Marine engineering

Marine engineering is the engineering of watercrafts, ocean systems, and ocean structures. It brings together many kinds of engineering knowledge, such as mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, electronic engineering, and computer Engineering, to create and keep running ships and other vehicles that travel on water.

After studying marine engineering, a person can join a ship as an officer in the engine department. With experience, they can rise to the important role of chief engineer, which is one of the highest ranks on a ship and is equal to the rank of a ship's captain. Many people choose marine engineering because it offers many job opportunities, both on ships and on land, in the merchant Navy.

Marine engineers work on many parts of a ship, including its power and propulsion plants, machinery, piping, and systems that help control and automate the ship. Their work also includes designing and maintaining structures along coastlines and far out at sea.

History

Archimedes is often called the first marine engineer because he created many useful systems for water travel a long time ago. Modern marine engineering began during the Industrial Revolution in the early 1700s.

In 1807, Robert Fulton used a steam engine to move a boat through the water. His ship had a small wooden paddle wheel to help it go forward. This was the beginning of the marine engineering job. Just twelve years later, the Savannah made the first trip from America to Europe. About fifty years after that, a very big ship called the Great Eastern was built. It was as large as some cargo ships today, measuring 700 feet long and weighing 22,000 tons. Paddle steamers were very popular for about thirty years until new ways of moving ships were invented.

Training

To become a marine engineer, you usually need to earn a university or college degree, such as a Bachelor of Engineering, Bachelor of Science, Bachelor of Technology, or Bachelor of Applied Science in Marine Engineering.

In some places, you might also need a Master's degree, like a Master of Engineering or Master of Science, to work as a licensed marine engineer. Some people switch to marine engineering from other subjects, such as Mechanical Engineering or Physics, but they usually need to earn a graduate degree in Marine Engineering afterward.

Marine engineering studies include many subjects, such as Mathematics, Thermodynamics, Fluid Mechanics, and Control Engineering. These help students understand how to design and manage ships and ocean systems.

Related Fields

Naval architecture

Main article: Naval architecture

Naval architecture focuses on designing ships and how they move through water. Marine engineering makes sure the ship's systems work well. These two fields often work together.

Ocean engineering (and combination with Marine engineering)

Ocean engineering looks at structures and systems in or near the ocean, like offshore platforms, piers, and harbors. While different from marine engineering, the two sometimes overlap, especially outside of the U.S..

Oceanography

Main article: Oceanography

Oceanography studies the ocean using data and tools. Marine engineers and oceanographers work closely together.

Mechanical engineering

Main article: Mechanical engineering

Marine engineering uses many ideas from mechanical engineering, like designing ship engines and systems for steering and anchoring. Understanding topics such as fluid dynamics and strength of materials is important for marine engineers.

Civil Engineering

Main article: Civil engineering

Civil engineering helps design ocean structures, bridges, and tunnels for marine projects.

Coastal engineering

Main article: Coastal engineering

Electronics and Robotics

Marine engineering uses electrical engineering and robotics for deep-sea cables and underwater vehicles.

Deep-sea cables

Transoceanic fiber optic cables connect the world's internet. These cables must be built to handle deep-sea conditions.

UUV autonomy and networks

Unmanned underwater vehicles (UUVs) can benefit from better autonomy and networking.

Petroleum Engineering

Main article: Petroleum engineering

Marine engineering helps design and maintain offshore oil platforms.

Marine construction

Main article: Marine construction

Marine construction builds structures like ships, offshore platforms, and bridges in or near water using materials like steel and concrete.

Challenges specific to marine engineering

Marine engineers need to solve many special problems to keep ships safe and working well. One big challenge is hydrodynamic loading — just like building engineers plan for wind on buildings, marine engineers plan for waves hitting ships and submarines many times during their life.

Another important challenge is stability. Every ship needs to stay balanced in water. This is tricky because ships move between water and air, and things like cargo, fuel, and even water used for balance can shift and change the ship's balance. Marine engineers carefully track and adjust these to keep ships steady. Similar balance problems also affect structures built far out at sea.

Ships also face corrosion from salt water, which can wear away metal. Engineers use special methods to slow this down, like adding metals that corrode first to protect the ship, or using small electric currents to change the ship's charge.

To keep ships clean and efficient, engineers work on anti-fouling — stopping sea creatures from sticking to the ship's surfaces, which can slow it down and use more fuel. They use special paints and other methods to prevent this growth.

