Offshore Angola

Nicolai Roterman

1675 photos

Info

I am a deep-sea biologist and surfer and my work takes me to interesting corners of the world which is a great opportunity for an amateur photographer

LocationOxford Cameras Canon PowerShot A530
Canon PowerShot A540
Canon PowerShot S2 IS
Canon PowerShot S3 IS
DMC-G2
GT-I8190
NIKON D5000
NIKON D5100
NIKON D5300
NIKON D80
iPhone 3G
iPhone 5c
Lenses AF-S DX Nikkor 35mm f/1.8G
AF-S DX VR Zoom-Nikkor 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G
AF-S DX VR Zoom-Nikkor 55-200mm f/4-5.6G IF-ED

From the 3rd of July to the 8th of September, 2014, I was working nightshift (6pm to 6am every day) as a supervisory scientist exploring and sampling the deep-sea floor off Angola. Before oil companies are allowed to start drilling offshore in Angolan waters, they must have an independent survey conducted to sample and characterise the water column, the chemistry and biology of the seafloor sediment and the larger animals and communities that are found in the region. My job was to ensure that the survey was conducted with scientific rigour. These are the photos I took during my downtime.

My home for 10 weeks - the Ocean Explorer
Steaming from Tema, Ghana across the equator to Angola via Pointe Noire, Congo

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Test deployment of the FRC (fast recovery craft)
Such a homely place
Gas flares next to oil production rigs
long exposure of ocean as we steam
Dereliction as we enter the harbour of Luanda, Angola
Luanda harbour
Egret
Dolphins swimming in the polluted shallows
Spot the dolphin
Humpback breaching - most likely a male
Humpbacks passing close by

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Female rufous-vented paradise flycatcher that found its way to our ship

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Humpback - likely a male - tail slapping

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Short-finned pilot whales cruising by
Local fishermen
I always love the signage on ships
My feet
An AB doing maintenance. A sisyphean task.
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Squall on the ocean
In the distance a floating oil production terminal (FPSO) with gas flaring
Processing mud cores collected from the seafloor with a megacore
Deployment of a megacore from the ship's A-frame. Long exposure
The FPSO terminal in long exposure revealing the undulations of the Ocean Explorer
The gas flaring of the FPSO is a depressingly permanent fixture
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At night the FPSO would give a Mordor-like impression

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Wave action on the stern anchors - long exposure
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The FPSO was permanently under its own weather

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