Maybe it's the positive approach to life, but it's hard to pin down 66-year-old Jørgen Peter Dich to that age. The corners of his mouth naturally turn upwards in a smile when, during his free time from the Tyra field, he welcomes guests to the beachside villa with a panoramic fjord view in Kolding. Last year, he returned to the Tyra field, where he first worked from 1982 to 1985 as an electrician.
He chose a working life offshore again in September 2022 for Semco Maritime, even though he was already a bit on the way to retirement?
- It's the social aspect that appeals to me. That's also why I go to the swimming pool every day when I have time off. Now I'm thinking about postponing my retirement, because I think it's nice to work. I thought I would retire in June when I turn 67, says Jørgen Peter Dich.
But in fact he already started working for the offshore industry – before the first period on Tyra.
- I helped build platforms on land in Norway in the early 1980s. These are the ones that are now being built for Tyra in Indonesia. Among them was the Valhall platform. I worked at Stord Værft and shipyards in Trondhjem, Verdal and Kristiansand, says Jørgen Peter Dich, about a job that was extremely lucrative at the time.
- At that time there was no tax treaty between Denmark and Norway. So I bought a house for the 240,000 kroner that I brought home in six months, he says of a good start.
Tyra return
Then he came to the Tyra field in 1982.
- I came to Tyra as one of the experienced people, where we worked with cable pulling and assembled cans. Many of the colleagues at the time had to be taught how to mix epoxy. Some of my colleagues mixed epoxy with their hands without using plastic gloves. It goes straight into the skin and into the bloodstream. "It's easier without it," they said. There was no safety back then, says Jørgen Peter Dich.
That's something that has changed a lot since the 1980s.
- It's not like that today, where there is a lot of safety. Everything is perfect, and no one would want it any other way, says Jørgen Peter Dich.
What is also new is that there are foreigners on Tyra today. More cultures and language barriers also have an impact on security.
- Some of the southern Europeans have a hard time with security. You shouldn't jump over the lowest fence to show that you are skilled. Then you get sent home. Security was easier back when we were only Danes or Scandinavians. I think it's because of the salary that it's hard to get Danes, because the work is excellent, says Jørgen Peter Dich.
He himself is in the fortunate situation that he has a civil servant pension from his time at TDC as income in addition to his salary.
- The salary is not the most important thing for me, he adds.
Professional pride
The fact that there are now many different nationalities also means something to the electrician when it comes to professionalism.
- The Danes are much better educated than the foreigners. I would almost say that some of them are bicycle mechanics with a safety course. But there are definitely exceptions. I have worked with Manuel from Portugal and Tommy from Croatia. They are both incredibly talented and happy people who speak English well, says Jørgen Peter Dich.
However, his colleague Tommy is worried about what he will do when the Tyra redevelopment work is over.
- He asks me: "What am I going to do when we are finished here". I have told him: The way you work, there is certainly work at Semco for as long as you want, says Jørgen Peter Dich.
It is not only the long management experience from TDC that Jørgen Peter Dich can draw on in his assessment. He has previously worked for Swire and Ørsted, where he has done summer service at the Hornsrev 2 and 3 wind farms, but he has also done final tests at Siemens Gamesa in Esbjerg. But one job has surpassed everything else he has had.
- I was employed as a test engineer at R&D Test Systems in Hinnerup. It is the best job I have ever had. Among other things, we built a test machine for wind turbine gearboxes in Germany, and I traveled a lot. The agreement was that I would be there for a few months, but I ended up being there for four years, he says of his experience in the green industry, which only ended when the company got a new owner.
It is a time that has given more than experience.
- I have everything that is needed in safety courses, he says.
Influence at work
As an electrician, you are assigned a partner to work with, but not everyone is equally good as a work partner.
- A bad electrician can drag down a good one. It's not easy when smokers have to take a smoke break either. Work comes to a standstill because they have to take a ten-minute break every time they have to smoke, explains Jørgen Peter Dich about smokers who get extra breaks that non-smokers don't.
That's why he would rather choose his partner himself, because you are assigned your partner.
Age is no reason not to get a job offshore, he thinks.
- It's no problem at all at 66 years old. There's nothing physically hard about it at all, for example you can't lift heavy things at all. But you have to be able to walk up stairs, otherwise it won't work. The only thing is that it's difficult to work at night, says Jørgen Peter Dich.
He also has suggestions for attracting more people his own age.
- For example, you could have nine instead of 11 two-week work periods a year when you're over 60. And it would be nice if you had some influence on when you work. That could be done if there was a whole replacement team, suggests Jørgen Peter Dich.
Jørgen Peter Dich has no shortage of things to do in his free time. In addition to spending time growing wine from the German Dornfelder variety on his sunny slope down towards Kolding Fjord, he also spends time with his wife and three adult children. He has a small electrician project right now.
- I have imported a 10-year-old Tesla from Norway, which I am in the process of fixing up when I have time off. I will probably continue working as long as I am treated well, concludes Jørgen Peter Dich.
This is what Tyra and the residential platform looked like in the 1980s, when Jørgen Peter Dich first worked there.
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