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Master’s degree · Marine energy

Master's in Robotic Maintenance of Offshore Wind Farms

This master's programme prepares you to plan and manage the inspection and robotic maintenance of offshore wind farms. You will work with drones, ROVs, crawlers and condition data, with dedicated modules on maintenance logistics, availability and costs.

100% online1,500 hours11 modulesTaught in EnglishEnrol any time

What is this programme?

This master's programme prepares you to plan and manage the inspection and robotic maintenance of offshore wind farms. It covers fixed and floating wind turbines and the use of aerial drones, underwater vehicles and climbing robots on blades, towers, foundations and cables.

The programme includes non-destructive testing techniques, data analysis and predictive maintenance, and also addresses safety, offshore logistics and the economic feasibility of these solutions.

Programme highlights

  • Know the asset: command of the components of the offshore wind turbine.
  • Inspect with robots: application of drones, ROVs and climbing robots.
  • Detect damage: use of non-destructive testing and computer vision.
  • Anticipate failures: implementation of data-driven predictive maintenance.
  • Advance your career with developers, operators, contractors and robotics companies.
  • The end goal: maintaining offshore wind with greater safety, less risk and better data.

Study plan

01Fundamentals of Offshore Wind136 h
Evolution of the sector, wind turbine components, fixed foundations, floating platforms and moorings, inter-array and export cables, offshore substations, the wind farm life cycle, met-ocean conditions, technical standards and technology trends.
02Offshore Operation and Maintenance136 h
Maintenance strategies (corrective, preventive and predictive), common failure modes, availability and production, turbine access, operation and maintenance vessels, weather windows, logistics and spare parts, O&M costs and performance indicators.
03Robotics for Offshore Environments136 h
Overview of offshore robotics, requirements of the marine environment, aerial drones, unmanned surface vehicles, ROVs, AUVs, climbing and contact robots, robots inside the nacelle, levels of autonomy and technology readiness.
04Blade Inspection and Repair136 h
Types of damage, leading-edge erosion, lightning strikes, visual inspection with drones, thermography, contact inspection, robotic repair, protective coatings, data management and repair prioritisation.
05Towers, Foundations and Submerged Structures136 h
Corrosion in splash and submerged zones, cathodic protection, fatigue in welded joints, seabed scour, biofouling, ROV inspection, robotic cleaning, thickness measurement, inspection of floating moorings and transition pieces.
06Subsea Cables and Substations136 h
Cable types, common failures, burial inspection, AUV tracking, distributed fibre-optic sensors, cable protection, substation inspection, confined-space robots, cable repair and electrical risk management.
07Non-Destructive Testing and Sensors136 h
Fundamentals of NDT, ultrasonics, eddy currents, advanced visual inspection, sonar and bathymetry, LiDAR and photogrammetry, computer vision for damage detection, sensor calibration, data quality and certification requirements.
08Data, Digital Twins and Predictive Maintenance136 h
SCADA systems, condition monitoring, vibration analysis, machine learning for failure prediction, wind turbine digital twins, integration of inspection data, asset management systems, risk-based planning, cybersecurity and data-driven decision-making.
09Safety, Logistics and Robot Operation136 h
Risks of offshore work, reducing human exposure, risk analysis of robotic operations, launch and recovery from vessels, docking stations, remote operation from shore, communications within the wind farm, operating procedures, incident management and operator training.
10Economics, Contracting and Regulation136 h
Levelised cost of energy and of maintenance, cost-benefit analysis of robotisation, contracting models, warranties, liabilities, insurance, regulation of drones and autonomous marine vehicles, health and safety standards, sustainability and innovation through pilot projects.
11Final Project: Robotic Maintenance Plan for an Offshore Wind Farm136 h
Description of the wind farm, failure mode analysis, selection of robotic technologies, design of the inspection campaign, logistics and weather windows, data management plan, safety analysis, economic analysis, writing of the report and defence before a panel.

Duration and format

1,500hours in total
11modules of 136 hours
100%online, at your own pace
Openenrolment all year round

At 10 hours a week you would finish in about 150 weeks; at 20 hours a week, in about 75.

What you will learn

  • Understand offshore wind as a whole.
  • Choose the right robotic solutions for each need.
  • Plan inspection campaigns.
  • Apply inspection techniques.
  • Manage maintenance data.
  • Assess the technical and economic feasibility of projects.

Career outcomes

  • Offshore wind operation and maintenance engineer: planning and management of maintenance.
  • Head of robotic inspection: leading campaigns with drones, ROVs and robots.
  • Asset integrity engineer: control of structural risk.
  • Predictive maintenance analyst: data models and digital twins.
  • Robotics product engineer: adapting robots to the wind sector.
  • Offshore wind consultant: technical and economic advice.

Entry requirements

  • Profile: a degree in engineering (industrial, mechanical, electrical, naval, energy or similar), physics or a related field, or accredited professional experience in wind energy, offshore or inspection.
  • Language: sufficient command of the language of instruction to follow classes and materials. Basic technical English is recommended, since much of the sector's regulations and documentation is in English.
  • Technical resources: a computer with a stable connection, an up-to-date browser and a camera for live sessions and project presentations.
  • Process: online application, review of your profile and a short interview with the academic team. Admission is provisional until the committee validates your documentation.

How to enrol

Enrol online

Complete your enrolment on this page, or apply through admissions if you prefer to talk to us first.

Receive your access

We send you the details to enter the virtual campus and start the programme.

Study at your pace

Work through the modules when it suits you and complete the programme from anywhere in the world.

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