Offshore engineer

Offshore engineers find economical and environmentally safe ways to extract oil and gas from natural reservoirs beneath the seabed. They design offshore installations and drilling equipment, oversee drilling and are responsible for maximising production.

Also known as:

• Oil engineer

Work activities

Offshore engineers research, design, construct, operate and decommission (close down) offshore rigs, which are used to drill for gas and oil beneath the seabed. There are several different types of offshore engineer. Some offshore engineers design the offshore rigs. They have to understand the forces that affect the rig, such as wind, waves and strong currents. They build scale models of new or improved rig designs and use wave tanks to test them for safety and durability. Computer aided design (CAD) is the standard tool for designing rigs and refineries. Using CAD, offshore engineers design and build an installation on screen, and then use virtual reality to explore a three-dimensional model. Offshore engineers are then able to locate any problems and make sure that they are designed out before construction begins.

Highly skilled and experienced teams, which include exploration geologists and geophysicists, spend a long time carefully searching for reservoirs of oil and gas. Technology is vital to this process. For example, imaging technology on space telescopes has been adapted to decode information from the drill bit about which type of rock the drill is passing through. Offshore engineers can use satellite communications to monitor and operate wells from the other side of the world. Once an exploration well has struck oil or gas, reservoir engineers work with the teams and business managers to assess whether the quantity of oil or gas is large enough to justify full-scale commercial development of the field. Reservoir engineers are responsible for maximising oil or gas production. They also make sure production is economical.

Drilling engineers draw up plans for the drilling operations, taking account of costs and deadlines. They specify the drilling programme and plan the wells. They also supervise the drilling crew and are responsible for safety management and protecting the environment. Production engineers monitor the wells and recommend ways to increase the efficiency of the production. Oil and gas companies face high production costs, so there is a strong emphasis on greater energy efficiency.

Offshore engineers work on ways to eliminate loss, manage waste and reduce the amount of energy the process uses. If equipment breaks, the flow of gas or oil slows down, or any other problem comes up, the offshore engineer must react quickly to find and diagnose faults and get them repaired. Offshore engineers do not physically fix the problem themselves, instead they come up with creative, practical, economical and safe solutions, and then explain to technicians and craftspeople what they must do to make the repair. Some offshore engineers are also involved in using energy from wind, waves and currents. For example, they may design, construct and operate wave power energy generators. Offshore engineers may travel to overseas locations where exploration or drilling operations are taking place. Those offshore engineers on rigs must be prepared to tolerate living on the rig for long periods of time, in close contact with other staff. The weather can be harsh.

Personal qualities and skills

As an offshore engineer, you need:

• An interest in maths, technology and problem solving.
• To be able to combine strong technical knowledge with a creative, imaginative approach to solving problems.
• Patience and a logical, methodical approach to your work. Every oil or gas field is different, so you may be involved in long, careful investigations.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills to work in teams and to supervise others.
• The ability to communicate with many different types of people, from managers to machine operators.
• To be able to explain complex engineering ideas clearly and concisely to people who come from non-technical backgrounds.
• Good written skills to produce technical reports.
• Organisational skills, to help prioritise workload and plan other people’s activities (for example, other engineers, engineering technicians and operators).
• Quick-thinking leadership skills and the ability to motivate and encourage other people.

To be willing to keep up to date with advances in technology and ideas.

Pay and opportunities

According to the website Offshore Jobs UK, the average salary is £47,000 per year. However, you will start on significantly less than this.

Employers are oil and gas producing organisations and companies that provide support services to these organisations. Other employers include design consultancies, project management firms and classification societies, such as Lloyds Register Group. Opportunities for experienced offshore engineers occur in locations where oil and gas is extracted around the world.

What’s happening in this work area?

Employment levels are expected to fall over the coming decade, although not as rapidly as over the past few years. Jobs in these industries are still mainly held by men. They take almost nine in 10 jobs. The industry is looking to change this. Full time employees are expected to be the main casualty of future job losses.

Where are vacancies advertised?

Vacancies are advertised in local/national newspapers, trade industry publications, and on the Government’s Find a Job service. Vacancies can also be found through specialist engineering recruitment agencies, internet job boards and the websites of professional engineering bodies.

Entry routes and training 

Offshore engineers usually complete a relevant engineering degree, foundation degree or HND. Offshore engineers have backgrounds in almost all branches of engineering, including chemical, mechanical, marine, fuel and energy. A range of colleges and universities offer degrees in offshore engineering, including at postgraduate level. Graduates from non-engineering backgrounds, such as chemistry, geology and/or geophysics, physics, maths and computer science, can also become offshore engineers. For example, graduates in maths, chemistry, geology and physics may be recruited as drilling or production engineers.

Depending on their qualification, offshore engineers can progress by taking on more responsibility for the management of engineering projects.

Qualifications

For entry to a relevant degree course, the usual academic requirement is:

• Three A-levels, usually including maths and a science or technology subject, often physics.
• GCSEs in your A-level subjects at grades 9-4.
• A further two to three GCSEs at grades 9-4.
• English, maths and a science subject are usually required at GCSE at grades 9-4.

Other qualifications, such as a relevant Edexcel (BTEC) level 3 National or the International Baccalaureate (IN) diploma are often accepted.

Adult opportunities

Age limits: It is illegal for any organisation to set age limits for entry to employment, education or training, unless they can show there is a real need to have these limits.

If you don’t have the qualifications needed to enter your chosen degree or HND course, a college or university Access course (e.g. Access to Engineering) could be the way in. These courses are designed for people who have not followed the usual routes into higher education. No formal qualifications are usually needed, but you should check this with individual colleges.

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