What’s it like working as a Naval Architect?

Naval Architects are primarily responsible for the safe design and construction of ships, yachts, submarines, offshore platforms and marine structures. As such, he/she is responsible for the strength, stability, speed, trim and weight of the vessel.

As a professional engineer, a Naval Architect will specialise in hydrostatics, hydrodynamics, structural engineering and structural arrangements. Naval Architects may also choose to specialise on one area, such as construction, conversion, or cargo handling. Some naval architects advise on the repair and maintenance of fleets, while others may also work in research.

What kind of work can I do?

Naval Architects must be able to plan and prepare designs – working with complex 3D computer modelling software – create designs that comply with international safety standards, coordinate projects, and advise on operation, maintenance and repair.

To operate efficiently, the Naval Architect must have an understanding of many branches of engineering.

Where can I work?

Independent marine engineering companies that design ships and marine structures employ Naval Architects, as do marine equipment suppliers. There may also be openings in defence firms that design and build warships and submarines.

Certain organisations, such as classification societies, fleet owners and flag states, employ naval architects as ship surveyors.

A Naval Architect creates the structures the industry needs to ply it’s day-to-day business.

Yap Chea Kim, Engineer (Naval Architecture)

Yap Chea Kim, an Engineer specialising in Naval Architecture at SembCorp Marine’s subsidiary Jurong Shipyard, will not give up even when the best plans do not work out according to his expectations. Instead, he stays positive and tweaks his plans, believing that he would eventually overcome the odds. ”I always believe that things will work out at the end if you set your mind to it and work towards your goal,” he says

This optimistic young man is certainly one that would not be detracted from his ambitions, even when the going is tough.

Chea Kim’s childhood dream has always been to be an engineer. Spurred on by this, he graduated in 1999 with a Bachelor’s degree in Naval Architecture and Offshore Engineering from the National Taiwan University. This was in the thick of the economic recession where there were limited job openings in the sector.

Unfazed, he put his plan of entering the marine and offshore industry on hold to take up another career, never doubting that he would one day make his dream come true. His patience finally paid off when the industry made a strong comeback a few years later and Chea Kim secured a position with Jurong Shipyard.

Today, Chea Kim applies his expertise in naval architecture to calculate and determine the safe operating specifications and parameters for various projects, from shipbuilding to rig building.

”Beyond calculations, I have to work closely with the production team to plan and map out processes to ensure that quality and safety of the operations are not compromised. I also meet up with my clients to discuss technical issues or handle their queries regarding procedures or calculations,” he says.

Every so often, Chea Kim will go onboard the vessels to survey their conditions before giving his approval for major operations or to verify the accuracy of his calculations.

Always seeking new challenges, he is looking forward to test, document and review the performance of one of his most interesting projects – an ultra-deepwater semi-submersible rig for oil drilling – in the open sea. All these different aspects of the job keep him enthusiastic and passionate, and he is delighted to be continually learning and improving.

With his plans coming together, Chea Kim looks all set for success in his chosen career.

By his own admission, Derrick Chin has always been a vigilant planner. He always sets time aside to lay careful plans and anticipate any problems that are likely to affect the results. ”Every problem has a solution!” Derrick readily asserts. ”I enjoy the challenge in coming up with the best way to resolve any problem, whether in my personal life or at work.” His can-do attitude is reflected in his work as a Senior Safety Manager in Jurong Shipyard, a subsidiary of SembCorp Marine.

Derrick has been a loyal employee with the shipyard for the past 13 years; the same company that granted him a scholarship for his Diploma in Shipbuilding and Offshore Engineering at Ngee Ann Polytechnic and a Bachelor degree in Naval Architecture and Offshore Engineering from Strathclyde University in Scotland, UK . For Derrick, the choice was clear. Upon his return to Singapore, he decided to work in the Safety Department. He says, ”When I was offered the position in the Safety Department, I was thrilled with the prospect of learning something new and applying my engineering knowledge from a safety perspective.”

Derrick now leads a team of over 20 engineers. He starts each day with them discussing the challenges in their projects and to make contingency plans for possible problems ahead. ”Some have this misconception that our work as safety personnel involves only clamping down on at-risk operations on site,” he reveals. In fact, safety goes beyond enforcement to encompass safety promotion as well as risk assessment to proactively prevent potential hazards in the workplace.

He acknowledges that it was challenging to foster a safety culture during the early years. However, through education and training, mindsets are changing. Safety is now a core value not only in his company, but the entire maritime industry today.

With the increasing emphasis on workplace safety, Derrick is pleased to see greater vigilance being adopted. At the heart of it all, it is the people that matter. ”Our main goal is to see everyone returning home safe from work to their families and loved ones,” he says.

SOURCE: Singapore Maritime Careers

How big is this sector?

There’s a wide range of varied employment opportunities throughout the world for Naval Architects and professional Naval Architects are often successful in top management posts in government, industry and commerce outside the maritime field.