From barge Inspector to barge Mechanic, and now a Flare Operator, I am always looking for the next opportunity to move forward. Having dealt with multiple vendors, boats, shipyards, and facilities, my goal is to always make a lasting impression. I love communicating with people and working through problems together.As a Flare Operator, I have a wide range of responsibilities. The main part of my job is to keep track of High Pressure barges in Kirby’s fleet, bring them into dock, and flare the pressure off to whatever specifications the customer requests. It is my responsibility to schedule barges to come to dock in the most efficient order possible. On top of flaring barges, I handle high/low pressure Nitrogen bottles and Nitrogen equipment. I’m in charge of maintaining and filling low pressure bottles so that they are up to customer standards and swapping out high pressure bottles when they are low on Nitrogen or empty. Being a Barge Mechanic has taught me a lot of things, but the biggest lesson that I took away from the whole experience is how to talk to people. Dealing with boats, vendors, and shipyards on a daily basis has given me the tools to deal with different people in many different environments. From barge Cleaners and shipyard Supervisors, to boat Captains and Deck Hands, I have earned great respect for every level of the industry. During my time as a barge Mechanic, I learned how to maintain and fix multiple facets of Barges and equipment. Including but not limited to Diesel Engines, pipelines and valves, winches, barge heaters, and generators. Everything that I worked on had to be up to Coast Guard, and Kirby, standards before being considered complete. Doing daily inspections of barges gave me the tools needed to see minor details in a big picture. Looking over barges to make sure they are up to the standards of companies such as DOW, Shell, and Exxon was a great experience that taught me the value of properly inspecting company equipment.
Listed skills include Maritime, Transportation, Inspection, Customer Service, and 8 others.
