First encountered the oil boom from his lounge window

Esso had transported the American rig across the Atlantic. For the people of Rogaland, this was an unfamiliar and exotic sight. Rolf Øverland reckoned it had to be due to a navigation error.

"There's no oil here, is there?" 

"It was a strange sight. What is that rig doing here, I wondered? It must have taken a wrong turn, there´s no oil in Norway. The Arab states are the ones with the oil. Fortunately, I was wrong,” he says and laughs, 60 years later.

Huge interest in 36 jobs

Odeco had their own people with them to fill the key positions on board, but they also needed local labour in Norway. The 36 additional positions posted for Ocean Traveler drew 2,000 applications. The applicants included seafarers, industrial workers, mechanics, farmers – and car mechanic Rolf Øverland. Interest was huge. The canning industry in Stavanger was in decline in the ´60s, and the region needed both new industry and new hope. Øverland was initially rejected, but he got through the eye of the needle in the second round.

Attractive salary and wanderlust

He signed on in November 1966, leaving a secure job as a car mechanic for something far more uncertain, with an unpredictable outcome. For Øverland, the salary was attractive, but equally importantly: This was exciting. 
"I got a salary offer from Odeco of NOK 13.50 an hour. The car dealer I worked for couldn´t compete with that. They could stretch to 9.30 an hour. I went for it. The salary was important, but I was also ready for adventure," admits Rolf Øverland. 
The car mechanic became a control room operator on Ocean Traveler.

Øverland quit as an auto mechanic and got a job offshore. Here he is in the control room on the Ocean Traveler rig. (Photo: Private)

Filmed life on board

From 1966 to 1971, he filmed life on the rig. The recordings provide a rare insight into the pioneering era on the Norwegian continental shelf. Photography and filming on board were prohibited, but no one reacted to Øverland's camera. Later, the footage was used in the documentary film Rocky – the oil pioneer. "Rocky" is his nickname.

Drama in the North Sea

Work on board was tough. The weather can be downright hostile in the North Sea, and the rig was not designed for such conditions. The anchor loosened, and the rig frequently had to be repaired. The most dramatic event was the collision with the supply vessel Smit-Lloyd in the autumn of 1966. The rig heeled sharply, and panic broke out on board. No one died, but Øverland is clear today that good seafarers were crucial.

He personally joined the team just after the drama, whilst the rig was being repaired in Stavanger.