Originally based in New Orleans, Louisiana, Mr. Trascher began his professional career as a Commercial Oilfield Diver with Taylor Diving and Salvage, a Brown and Root Subsidiary. Taylor was the world’s largest diving contractor, developing industry-changing technology such as hyperbaric welding, SPAR techniques, push-pull breathing systems and saturation habitats. Between 1977 and 1982, Mr. Trascher completed eight employment contracts for work in the North Sea, Persian Gulf, Bay of Campeche, Santa Barbara Channel, Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Mexico.

During 1982 and 1983, Mr. Trascher completed three employment contracts for SEDCO Drilling of Dallas, Texas, including work in the Gulf of Guinea, Caribbean and Gulf of Mexico. SEDCO was a pioneer in Deep Water Drilling. The state of the art drillship Mr. Trascher was assigned to had dynamic positioning and was capable of drilling in six thousand feet of water to a depth of twenty-five thousand feet, nearly six miles. Mr. Trascher’s responsibilities were as Sub-Sea Engineer Assistant, responsible for maintaining ocean floor blow-out protection equipment.

Global economic circumstances during 1982 –1983 and their impact on the predictability of continued oil and gas exploration compelled Mr. Trascher to shift his career interest into other areas.

Of note:
The variety of diving operations required either surface supplied air, a mix of helium and oxygen or total saturation with helium and oxygen. Deepest working depth for Mr. Trascher was minus 445 feet, on the Phillips Petroleum project, Stradford A, in the Norwegian sector of the North Sea.

Mr. Trascher was Lead Diver for the installation and first twelve months of operation of the Louisiana Offshore Oil Port (LOOP). LOOP is the only offshore oil port in the United States and has capability to unload three Ultra Large Crude Carriers (ULCC) at one time. ULCC are the largest of Supertankers, exceeding thirteen hundred feet in length and requiring over 90 feet of water when fully loaded. LOOP is a part of the United States Strategic Oil Reserves system and maintains restricted airspace and a military supervised five-mile restricted radius for marine activity.

Taylor Diving / Brown and Root - Marine Construction (1(1977-1982)

Brent Spar (-350ft) Structure Repair - United Kingdom 5 Mo.North Sea

Ekofisk ( -300 ft) Pipeline Tie in and Risers - Norway 4 Mo. North Sea

Stadford A (-455 ft) Pipeline Tie Ins - Norway 3 Mo. North Sea

Bombay High (-180 ft) Initial Field Construction - India 4 Mo. Arabian Sea

Das Island (-180 ft) New Field Installations - Bahrain 2 Mo. Persian Gulf

AKAL-J Oilfield Blowout (-270 ft) Fire Suppression - Mexico 4 Mo. Bay of Campeche

Grace (-165 ft) Pipeline Tie Ins - California 6 Mo. Santa Barbara Chan.

La. Offshore Oil Port (-120 ft) Install / Operate - Louisiana 12 Mo. Gulf of Mexico

SEDCO Drilling- Deepwater Drilling (1982-1983)

Phillips Petroleum / Government of Ivory Coast - Ivory Coast 2 Mo. Gulf of Guinea

Phillips Petroleum / Government of Barbados - Barbados 1 Mo. Caribbean Sea

Various Petroleum Companies - Louisiana 8 Mo. Gulf of Mexico