Transocean Receives Patriot Award

Matt Acevedo, Assistant Subsea Engineer, and Janelle Daniel, Director, Global HR Services, accepted the Patriot Award and the Above and Beyond Award at the U.S. Military Reserves appreciation luncheon held in Houston in July.

Transocean was honored with the Patriot Award and the Above and Beyond Award by the Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve and the United States Military Reserves for its role in hiring and supporting men and women who have served in the U.S. military and who remain active in the military reserves while employed by a company. Transocean received the recognition based on an essay written by Matt Acevedo, Assistant Subsea Engineer.

The nomination said in part, “Transocean becomes our family at sea. Like any tight-knit group, they want us to succeed both in and out of uniform. As the premier offshore drilling company, they understand the sacrifices involved with being away from family and the additional stresses that come with that separation. As a result, when reservists are activated, they don’t want us to be worrying about making ends meet while we are supporting freedom wherever in the world our duties take us. Transocean makes up the difference in pay between our military wages and our normal working wages so our families don’t have to adjust their pocket books in addition to adjusting to a lifestyle of being gone for over six months at a time. Transocean understands that worrying about pay, or wondering if our civilian job will be waiting for us when we return home from duty will be a distraction and that distractions can kill.”

Matt joined Transocean last year as part of the Subsea 100 Engineering Program, working on the Discoverer Spirit off the West coast of Africa and attending training classes in Houston. Originally from Los Angeles, he is a nuclear-qualified Chief Petty Officer and his home base is the Submarine Learning Center in New London, Connecticut. Matt’s reserve unit meets the first weekend of every month and when he can’t make it back to Connecticut to fulfill his duty, he meets with the reserve unit in Houston.

Transocean was the only company to receive the Above and Beyond award out of 15 Houston-area companies recognized at the luncheon.

Part of Transocean’s “above and beyond” includes sending care packages to reservists when they are called to duty. “Small stuff like a goofy bottle of shampoo from the dollar section at Wal-Mart makes a difference,” Matt said. “I remembered getting that when I was on a carrier in the Arabian Gulf and thinking, ‘This is the best smelling shampoo.’ It’s nice to get little things like that.”

Comparing life on a rig with serving on an aircraft carrier, Matt said rig accommodations get five stars. “My room on the rig is like something maybe the captain would have on the carrier. It’s a lot nicer.” And while the rig measures about 200 feet shorter than a carrier, it’s a lot less crowded on a rig. “A carrier has 5,000 to 6,000 people where you only have about 200 on a rig. I can take a walk around on the rig and not see anybody for a while.”

Matt is on track to complete the Subsea 100 Engineering Program in the spring of 2012 and looks forward to earning a permanent rig assignment.