@ Appleater: one other obstacle you may bump into is Offshore time minimum requirements by the customer (i.e. BP, Total, ESSO...etc), you may meet their TT requirements, PIC requirements but may not have their Offshore and minimum time on type requirements (Typically 50 hours for SIC) and ME time (Sometimes 250 hours)
Industry insider advice sounds wise, aim for the GOM, tick that Offshore time box and ideally the ME box as well. Good luck to you.