Graduation assignment – Partly submerged jacket crane suspended transport

Graduation assignment – Partly submerged jacket crane suspended transport at Heerema Marine Contractors

Have you got what it takes to increase operability and set new standards in the most severe marine environments?

A unique maritime adventure

Your role in the story
Are you a final-year student with a passion for offshore engineering and looking for a graduation assignment that makes real impact? Join us and become part of a team that works on complex and large-scale offshore projects within one of our engineering disciplines. Kick-start your career with a graduation project in the heart of Structural Engineering. As a graduation student, you’ll dive into a challenging assignment that contributes directly to our operations, innovation efforts, or future developments. You'll be guided by experienced engineers and exposed to the practical world of offshore engineering, from concept development to project execution.

What’s the challenge
This is an opportunity to work with a multi-disciplinary team to create an alternative mode of transport for heavy structures. Heerema Marine Contractors semi-submersible crane vessels have successfully transported many heavy structures by means of crane suspended transport. When the vessel is subjected to high waves, the resulting motions of the vessel will cause loads due to the pendulum behavior of the structure hanging in the crane(s). Therefore, we would like to determine the feasibility of a partly submerged jacket transport to stabilize the structure in the water during transport and thus reduce the loads and increase the workability.

Your mission & goals
Your goal will be to gain understanding about the accuracy of the existing methodologies used in the industry to determine loads involved in a crane suspended transport of a (submerged) structure and contribute to their improvement.

Key Research questions include:

• What are the (local) effects on the transported structure and how are they accurately determined?
• In which scenario(s) can submerged jacket crane suspended transports offer benefits over other methods of transport?
• What regulations are in place that can affect the decision to go for this transport concept?
• What properties or design decisions affect the operability?

What you’ll gain

• Hands-on experience and deeper knowledge in Finite Element Analysis (FEA)
• Exposure to real-world challenges in the offshore and heavy lift industry
• Practical skills in hydrodynamic modelling and offshore structural behavior

Is this you?

• You are currently pursuing or have recently completed an MSc (WO) in Offshore Technology, Maritime, Aerospace, Civil, or Mechanical Engineering
• You have a strong interest in safety, offshore structures, decommissioning techniques, and sustainability
• You have a background in FEM or structural analysis, with Python skills and a solid understanding of dynamics
• You have a good command of English, Dutch is a plus
• You are independent, analytical, and curious by nature

Practical Information

• Start date: flexible upon agreement, preference to start in September
• Duration: As per curriculum, minimum of 6 months
• Location: Leiden office

What we offer

• A challenging and meaningful assignment aligned with your study goals;
• Guidance from senior engineers and project leads;
• An innovative work environment with access to cutting-edge tools and infrastructure;
• A monthly internship allowance;
• Opportunities for future career steps within our company (internship as a stepping stone).

Ready to graduate with impact? Take the first step toward your offshore engineering career!

We are looking forward to hearing from you. We are interested in your CV, but we mainly want to find out more about your ambitions, your personality, and what is your motivation to succeed. So be sure to include a brief cover letter explaining why you are the perfect fit for this graduation assignment.

Make the impossible possible with Heerema. We’d love to meet you!

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