YP Life Offshore: a woman's perspective

In the first of a new series, YP Offshore Life, YP committee member Roya Eidi, share her story. 

I, Roya Eidi, hold a Bachelor's and Master's degree in Chemical Engineering and am currently pursuing a PhD in Hydrogen and Clean Energy. With 14 years of experience in the oil and gas industry as a Design Engineer and Researcher, my work spans both onshore and offshore projects. However, offshore operations in Iran pose unique challenges, as women are prohibited from site visits and on-site activities. These restrictions significantly hinder women's progress in the field.

In 2012, as the Lead Process Engineer on an offshore project in the Persian Gulf, I requested a site visit and as expected, the project owner initially rejected my request. Determined, I engaged in persistent negotiations with the project management team and owner representatives. After continuous follow-ups and emphasising the necessity of my visit, I became the first woman to set foot on that offshore platform since the Islamic Revolution.

The experience was both exciting and instructive, involving travel by plane, helicopter and crew boat, transferring between the drilling platform and crew boat via a crane basket, jumping from the boat to catch a vertical ladder of the platform, and crawling through a maze of pipes on the three-story platform. Despite the restrictions meant to hold me back, I remained focused on proving that capability is not defined by gender. Site visits always have positive effects on plant design procedures, modelling and generating engineering documents. The platform itself was a quiet, unmanned, isolated space surrounded by the vast sea. We had excellent food, and well-equipped facilities on the other platform, but extended stays could become monotonous.

This milestone reinforced my belief in persistence and the power of support from my colleagues. I look forward to a future where no one is restricted from professional growth based on gender.