A group of 10 Japanese students, who are spending a month studying at Robert Gordon University (RGU) as part of a respected international development programme funded by the Nippon Foundation Innovation Consortium, are gaining an invaluable insight into the subsea sector during a course at The Underwater Centre in Fort William.
The students are taking part in an ‘Introduction to Subsea Operations’, a four-day course which combines classroom lectures with practical demonstrations including ROV piloting and an overview of diving operations.
The course will allow the students to experience what it is really like working in a subsea environment by flying an ROV and diving in surface supplied equipment.
Candidates will gain first-hand experience on the course thanks to the extensive diving and ROV operations on site in Fort William.
Melissa Donald, project manager for the summer school from RGU’s School of Engineering, commented: “This is a fantastic opportunity for the students to gain a real, hands-on insight into the subsea sector.
“We are excited to be working once again with the staff at The Underwater Centre, and this short course really showcases their impressive facilities at the Fort William site. We are confident that the exposure to the practical elements of the course, will benefit the students greatly and will be as close to a working environment as they can possibly get.”
Steve Ham, The Underwater Centre’s commercial director commented on this visit, saying: “We are delighted to be hosting the students from Nippon Foundation Ocean Innovation Consortium programme this year. Whilst with us they will receive an Introduction to Subsea Operations including a dive in commercial diving equipment within our large onshore tank, and some hands-on time flying ROVs.
“We really hope this course will deepen the students’ appreciation of subsea operations and help them to further their careers.”
This year the School of Engineering designed an enhanced Summer School programme to train the Japanese students in offshore oil and gas development with a specific focus on subsea engineering.
The students, from seven different universities across Japan, have a full programme which includes modules led by RGU staff on subsea engineering, oil and gas exploration, and drilling and well engineering.
Students will attend master classes conducted by internal RGU experts and industrial speakers, as well as having the opportunity to use a drilling simulator situated on the RGU campus.
In their final week students will visit the SPE Offshore Europe Conference & Exhibition at the Aberdeen Exhibition and Conference Centre.
