
Age: 25
Where are you from? Dunblane
Where do you live? Aberdeen
Qualifications and where studied? MEng Aeronautical Engineering from University of Glasgow
What is your job? Engineer at Apollo Offshore Engineering
What does it involve? I work in the marine business unit at Apollo. So far I have been able to work on a wide variety of engineering projects typically related to vessels and drilling rigs. The marine team generally work on structural design projects involving various aspects of naval architecture associated with rig upgrades and vessel mobilisations.
Apollo works very closely with clients to deliver lump sum engineering scopes and also provide in house engineering support. I have had the opportunity to work at client sites on a regular basis which I have really enjoyed as it has allowed me to develop strong working relationships with our clients whilst being able to develop my technical skills.
Also, I have been involved in several offshore trips. There is nothing more exciting than getting the chance to go onto a rig to see a piece of kit being installed that you have been involved in the engineering design of.
Why did you choose your career in the oil and gas industry? When I graduated in 2011 there was a lot of uncertainty in many industries but I felt that the oil and gas industry was able to provide me with some really exciting opportunities as a graduate engineer. I always wanted to work in an exciting, dynamic industry and for a company that could provide a great variety of different experiences for young engineers like myself.
What does your chartered engineer traineeship involve? The chartered engineer programme run by Apollo has been accredited by IMechE making use of the MPDS route to allow engineers to achieve their chartered status. As part of the programme I have regular meetings with my mentor as well as writing regular quarterly and annual reports to document my progress.
Is it difficult to find time to do the training alongside your job? With a significant proportion of staff already chartered there is a commitment at all levels within Apollo to the professional and personal development. There is always time made within our busy project schedules to allow for training and support from more senior engineers and external sources.
The intensive MPDS schedule requires me to be disciplined and ensure that I write and submit my reports on time so I generally tend to set some time aside in the evenings and at the weekends to do this.
What are the best and worst bits of your job? I have really enjoyed the wide range of experiences and opportunities on offer at Apollo. It is a really exciting company to work for and I have been able to gain a wide range of experience across all of the business units (Marine, Structures & Subsea, Process and Flow Assurance, and Technical Safety).
The oil and gas industry constantly throws up lots of new technical challenges and problems, something that ensures that Apollo is always working on something new, interesting and exciting. There’s a great deal of satisfaction to be had from solving problems and delivering a usable answer that our clients understand.
Life at Apollo can be really fast paced, the business has grown rapidly to around 40 engineers and we are now planning for international growth on top of that. I support a number of projects from tender stage to execution with some tight deadlines at times but that all adds to the excitement of working for Apollo. You can get a real buzz from being able to finish a project and smashing a tight deadline.
What’s it like visiting offshore vessels? Life offshore is great; all of the vessels and rigs I have visited have always had a friendly atmosphere with everyone always making me feel welcome and part of the team.
I have particularly valued my time offshore as it has allowed me to think more practically as an engineer and develop a sound understanding of the real problems that offshore projects can throw at you. Also, it’s always great fun being able to go out in the chopper even if the Aberdeen weather doesn’t always behave.
Where do you see your career going? At the moment my short term plans focus on being able to gain more experience working in similar types of projects to those I have currently been involved in as well as achieving my chartered engineer status. In the long term I would like to move into management and head up my own team.
What advice would you give to others looking to get into the oil and gas industry? I would advise anyone thinking about getting into the industry to do their research. There are lots of companies out there working in oil and gas with each of them offering something different. You have to find the shoe that fits so to speak.
Do you think there’s such a thing as a career for life these days? There is plenty of evidence to suggest that the oil and gas industry will continue to grow with many exciting opportunities on the horizon. I think that the industry can provide a career for life. The skills learned within the industry are transferable to many other industries so I think that yes, engineering, will provide me with a career for life.
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