Last year, I was moderately optimistic about getting some more offshore work in before I retired, but present circumstances seem to have completely collapsed the market. Any revival in prices, has quite gone; headcounts are being slashed and viable enquiries for work are non-existent. 

Looks as though The Big Crew Change is pretty much complete. This is an industry term relating to the retirement, willingly or otherwise, of large numbers of older staff, working on to cover the gap in industry demographics resulting from the 1980s price collapse and the extended recruitment hiatus which ensued. 

I’m not particularly sorry. I dare say I’ll continue to do occasional jobs for as long as the phone rings, and my tickets are in date, but “occasionally” seems to be the key word. It was a lot of fun, but you can’t go on for ever.