Job seeker warns about offshore firm

A COMPANY offering “new job opportunities” based on a “great boom in the offshore petroleum industry” is seeking to lure TT nationals with salaries ranging from US$250/day to US$380. However, one man who decided to follow the advertisement said an on-line Internet search revealed that the company is bogus. Although he declined to give his name, the resident of Beetham Gardens said he saw the advertisement in the newspaper last October and sent in an application. He received a letter informing him that the company — Caledonian Offshore Ltd is authorised to issue a limited number of application forms and necessary documents for applicants to qualify for jobs on offshore oil platforms.

The letter, dated December 5, said the employment outlook showed that throughout 2003, the offshore industry is expected to surpass “all previous records with the production of eight million barrels of oil per day.” It predicted a boom in the offshore industry with the recent hike in oil prices. The company said it has assumed the task of “assisting and guiding applicants” to help them obtain employment in the industry. “We have compiled employment documents with the help of offshore personnel to make recruiting easier. These documents give you the necessary information about employment opportunities within the offshore sector.” Caledonian said there were entry level positions available for applicants with limited or no previous work experience.

It informed the applicant that due to the “great interest and limited number of documents” he should complete the application form and return it before January 14, 2004. It advised that a limited number of applications would be accepted. The total cost of their service is US$438. Payment is in two parts — US$189 which is to be paid immediately as a retainer fee for processing documents and US$249 after the applicant receives a “firm job offer.”  The letter was signed by the president of the company, and at the bottom in small print stated that it  is incorporated under the laws of Liberia, and registered in Canada as an Offshore company under the Extra Provincial Licence.  The Beetham Gardens man said he spoke to someone who worked on a rig about the advertisement and they told him if the company asked for money it was bogus. This prompted him to check the Internet to find out more about Caledonian.

At St Lucia Online there was a job warning about the company. The site quotes verbatim from a newsgroup listing which summarises the concerns expressed about the company. The article said the company has turned out to be a phony company claiming to offer jobs between US$310 and US$430 daily. After applicants apply they receive a brochure with more information about the company’s  potential investing in fields in the Middle East, the Gulf of Mexico, Venezuela, North Sea, Kazakhstan, South East Asia and West Africa. The article states that once the potential employee is hooked by the company’s grand future plans and is told about the offshore work “the trap is sprung.” The applicant must send in a completed form and US$87 to Caledonian.

The company has been active in Suriname and other territories. It is a ‘‘mailbox company’’ in Montfoort, Netherlands, from where mail is forwarded to Panama and Canada. The Dutch Economic Controls Department concluded that Caledonian was offering “non existent jobs.” The investigation was prompted by complaints from people in Malaysia, Egypt, Indonesia and Saudi Arabia. The site said the Canadian authorities have said Caledonian is not registered in Canada and that its address there is only for correspondence. Although the company brochure claims to be operating under Liberian Law no address is given in that country.