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Porferio Acquiatan
Master
Bourbon Offshore Greenmar,
West Africa
Tell us about your career…
I began my career in 1979, aged 22, as a seaman. Then I continued studying in the Philippines at the Nautical Institute of Manila. I gradually moved up the ranks, acquiring my Captain’s certificate in 2003. I have sailed on all the seas of the world and on a very wide variety of vessels. I have now been working for Bourbon Offshore Greenmar in the offshore oil and gas industry since 2001.
What do you like most at BOURBON?
At BOURBON, my career has taken a new turn: I have been promoted to captain, I earn a better living and I sail modern vessels. After advanced training in dynamic positioning in Manila, I was given roles commanding new-generation vessels – I took AHTS Bourbon Gulf 101 & 102 from China to Saudi Arabia; I am currently captain of PSV Bourbon Liberty 104, crewed by Bourbon Offshore Greenmar, which operates on behalf of Bourbon Gulf in Saudi Aramco oil and gas fields with a crew from the Philippines. I really like this next-generation vessel. It’s easy to maneuver and has the most sophisticated equipment. Training on the DP simulator in Manila, which exactly replicates the Bourbon Liberty bridge, was a real help.
How do you see the future?
At 50, my ambition is to spend my remaining 10 years at sea with BOURBON! I’m an experienced officer; they can put me in charge of any vessel. I hope that BOURBON will recruit and train more and more Pilipino officers and seamen: after all, we are the world’s foremost seafaring nation! I have prepared my retirement by purchasing a farm, and after sailing many seas, I look forward to working the earth…