Back in the mid-nineties I worked for an inspection company in the Seattle area. The bulk of our duties consisted of ship inspections on behalf of the American Bureau of Shipping. These inspections are very detailed and involve crawling over every inch of the "bellies" of very large ships. Among these ships are the oil tankers. I can recall being inside a fuel/oil tank on one such tanker. Actually in the fuel tank with plenty of bunker oil still in the tank. I came out completely covered in black oil that looks like the used motor oil from a diesel engine. Being inside a crude oil tanker cargo hold is absolutely fascinating, too. They are typically the size of a gymnasium...or larger. I don't ever remember doing an inspection job that didn't result in complete filth. There is an element of danger, as well. A large part of the job consisted of thickness readings on the steel plating in different parts of the ship, as designated by the ABS Inspector. This frequently involved climbing to heights above three or four stories inside a crude oil tank. All of this with testing gear strapped to your body. These spaces were filthy and pitch black. On the other end of the spectrum you can find yourself in very small spaces with nothing but a headlamp. You had to be able to change the four AA batteries in your light in complete darkness by feel. On the same ship, you could find yourself ankle deep in oil in a cargo hold, or ankle deep in mud in one of the ballast tanks. I think it has the potential for an interesting show, with plenty of material for an hour. There are also certifications required for this type of work(Non-Desrtuctive Testing). This job is done by a small, unknown, unique group of people...and it's very dirty.

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