On land, petroleum engineers evaluate how much a reservoir can produce and determine the best way to recover as much of that oil and gas as possible. At sea, subsea engineers do exactly the same thing, with one crucial difference: their oil and gas is trapped beneath an ocean. And then, just like their land-based counterparts, there’s still drilling to be done.
Subsea engineering is a specialization within petroleum engineering and some subsea engineers may have additional specialization including drilling, production or reservoir analysis due to marine production facilities generally being located far from land and additional support and expertise on site.
I'm interested in a career in
- Sub-sector Offshore, Exploration and production, Oil and gas services
- Environment Primarily indoor/office work
- Education Post-secondary degree
- Career Demand Limited
In this occupation, activities may include:
- Coordinating data gathering, design-drafting and associated supporting information for drawings.
- Monitoring and forecasting oil and gas reservoir performance and recommending oil recovery techniques which extend the economic life of wells
- Designing and selecting artificial lift machinery, and well and surface production equipment and systems
- Designing, developing and co-ordinating the installation, maintenance and operation of subsea well-head and production equipment
- Developing specifications for and monitoring and supervising well modification and stimulation programs
- Analyzing reservoir rock and fluid data to design optimum recovery methods and to predict reservoir performance and reserves
- Monitoring and forecasting oil and gas reservoir performance and recommending oil recovery techniques which extend the economic life of wells
- Supervising technicians, technologists and other engineers
Education
- A bachelor’s degree in mechanical or civil engineering or in a related engineering discipline is required.
Licensing
- Licensing by a provincial or territorial association of professional engineers is required to approve engineering drawings and reports and to practise as a Professional Engineer (P.Eng.).
- Engineers are eligible for registration following graduation from an accredited educational program, and after three or four years of supervised work experience in engineering and passing a professional practice examination.
Additional Requirements
- Depending on the company and responsibilities, typical requirements may include:
- Experience with engineering software applications such as SFRAME, STAAD, RISA
- Extensive knowledge of all relevant codes and standards
- Specific health and safety certifications may be required, determined by location of work and company requirements. Marine work in general includes:
- Basic Survival Training
- Helicopter Underwater Escape Training (HUET)
- Helicopter Underwater Emergency Breathing Apparatus (HUEBA)
- Marine Emergency Duties (MED)
- Offshore Medical
- Workplace Hazardous Materials Information System (WHMIS)
- First Aid/CPR
- H2S Alive
- Minimal or no travel
- Primarily indoor/office work
- Work not physically demanding
- Work away from home/in camps
- Application of Engineering Design and Technology
- Security of People and Property
- Laws and Regulations
- Mathematics
- Mechanical Engineering
- Physics
- Production and Processing
- Preventative Maintenance
- Equipment Selection
- Managing Finances
- Quality Control Analysis
- Systems Evaluation and Analysis
- Complex Problem Solving
- Professional Judgment and Decision Making
- Troubleshooting
- Attention to Detail
