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Sunday, November 20, 2011

A Career in Ocean Engineering

The field of Ocean Engineering provides an important link between the other oceanographic disciplines such as marine biology, chemical and physical oceanography, and marine geology and geophysics. Just as the interests of oceanographers have driven the demand for the design skills and technical expertise of ocean engineers, the innovations in instrumentation and equipment design made by ocean engineers have revolutionized the field of oceanography. This is especially true within the last three decades.

The invention of thousands of oceanographic instruments and devices has changed the way oceanographers study the oceans and coasts. Information that once took years to compile, and that frequently involved sampling in harsh weather conditions, can now be accomplished in minutes, often from remote locations, including ships and laboratories. The innovations of ocean engineers have enabled oceanographers to travel farther offshore and deeper into the sea, and to stay there for longer periods of time. Because of ocean engineers, major oceanographic discoveries — including hydrothermal vents, ocean volcanoes, thousands of miles of underwater mountain chains, “new” species, and biological, chemical, geographical, and physical processes and phenomena — have been made.

Ocean engineering is actually a combination of several types of engineering: a mix of mechanical, electrical, civil, acoustical, and chemical engineering techniques and skills, coupled with a basic understanding of how the oceans work. The importance of working in partnerships with oceanographers from other disciplines is critical, as the challenge of working in the ocean environment requires a range of background and skills.

Ocean Engineering Colleges in India & abroad
•    INDIA
·    Cochin University of Sciences and Technology: Department of Physical Oceanography, Kochi, Kerela
·    Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Kharagpur, West Bengal
·    Indian Institute of Technology, Chennai, Tamil Nadu
·    Institute of Shipbuilding Technology (ISBT), Panaji, Goa
·    International Maritime Academy (IMA), Chennai, Tamil Nadu
·    National Institute of Technology (NIT), Surathkal, Kranataka
·    National Institute of Technology (NIT), Kozikhode, Kerala
·    National Ship Design & Research Centre (Indian Maritime University – Vishakhapatnam Campus), Vishakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh

•    ABROAD
·    Australia Institute for Maritime Education, Training & Research - http://www.amc.edu.au/
The Courses offered in the field of Ocean Engineering are as follows:
·    B.Tech. Naval Architecture and Ocean Engineering
·    Diploma Programme in Shipbuilding Engineering
·    M.Tech. Marine Structures
·    M.Tech. Naval Architecture and Ocean Engineering
·    M.Tech. Ocean Technology
·    M.Tech. Offshore Structures

Naval Architects are those who are involved with basic ship design, starting with hull forms and overall arrangements, power requirements, structure and stability. Marine engineering is a branch of Engineering that deals with nautical architecture and science. It basically is meant for research conducted in oceans and coastal or inland waters connected to the sea. Marine Engineering courses deal with construction and maintenance of ships and other sailing vessels.

Scope of Ocean Engineering as a Career
Ocean Engineering as a discipline encompasses the breadth of engineering sciences including design, construction, development, operation and planning of systems that operate in an oceanic and marine environment. There are six main forms or branches of Ocean Engineering. They are:

•    Mapping the sea or ocean floor: In this branch, one will learn about the designing, building, and running equipment and programmes that can be used to create clear maps of the ocean floor’s landscape.
•    Hydrodynamics: This is a branch in which students learn how the water’s flow affects items in its way.
•    Underwater Acoustics: This is another branch with Ocean Engineering that uses sound waves to study the ocean floor.
•    Coastal Modelling: This is a branch of Ocean Engineering in which physics and maths are used to predict the rate at which a tide or erosion is changing a coastline.
•    Marine Geo-Mechanics study the changes of a seabed when factors like erosion, earthquakes, slope deformities, and man-made intrusions take place.
•    Offshore structures are a branch of Ocean Engineering where students learn how synthetic items (tide breaks, sewer pipes, and oil rigs) affect the coastlines and ocean floors.

Eligibility Criteria: For a degree in this field, you must have knowledge and pass in high school science subjects’ i.e PCM (Physics, Chemistry, and Maths). For masters’ degree one must have bachelors’ degree in their respective field. Pass in Pre-University/Secondary/10+2 or equivalent of any recognized board or council and to get into reputed institutes like the IITs one should’ve cleared a common admission test JEE (Joint Entrance Exam).  The duration of the course is four years.

Employment of Ocean Engineers is expected to increase by 10% in the coming years. This will be a motivated by the ever-increasing demand for recreational ships, boats and naval vessels. This field is a job-oriented field with great opportunities. The work of ocean engineers are mainly related to engineering fields as designers and construction supervisors, they also have scope in areas like consultancy, regulation, surveying and overseeing, research and development, education and training etc. Ocean engineers are employed as field engineer or site engineer, which requires inspection and testing of the underwater structures.

Ocean engineers are employed by government and private undertakings as Ship Surveyors to carry out inspections to ensure that any serious defects arising from operation are made and that a safe and seaworthy structure is maintained. Great careers are open to Ocean Engineers in India and abroad in offshore drilling establishments, military and marine navigation, Oil & Natural Gas extracting companies etc. The works of ocean engineers play a vital role in transportation, energy and even the nation’s defence.

Salary prospects depend on several factors, including the specific job, the geographical location, the employment sector, and the scientist’s education and experience. Salaries of Ocean engineering graduates employed in govt & public Sector Undertakings such as ONGC, Bombay High etc start at about Rs 20,000 to 25,000 pm. MNCs and reputed companies like Reliance Petroleum, Bharat Petroleum and EXXON offer starting salary of Rs 25,000 to Rs 30,000 per month depending on the qualifications of the candidates. Salaries of Ocean engineers deputed to Gulf countries go up to about Dirhams or Dinars 10,000 to 12,000 per month plus perks.

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