Pipeline Engineer

Pipelines are of vital importance to the oil and gas industries, as they carry the oil and gas from the well under the sea to the oil rig at surface level. A Pipeline Engineer is involved in developing, designing and testing long-lasting, cost-effective pipelines which can withstand the operating conditions at increasing depths under the sea as well as meeting health and safety requirements.

The Work

You could be:

• designing, costing and testing pipeline components and fittings using a range of computer programs


• building a small scale model of a component, simulating the conditions it will have to withstand, observing its performance and analysing the result


• planning appropriate improvements to the design of the component, applying them and testing it all over again


• carrying out full-scale testing of the finished component


• after being involved with the component from the design stage through to implementation, writing an evaluation which will be useful in future projects


• spending some time offshore to liaise with suppliers, manufacturers and other engineers.

Conditions

• You spend most of your time sitting at a computer in a clean, comfortable office onshore.


• You go offshore for a few days at a time, travelling by helicopter, to oil and gas platforms or oil rigs. On oil rigs it can be cold, wet and stormy.


• You may do a lot of travelling all over the world, as you have to go where the project is.


• Companies often operate at a global level.


• Onshore, you work regular hours Monday-Friday. Offshore you may have to work irregular hours, including weekends.


• When offshore you would wear protective clothing and safety equipment such as gloves, boots and a helmet.

Getting In

• A degree in engineering is usually required.


• Robert Gordon University has a BEng Hons/MEng degree in Mechanical and Offshore Engineering. Entry requirements are 4 Highers at BBCC including maths plus physics or a technological subject.


• Other relevant degrees include Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering, Naval Architecture with Ocean Engineering, Maths or Physics. Entry requirements are usually 4 Highers including maths and physics, but check with individual institutions.

What Does It Take?

You need to have:

• excellent communication skills when dealing either with colleagues onshore or with staff offshore


• good problem solving skills


• an accurate and analytical approach


• initiative and self-reliance


• the ability to visualise practical workings from abstract design and to convey information in the form of sketches


• IT skills to use specialist design software


• a head for figures, both for using graphs, tables and diagrams and for keeping the project within budget


• assertiveness.

Training

• Most training is usually on-the-job and involves spending periods on offshore installations and observing people carrying out different related jobs.


• Relevant postgraduate qualifications are available at MSc, Diploma or Certificate level.


• With further training and experience you can become an Associate of the Institute of Mechanical Engineers, then a full member, and, finally, gain Chartered Engineer status.

Getting On

• You could move on to be the manager of a section or a department.


• Taking business qualifications such as an MBA might help.

Pay

The figures below are only a guide. Actual pay rates may vary, depending on:

• where you work


• the size of the company or organisation you work for


• the demand for the job.

More Information

Addresses

The following organisation(s) may be able to provide further information.