Most engineering training programmes are described in terms of topics covered. This one is better described in terms of what you produce — because the work is the learning.
Over 10 weeks, participants in our Engineering Foundation Programme complete weekly exercises, marked quizzes, and a capstone project that replicates a real offshore certification package. By the end, they have a portfolio of worked problems, design calculations, and technical notes that demonstrate competence across the full scope of offshore structural engineering — from initial structural steel selection to final certification documentation.
This post describes exactly what the programme contains, week by week, with the standards it is built on.
Programme Structure
| Format | Detail |
|---|---|
| Duration | 10 weeks, consecutive |
| Sessions | 1 × 2-hour live instructor session per week (video call) |
| Pre-reading | Provided weekly — 15–25 pages, targeted at a working engineer |
| Quiz | Weekly, 25 minutes, auto-marked against answer key |
| Exercise | Weekly submission, marked against grading guide |
| Capstone | Week 10, individual submission, instructor-graded |
| Cohort size | 6–12 participants |
| Prerequisites | Mechanical or marine engineering degree (or equivalent), basic stress/strain literacy |
Week by Week: Content and Deliverables
Week 1 — Structural Fundamentals: From Theory to Real Geometry
Standards: BS 4-1:2020, EN 1993-1-1
Week 1 closes the gap between university structural mechanics and real offshore section selection practice.
Key concepts: Section type selection from BS 4-1, elastic and plastic section modulus, radius of gyration and slenderness, class limits for I-sections, self-weight in design action calculations.
Week 2 — Fatigue and Failure Modes
Standards: DNV-RP-C203
Week 2 is the most practically important week of the programme. It covers the failure modes that govern offshore structural life and the design code provisions that address them.
Key concepts: Stress range versus peak stress, the FAT class hierarchy (FAT 71 through FAT 125), S-N curve selection from DNV-RP-C203, the fatigue limit and its 2×10⁶ cycle reference, brittle fracture mechanism and the Charpy V-notch requirement, slope change at 5×10⁶ cycles.
Week 3 — Materials and Traceability
Standards: EN 10025-2, EN 10204, DNV-OS-E401
Week 3 covers steel materials for offshore structures — how to read mill certificates, how to verify grade and sub-grade, and how to manage the traceability chain from mill to fabrication to installation.
Key concepts: EN 10025-2 steel designation system (S = structural, 355 = ReH minimum, J/K sub-grade, number = impact energy at temperature), EN 10204 3.1 versus 3.2 inspection certificates, heat number traceability, the TML and hold point requirements for offshore material acceptance.
Week 4 — Welding: Procedures, Qualification, and Inspection
Standards: EN ISO 15614-1, ASME IX, DNV-RP-C203, ISO 5817
Week 4 addresses the weld qualification framework — how WPSs are qualified, what essential variables change qualification requirements, and how weld quality is verified and accepted.
Key concepts: Essential variables in weld qualification, WPS versus PQR versus WPQR, NDE method selection (RT, UT, MT, PT), acceptance criteria levels B and C for offshore service, the distinction between fatigue weld class (FAT) and procedure qualification class.
Week 5 — Bolted Connections
Standards: EN 1993-1-8, EN 14399
Week 5 covers the design of bolted connections in offshore structures — preloaded bolts in slip-critical connections, bolt group analysis under combined shear and tension, and the interaction between connection geometry and fatigue.
Key concepts: Preload and clamp load, slip-critical connection design, bolt group analysis under eccentric loading, fatigue classification of bolt groups.
Week 6 — Lifting and Rigging Engineering
Standards: DNV 2.7-1, DNV-RP-E301
Week 6 covers the engineering of lifting arrangements — sling load calculations, pad eye design, spreader beam analysis, and the regulatory framework for offshore lifting appliances.
Key concepts: Sling factor as a function of sling angle, lever principle for eccentric CoG, spreader beam analysis and load reduction quantification, pad eye failure modes (bracket yielding, weld shear, pin bearing), DAF selection for sheltered versus exposed water.
Week 7 — Pressure Systems
Standards: DNV-OS-E201, EN 13445, ASME BPVC Section VIII
Week 7 covers pressure vessel and pressure system design — thin-walled vessel stress, pressure-temperature ratings, and the offshore regulatory framework for pressure equipment.
Key concepts: Thin-wall versus thick-wall criteria (t/r ≤ 1/10), hoop stress derivation (σ_h = pd/2t), longitudinal stress, temperature derating of pressure ratings, relief valve sizing basis.
Week 8 — Non-Destructive Testing
Standards: ISO 9712, EN ISO 9712, DNV-OS-C401
Week 8 covers NDT methods, their physical bases, and their application to offshore fabricated structures — selection of the appropriate method for a given defect type, interpretation of NDE reports, and personnel qualification requirements.
Key concepts: Surface versus volumetric defects, MT and PT for surface-breaking defects, RT and UT for volumetric defects, weld accessibility constraints in offshore NDE, ISO 9712 personnel qualification levels.
Week 9 — Certification and Documentation
Standards: DNV 2.7-1, EN 12079-2
Week 9 addresses the certification process for offshore containers and structures — how the document package is assembled, what each mandatory document must contain, and how an auditor reviews it.
Key concepts: Type Approval versus Unit Certification, load case documentation (LC-1 lifting, LC-2 stacking, LC-3 fork-lift), calculation report traceability to standard clauses, the role of the Notified Body, ITP structure and hold/witness point requirements.
Week 10 — Capstone Project
Standards: DNV 2.7-1, EN 12079-2, DNV-RP-C203, EN ISO 15614-1, BS 4-1:2020
Week 10 is the programme’s summative assessment. Participants work independently on a complete offshore container structural assessment — all load cases, member checks, lifting arrangement, material verification, weld specification, and documentation.
Submission format: Structured calculation package, maximum 25 pages, PDF, with calculation sheets, isometric mark-ups, and technical note.
Standards Coverage
| Standard | Application |
|---|---|
| BS 4-1:2020 | Section properties, section selection |
| EN 10025-2 | Steel grade, mill certificates |
| EN 1993-1-1 | Elastic and plastic design, section classification |
| EN 1993-1-8 | Bolted connections |
| DNV-RP-C203 | Fatigue (S-N curves, FAT classes, cumulative damage) |
| EN ISO 15614-1 | Weld procedure qualification |
| ASME BPVC Section IX | Welder qualification |
| ISO 5817 | Weld acceptance criteria |
| DNV 2.7-1 / EN 12079 | Offshore container certification |
| DNV-OS-C401 | NDE and inspection requirements |
| ISO 9712 | NDE personnel qualification |
Instructors
All sessions are delivered by practising offshore structural engineers with minimum five years of relevant project experience. Instructors are involved in live offshore projects — they are not academic tutors without current practice. They wrote the worked examples and marking guides because they use this content in their daily work.
Certification
On completing all 10 weeks, participants receive a programme completion certificate with a competency summary covering each topic area. The certificate attests to completion of the programme and demonstrated competence in the assessment tasks. It is not an external professional qualification and is not accredited by any statutory engineering body.
Applications for the next cohort are open. Contact us to discuss team access pricing, in-house delivery for engineering groups of four or more, or custom scheduling.
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