The Learning Grid

Did you know that the sea covers 70 percent of the earth’s surface? And yet, we think of engineering as being concerned with land on the whole – cars, bridges, buildings and so on. But marine engineering is concerned with using one of our most important resources for the benefit of all.

Under the seabed, engineers explore for oil, gas and minerals and find ways of extracting these natural resources. On the surface, engineers design cruise liners, naval vessels and the container ships, which carry goods around the world. And back on shore, they build and maintain machinery for boats and ships and for off-shore platforms and pipelines, playing their part in keeping us all lit, warmed and moving!

Without them, we would have no fishing industry, we would have to work on TVs on a rota system because electricity would be rationed, and bananas would cost the earth because they’d have to be flown from the other side of the world rather than sent by ship.

The Engineering Council can help with more information.

'Institute of Marine Engineering, Science and Technology'