Pollution control is another big concern. Burning certain fuels can release harmful gases that hurt ocean life, so rules limit when and how these fuels can be used. Ships also must keep oil and water separate before dumping water into the ocean, using special equipment to clean it first.

Cavitation, the forming and collapsing of air bubbles around moving parts like propellers, can damage equipment. Engineers design propellers with more blades to reduce this problem, especially for quiet submarines.

Finally, wave loading — the push and pull of ocean waves — can stress pipes, ships, and even oil platforms. Engineers must design these structures to withstand the constant changes in water pressure from waves.

Applications

Marine engineers work on many different projects related to water and the ocean. They design things that can work in very cold places, like the Arctic, where equipment needs to stay strong even when it gets very chilly.

They also help protect coastlines from big waves and rising sea levels. Sometimes they build walls, and other times they plant special plants to keep the land safe.

Marine engineers design systems for deep underwater, like special habitats for people to live underwater and robots that can swim without anyone inside them. They also create tools to study the ocean, like machines that use sound to map the sea floor.

They think about how to keep the ocean healthy when building near the water, like helping clean up oil spills. They also design big structures far from shore, such as platforms for getting oil from the ocean and wind farms that make clean energy.

Marine engineers help plan and build places where ships can stop and load or unload things, making sure these areas are safe and strong for boats. They also help recover ships that have sunk, using their skills to help with these tricky jobs.

Main article: Coastal engineering

Career

Marine engineers use their skills in many different jobs. They can work for special companies like Oceaneering International and Van Oord, or help big companies such as ExxonMobil and BP with projects near the ocean.

Marine engineering is also important for the military, especially for the United States Navy. Groups like the Seabees, Civil Engineer Corps, and Engineering Duty Officers often do work that needs marine engineering skills. Other groups, like the Army Corps of Engineers, also help with some projects.

The job of a marine engineer is growing. In 2012, they earned about $96,140 each year. By 2026, there will be more jobs for marine engineers because ships and ocean projects are very important for worldwide trade and energy.

Education

Maritime universities are special schools that teach students about jobs related to the sea. To become a marine engineer, students usually need a bachelor's degree in marine engineering, marine engineering technology, or marine systems engineering. Employers like to see that students have both a degree and hands-on training.

Many universities around the world offer degrees in ocean engineering. Schools like MIT, UC Berkeley, the U.S. Naval Academy, and Texas A&M University have special four-year programs. These programs teach basic math and science, like calculus and physics, along with engineering topics. Students who want to go even further can study at the graduate level and do research projects.

There are also journals and conferences where people share their ideas about ocean engineering. Some of these include the IEEE Journal of Oceanic Engineering and the OCEANS Conference and Exposition.

• IMarEST
• World Maritime University
• Society for Underwater Technology
• IEEE Oceanic Engineering Society
• Marine Engineering and Research Institute
• Indian Maritime University
• Royal Institution of Naval Architects (RINA)
• Pakistan Marine Academy
• Society of Naval Architects and Marine Engineers (SNAME) is a worldwide society that is focused on the advancement of the maritime industry. SNAME was founded in 1893.
• American Society of Naval Engineers (ASNE)
• SIMAC
• Associazione di Ingegneria OffShore e Marina

Marine Engineering Achievements

The Delta Works are a set of 13 projects built to protect the Netherlands from flooding by the North Sea. Experts in engineering call this one of the "Seven Wonders of the Modern World".

Twenty-two people have traveled to Challenger Deep, the deepest part of the ocean, found in the Mariana Trench.

A team of engineers from the U.S. Navy and CIA worked together to bring up a Soviet submarine called K-219 using a special ship named Glomar Explorer.

Notable Marine Engineers

Some well-known marine engineers have made big impacts in both business and teaching.

In business, Pieter van Oord was the top leader at Royal van Oord.

In teaching, Michael E. McCormick was a professor at the U.S. Naval Academy. He helped start important research on energy from ocean waves.

In Media and Popular Culture

Marine engineers helped clean up big oil spills, like the ones from Exxon Valdez and British Petroleum.

The movie Deepsea Challenge by James Cameron shows how a team built a special underwater vehicle. In it, Cameron traveled alone to Challenger Deep, the deepest part of the ocean.