'Africa' Performed by the Bourbon Peridot Crew

Following the Day of the Seafarer June 25, MarEx would like to share a laugh from the past for all the hard working men and women who have dedicated themselves to a life at sea.

In 2013 a bored crew of oil workers spending long days away from friends and family found the perfect way to occupy their time. The men aboard the Bourbon Peridot offshore supply ship recorded a cover video of the 1983 hit song “Africa” by Toto. The choice was particularly fitting given the Peridot was operating off the coast of Equatorial Guinea in West Africa. Posted on YouTube in 2013, the video became a huge hit, generating over 75,000 views and 780 likes.

Directed by ROV operator Darren Flynn, the video shows the crew miming to the 80’s classic, using barrels, pumps, as well as fish as fake musical instruments, during operations on the vessel.

Commenting on the video, Darren said: "Well I've made a few videos out here to show friends and family what it's like to work offshore Africa and this time I was offshore and had my camera with me, however, it was broken. I managed to get the camera fixed and thought I should take a couple test videos. We thought of doing a music video and Africa came on my iPhone randomly; it was perfect! A couple of the Subsea 7 guys and myself filmed the first 2 verses and it seemed funny, so we decided to make the whole video on our time off."

So whether you’re on a ship off Africa, Asia or anywhere in between, thank you for what you do!