All Ocean Installer employees have a special relationship with the Normand Vision. Whilst we all know people are Ocean Installer’s most valuable assets, the Vision is the company’s second most important resource.

This magnificent vessel accommodates underwater equipment, cables, pipelines and tons of other equipment, serving both the oil industry and renewable energy. Even though she doesn’t sail on all seven seas, she has been on the job in the Mediterranean, West Africa, the Gulf of Mexico and Australia, as well as the sea areas around Norway and Great Britain.

With up to 365 travel days a year, Normand Vision is constantly on the way to new assignments. After 10 years at sea, she has been involved in more than 55 different projects worldwide. Some fairly straight forward, others extremely complicated. A permanent rotating crew of around 30 women and men, work rotating shifts to make sure she’s always ready to receive the engineers and technicians from Ocean Installer.

What was your role on the project?

– I spent three weeks on Normand Vision before Christmas to follow up the collection, repair and re-installation of a cable that was connected to the oil production vessel Pazflor. This FPSO is located around 150 kilometers from Angola’s coastline. The project went as planned, and we all got home in time to celebrate Christmas with our families.

– Being a project engineer on board involves twelve-hour shifts with a lot of responsibility. It can be quite stressful, but at the same time it is incredibly developing and educational.

What’s your relationship with “Vision”?

– It’s a vessel I really enjoy being on, and I joke that it feels a bit like my home away from home. Being offshore you get to know the people on board really well, from the Captain to deck crew, ROV-pilots and everyone else. The crew on board this vessel are fantastic.

– On board the vessel, we really have everything we need. Great cabins, amazing recreation areas and training facilities. We do feel a bit spoiled when working on Vision, everything from the food to cleaning holds a really high standard.

What was your role on this particular project?

– I was responsible for the marine operations at the Njord-field. We installed pipelines and structures there. In total, it took four years and many trips to the field to complete the job. Quite an important project, contributing to the fact that the Njord-field can extract oil for the next 20 years, and with that securing large parts of Europe’s energy needs.

– Although it is hard to leave my family for such long periods, I do love projects like this one. It is so educational and meaningful to be involved. During my ten years in the company, I have probably been on 20 such trips. I absolutely love it!

What is your relationship with Normand Vision?

– The vessel is like a mother to me. She makes me feel confident. She takes care of me, takes me to new places – and brings me home safely afterwards. It is demanding to be out at sea, but after a while we forget what day of the week it is. Tuesdays and Saturdays are suddenly exactly the same!

– It is, of course, hard work and long days with twelve-hour shifts. At the same time, it is very rewarding. You are practically in the same boat as the rest of your colleagues. Everyone is equally valuable, and we solve challenges together. I don’t think there is anything more unifying than going out to sea and solving crucial tasks together. It’s a great team effort.

What was your role on the Cassiopea project?

– I work on a fixed rotation with Normand Vision. This time we were at Italy’s largest gas field to install a 30-kilometer cable to the platform. It was a fairly big assignment that took us somewhere between five and six weeks. Simply put, my tasks were to get the cable down into the sea from the yellow tower that you see on top of the vessel.Simply put, my tasks were to get the cable down into the sea from the yellow tower that you see on top of the vessel.

– Cassiopea was a really good project. It was my first trip to Italy, and it was lovely to have that mild and really nice weather, which is not always the case. We got some lovely sunsets, and on clear days we could actually see Mount Etna from the vessel. On this project I actually only worked the night shift. It might sound harsh, but for me it was great because I got the opportunity to relax in the sunshine before the night shift began. The body gets used to the circadian rhythm faster than you might think, and sleeping went fine.