Offshore energy is one of the hardest places to staff. The work sits on a platform in open water. The hours are long. The safety rules are strict. A small mistake can hurt people or shut down production. You need people who stay calm in tight spaces and follow procedure under pressure. That pool is small on the open market.

There is a group that already lives this way. Navy veterans. Military divers. Seabees. Ship engineers. They spent years working on or under the water. They ran heavy equipment in rough conditions. They followed safety procedure like their life depended on it, because it did. For a subsea or offshore energy role, that background maps almost one to one.

This guide shows midsize offshore and subsea-services employers where to find these veterans. It covers which military jobs fit which roles. It shows how to read a military resume for offshore work. And it points to the safety and credential rules you should know before you hire. The goal is simple. Help you build a crew that shows up trained, steady, and ready for the water.

Why do military veterans fit offshore energy work?

Offshore work asks for a few traits that are hard to test for in an interview. You need them in advance. The military builds these traits over years, not weeks.

The first is comfort with water and confined spaces. A subsea diver or a ship engineer has worked in tight, wet, high-risk spots for a living. They know the drills. They know how to stay calm when the space gets small and the stakes get high.

The second is safety discipline. Offshore safety is built on procedure. So is the military. A sailor runs checklists, signs off on gear, and reports hazards as a habit. That habit is exactly what offshore safety programs need. Offshore safety rules sit under the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement SEMS program, which grew out of the Deepwater Horizon review. Veterans tend to take that kind of structure seriously from day one.

The third is equipment discipline. Platforms and subsea systems run on pumps, valves, turbines, and electrical gear. A Navy machinist or engineman ran that same class of equipment at sea. They fix what they can. They flag what they cannot. They keep logs. That is the offshore job in plain terms.

The fourth is rotation tolerance. Offshore work runs on shifts. Two weeks on, two weeks off. Long stretches away from home. Veterans already lived this during deployments and sea duty. The schedule does not scare them off.

Which military jobs map to subsea and offshore roles?

You do not have to guess at the fit. Specific military jobs line up with specific offshore roles. Here are the strongest matches to look for.

Navy Diver and Coast Guard Diver. This is the closest match in the whole military. These divers work underwater on salvage, repair, welding, and inspection. That is subsea work already. Look at the Navy Diver civilian career page and the Coast Guard Diver career page to see how the skills carry over. For dedicated commercial-diving teams, a deeper breakdown sits in our guide on hiring veterans for commercial diving and marine services.

Ship engineers and equipment ratings. The crew that keeps a Navy ship running is the crew that can keep a platform running. A Navy Machinist's Mate ran pumps, valves, and propulsion systems. An Engineman ran diesel engines and support gear. Gas Turbine Systems Technicians ran turbine power plants. These ratings move into platform mechanical and power roles with little ramp-up.

Hull Maintenance Technicians and Damage Controlmen. A Hull Maintenance Technician welds, pipes, and repairs the steel a ship is made of. Damage Controlmen fight floods and fires at sea. Both bring fabrication and emergency-response skills that fit platform maintenance and safety roles.

Seabees. Navy construction ratings build and repair in remote, harsh spots. A Construction Mechanic fixes heavy equipment. A Construction Electrician wires power systems. These fit platform construction, install, and field-service roles.

How do you read a military resume for offshore work?

A military resume can look strange at first. It is full of codes and titles that do not match your job posting. That gap is on the words, not the worker. Once you decode it, the fit is clear.

Start with the rating or job code. A "Navy Diver, ND2" is a second-class diver. That person has logged real dive hours on real jobs. A "Machinist's Mate, MM1" has run main propulsion at sea. Do not skim past these lines. They tell you the core skill.

Next, read for scope, not just tasks. A military resume that says "led a 6-person engine room watch team" is telling you about supervision and accountability. That maps to a lead or shift role offshore. Look for what they were responsible for, not just what they touched.

Then read the safety language. Words like "zero mishaps," "qualified in damage control," or "conducted confined-space entry" are gold for offshore work. They show the safety habit you need. A candidate who lists this is signaling they already think the way your safety program demands.

One more note on screening tools. Many companies run resumes through an applicant tracking system. That system ranks resumes by keyword match. It does not reject people on its own. A strong veteran can sink to the bottom of the list just because the resume uses Navy words instead of your words. Read the borderline ones by hand. The fit is often there.

Where do you find offshore-ready veterans?

You will not find most of these candidates by posting a job and waiting. The strongest veterans get hired fast. You need to go to where they gather. Here are the channels that work for a midsize crew.

SkillBridge is worth a closer look for offshore work. A diver or engineer can spend their last months in uniform learning your platform systems on your site. By the time they separate, they know your gear and your safety rules. You learn if they fit before you make an offer. The program runs under the Department of Defense at skillbridge.osd.mil. The offer comes when they separate, not during the internship.

The Department of Labor also keeps an employer hiring resource for veterans at dol.gov VETS. It covers the basics of building a veteran-hiring pipeline. Pair that with a focused talent search and you cover both the policy side and the speed side.

What about safety credentials and offshore certifications?

Military training is strong, but it is not the same as a civilian offshore credential. Be clear with yourself on the gap before you hire.

A Navy Diver has deep dive experience. That does not mean they hold a civilian commercial-diving certification on day one. Offshore platforms often call for credentials like BOSIET or HUET for travel and survival. Some need API or inspection certs for specific tasks. Military service may shorten the path to these. It usually does not replace them.

The good news is that the hard part is already done. The skill is there. The judgment is there. The safety habit is there. What is left is often a short course and a card, not years of training. A veteran who already worked underwater for the Navy will pass a commercial-diving course faster than someone starting cold.

A smart play is to hire on the strength of the military skill, then close the credential gap during onboarding. Bring the veteran on, run them through the needed course, and put them to work. You get a trained person months sooner than the open market would give you.

How should a midsize offshore employer compete for this talent?

You do not need a giant program to win these hires. You need speed, a clear role, and a real path. Big firms move slowly. That is your edge.

Move fast. The best veteran candidates get multiple offers. If your process takes six weeks, you lose. Set a hard timeline. Screen, interview, and decide in days, not weeks.

Be clear about the work. Veterans value a straight answer. Tell them the rotation. Tell them the pay. Tell them the safety rules. Tell them the growth path. Vague postings lose them. Honest ones win them.

Sell the mission, not perks. Offshore work is hard and meaningful. That fits how veterans think about a job. They want work that matters and a team they can trust. Speak to that, and you stand out from a generic listing.

Where does BMR fit into your offshore hiring?

Best Military Resume runs a growing pool of veteran and military-spouse talent. Over 1,000 new veteran profiles join every month. More than 60,000 resumes have been built on the platform. That means a fresh, growing supply of trained people you can search, including the divers, engineers, and Seabees that offshore work needs.

Instead of waiting on a job ad, you can search for the exact background you need. Filter for diving experience, marine engineering, or shipboard maintenance. Reach people who are looking for their next role right now. The pool runs deep in the kind of hands-on, safety-trained skills that platforms and subsea teams depend on.

If you want to see who is in the pool, you can reach out to access BMR's veteran talent pool. If you want to set up a longer-term hiring relationship, you can also partner with BMR on a steady pipeline. For related energy roles, our pillar guides on hiring veterans for oil and gas roles and hiring veterans for energy and utilities roles cover the broader field. For the safety-officer side, see our guide on hiring veterans for EHS and safety roles.

Offshore energy needs people who can handle the water, the equipment, and the risk. Veterans spent years doing exactly that. Go find them before someone else does.