International Operating Engineer - Spring 2016

Feature
DECKHAND JAMES FAAS has many tattoos, but two of
the most prominent ones are of a bucket dredge on his right
hand and a cutter-head on his left. He’s worked on rigs using
both during his 14-year career in dredging, as they are used
to deepen shipping channels and remove underwater debris.
However, the tattoos are more than just body art; they are
an outward symbol of how working in this trade becomes so
much a part of those who do it.
“I can’t think of doing anything else,” said Leverman
Steven Pryor. He’s been an Operating Engineer working on
dredging rigs for 29 years. Growing up on the coast in Eureka,
Calif., he was only eight years old when he decided he was
going to work on the water. Today, he has no regrets in making
that career choice.
“I didn’t get a college degree, but I’ve had a great career
that fed my family,” he said. His family includes “two-andthree-quarters
grandkids” (one was still on the way at the
time of this writing), and two sons, one of which, like Pryor,
works on the water for Dutra.
Not only do dredgemen travel and work long hours to
support their families, but many work alongside family
members. Even when there are no direct family connections,
there is a distinct family feel on these rigs. Crewmembers
often gather in the kitchen or around the grill to prepare
lunch and jokingly argue about who’s been raiding the food
in the pantry. They poke fun at each other the way siblings
do, a sign of how comfortable they become on these floating
jobsites.
Being comfortable around your fellow crewmembers
doesn’t just make going to work on a dredge easier; it’s vital
to the safe functioning of the rig. The dangers of working
on the water, such as climbing up wet steps and ladders,
being around moving parts and equipment, stepping over
gaps between rigs and boats or over lines and ropes, means
crewmembers have to constantly be mindful of their own
safety and that of their coworkers.
For crews working in the yard, there are different dangers
and challenges, including those that come with welding,
working with electrical lines and having to fabricate parts in
the shop for equipment built decades ago.
[right] The crew aboard R. E. Stait’s DB Palomar includes, from left,
Deckhand David Koue, Deck Engineer Fritz Fields, Deckhand Felix
Castro, Leverman Bill Kombrink and Capt. Greg Center.
[article & photos] by John O. Matos, IUOE Local 3
Die-hard Dredging
For career dredgemen, it’s more than
just a job. It’s a way of life.
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INTERNATIONAL OPERATING ENGINEER
SPRING 2016 13