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EVOLVING REQUIREMENTS FOR CLIENT REPRESENTATIVES BY GLENN HOVERMALE
T
he underlying general credentials for serving as an at-sea client representative have always included a 4-year degree in geomatics, marine survey or physical oceanography or relevant practical experience collecting survey data at sea or working in a survey capacity in a branch of the military. An individual can improve their chances of being hired by being familiar with survey and cable installation-specific software such as WinFrog or Makai. Of greatest importance, following technical and practical experience, is project history, where the more experienced individual has a higher likelihood of being chosen for a project. But modern marine technology and expanding marine industries have added new dynamic requirements to the marine industry at large and now additional credentials and licenses are required. However, nothing prepared the
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SUBMARINE TELECOMS MAGAZINE
industry for the impact of COVID-19 and how it would change the admissible requirements for serving as a client representative at sea. In 2018 the standard requirements for serving as a client representative on an undersea cable project included an active passport, documentation confirming one’s physical aptitude (typically an OGUK certificate, or general doctor physical confirmation), and some form of an at-sea safety certificate (such as BOSIET, SPE or FOET). More recently, it is the proof of having received the Covid-19 vaccination that is the primary and contract-breaking requirement for client representation positions. Simple proof of vaccination is only the beginning in some cases, where supplemental travel insurance and multiple RC-PCR tests at each country and/or point of embarkation may be
