MOSSEL BAY NEWS - There seems to be still no hope of returning to his home town, Mossel Bay, for Donovan van Vuuren, who works offshore of India.
Van Vuuren works as an ROV (remotely operated vehicle) pilot and technician in the oil and gas industry.
“I have been doing this for 13 years, but what I struggle with most at the moment, is missing my 19-year-old daughter.”
Van Vuuren left Mossel Bay on 27 January to do his rotational offshore duties for six to eight weeks. Just before he was due to return for a break, Covid-19 brought the world to a standstill.
“Lockdown started, first affecting the Italians, who act as our replacements. After this, everything went for a ball of chalk. No crew changes have been allowed since, yet still, work needs to continue.”
His closest port is Kakinanda, on the Bay of Bengal. “No one gets off, so no one gets on. Everything in India also grinded to a halt. No flights, no transport. Even if we do go on shore, the only option is to remain in your hotel room. Therefore the safest place to be, is on the rig.”
Van Vuuren says there is still no clarity on when he will be able to return home. Looking on the bright side, he says, is that despite being dog tired from working 12-hour shifts, he is still able to earn a salary, whereas many South Africans working offshore or elsewhere in the country, are still prohibited from working, under the lockdown regulations.
“I am trying my best to hang in there, because if I do get to return home, who knows when I will be able to return to work?”
When asked how he copes, he says he doesn’t know. However, he tries to make the best of a terrible situation.
“We are stuck here, so to wallow in a pile of self pity is a no-no to us. I try to focus on when I do get to go home, because that day will come. I dream about having a braai, a glass of wine and of course I think about all the biltong and sweets I will buy.”
In the meantime, he seeks refuge in working out in the small on-board gym and watching movies.
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