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Ternan Energy has a proven track record of providing personnel into offshore and nearshore energy and infrastructure projects for our clients. Our clients benefit from having the confidence that our Offshore Client Representatives have been hand-picked for the job. 

Across the team we have decades of experience. For this chat we sat down with Jess Martin to find out more about what the role entails.

Good morning Jess, thank you for your time. Can you tell us about your background?

I'm a Project Geoscientist at Ternan which is a really varied role. I look at geophysical data, data interpretation and also get involved with ground models. I’ve been with Ternan for a year and in that time have worked on many different projects.
My background is as an Offshore Geophysicist with Gardline and then Geoscientist at Kraken Robotics working both onshore and offshore.

At Ternan I have a mixed role working both onshore and offshore, when I am deployed offshore it is as part of our Client Representative service. Working with our geoscience team means I can always call on the many skills of my colleagues when a project requires it.

What is a Client Representative?

At its core I represent our client on board the vessel so they have a presence on-site. The role responsibilities encompass making sure the project meets the goals, work is carried out properly, all data is as it should be, keeping track of health & safety and keeping open lines of communication with the clients team shoreside.

I believe communication is critical. It is vital the whole team knows what is going on with the project and are completely up to date. We are there to communicate between the people on the vessel, all contractors, our client and represent the Ternan team. Sometimes conditions or scenarios arise offshore which means the plan might need to change at the last minute. My role is to make sure everyone is aware of the issues and I can implement any new plans that arise.

It's not just about passing messages along. Making decisions is also a really important part of the role. The shoreside project manager will make final decisions on budget etc but the Client Rep can make immediate decisions on behalf of the project manager shoreside to ensure priorities and targets are being met.

It is important as a Client Representative that you have experience with the equipment and data. For example, I had been Lead Geophysicist on a variety of Ørsted windfarm jobs with Gardline which meant I was already very familiar with the projects, equipment, and what was required.
So when I was placed as Client Representative for  Ørsted with Ternan I already knew what the requirements were and was familiar with the specifications and scope of the project. I could fulfil the role they required to QC the data with specialist software and use my geophysicist's understanding to feed back the findings. 

"We were very pleased with the service Ternan gave and having Jess on board ensured the campaign ran smoothly. A big thanks to the team's efforts, data quality was excellent, which was in no small part due to the diligence shown on board." Simon Bicknell, Senior Geophysicist, Ørsted

What are the benefits to the client?

Our job is to work for the client keeping projects on time and on budget, as well as contributing to survey planning. The Client Rep needs to look at all areas of the job and ensure that any areas of priority in the planning are kept to so the project goals are met. We are in a position where we have an overview of all contractors and elements to the project. What this enables us to do is ensure all teams are kept up to date and the project stays on track.

What are the benefits to the project?

We ensure the data acquisition and QC is carried out as it should be to ensure the contractor is supplying high quality data to the correct time scales.

The health and safety side of things is also really important, a Client Representative is able to give additional oversight onboard the vessel to make sure HSE goals are met and standards are kept to.

What to consider when selecting a Client Rep?

It's really important to make sure anyone you select as a Client Rep has a proper understanding of the equipment and experience with data quality control.

Diplomacy and the ability to talk to people about all aspects of the project are really important. As a rep, you will be living and working onboard the vessel in close proximity with others. There is a team responsibility to make sure the work is carried out safely and effectively.

An understanding of costings is also required as the Client Rep will need to get involved in these discussions.

What is the best bit of the job?

It's nice to be out there living on a boat away from a desk and working with the broad scope of a project. As a client rep you have an overview of everything, the big picture. There is a lot more going on than in an office and you get to work with a wide variety of people.

Want to know more?

Learn more about our Client Representative Services here or email info@ternan-energy.com

You can also see Jess in action during our last Ask Ternan Q&A where we discussed all things relating to Site Investigation and Client Repping.