Professional Diploma in Underwater Inspection and Repair
This professional diploma prepares you to assess and restore the integrity of submerged structures. You will study marine structures and their degradation, corrosion and cathodic protection, subsea non-destructive testing from visual inspection and ultrasonic thickness to ACFM and phased array, surface preparation and underwater cutting, wet and dry hyperbaric welding, pipeline and riser repair, concrete, port, dam and hull repairs, ROVs, AUVs, laser scanning and digital twins, and subsea integrity management with risk-based inspection.
Prior knowledge check
These are the skills this program gives you. Tick the ones you already master and we will tell you which part of the syllabus is for you.
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What is the Professional Diploma in Underwater Inspection and Repair?
This professional diploma gives you the technical foundation to inspect, diagnose and repair offshore platforms, wind turbine foundations, pipelines, risers, port piles, dams and ship hulls. You will learn how fatigue, corrosion, microbiologically influenced corrosion and biofouling attack submerged assets, how cathodic protection is measured and maintained, how visual, ultrasonic, magnetic particle, ACFM, radiographic and phased array testing are carried out under water and reported, how surfaces are cleaned and steel is cut, bolted and welded wet or in hyperbaric habitats, and how sleeves, composite wraps, spool pieces, hot tapping, underwater concrete and resin injection restore structures to service.
What sets this professional diploma apart: a complete inspection-to-repair workflow that follows the asset from first survey to quality-assured repair; dedicated coverage of the international standards used in the field, such as CSWIP, AWS D3.6M, IMCA and DNV-ST-F101; a full module on wet and dry hyperbaric welding, including procedure specifications and delayed hydrogen cracking control; specific repair methods for pipelines, risers, concrete structures, dams and hulls afloat (UWILD); up-to-date robotics and digital tools such as work-class ROVs, AUVs with synthetic aperture sonar, 3D laser scanning and digital twins; and a final project in which you prepare a full technical file for the inspection and repair of a damaged subsea asset.
Program highlights
- Corrosion and protection: marine degradation, MIC, biofouling and cathodic protection.
- Subsea NDT: visual, ultrasonic thickness, MT, ACFM, radiography and phased array.
- Underwater welding: wet SMAW, hyperbaric habitats, WPS and AWS D3.6M classes.
- Asset repairs: pipelines, risers, concrete, dams, piles and hulls afloat.
- Robotics and digital: work-class ROVs, AUVs, laser scanning and digital twins.
- Final project: a technical inspection and repair file for a damaged marine asset.
Syllabus of the Professional Diploma in Underwater Inspection and Repair
8 modules. Select a module to see its content.
Fundamentals of underwater inspection, marine structures and corrosion
- 1.1. Types of submerged structures: fixed, semi-submersible and spar offshore platforms, jackets, wind turbine monopiles, pipelines, port piles and vessel hulls
- 1.2. Degradation mechanisms at sea: fatigue from cyclic wave and current loads, cracking, mechanical impact, abrasion and hydrogen embrittlement
- 1.3. Electrochemistry of marine corrosion: corrosion cells, pitting, galvanic corrosion and microbiologically influenced corrosion (MIC)
- 1.4. Cathodic protection systems: sacrificial anodes and impressed current (ICCP), with electrochemical potential criteria (Ag/AgCl)
- 1.5. Biofouling: macro and micro fouling, assessment of growth density and underwater cleaning before inspection
- 1.6. International inspection criteria and standards: CSWIP 3.1U and 3.2U, AWS D3.6M, IMCA, DNV-ST-F101 and Lloyd's, ABS and RINA class rules
- 1.7. Operational safety in underwater inspection: risk assessment in submerged confined spaces, differential pressure (Delta P) and zero visibility
- 1.8. Types of marine structures and their defects
Underwater non-destructive testing (NDT)
- 2.1. Underwater visual inspection (VT): high-definition video cameras with balanced LED lighting, 3D photogrammetry and assessment of surface defects
- 2.2. Cathodic protection potential measurement (CP): submersible reference electrodes (Ag/AgCl), contact and proximity techniques
- 2.3. Ultrasonic thickness measurement (UT): calibrating subsea equipment, measuring through coatings (echo-to-echo) and detecting wall loss from internal corrosion
- 2.4. Magnetic particle inspection (MT): underwater electromagnetic yokes, fluorescent inks and ultraviolet light to detect surface cracks
- 2.5. Eddy current and ACFM inspection: alternating current field measurement to detect and size cracks through paint and thick coatings
- 2.6. Underwater radiography (RT) and phased array ultrasonics: characterizing welds and the internal integrity of tubulars and T, Y and K joints
- 2.7. Standardized inspection reporting, anomaly mapping, classification of findings and structural integrity data management
- 2.8. Ultrasonic thickness measurement
Surface preparation, cutting and underwater mechanical maintenance
- 3.1. Cleaning and surface preparation methods: ultra-high-pressure hydroblasting, hydraulic and pneumatic brushing and water jet cavitation
- 3.2. Thermal underwater cutting: exothermic electrode cutting (Broco), thermal lances and oxy-arc, the physics of the process and preventing explosive gas pockets (H2/O2)
- 3.3. Mechanical underwater cutting: diamond wire saws, diamond disc cutters, hydraulic guillotines and high-precision abrasive cutting
- 3.4. Bolting and tightening of submerged flanged joints: pneumatic and hydraulic impact wrenches, hydraulic stud tensioners and subsea torque wrenches
- 3.5. Fitting and renewal of sacrificial anodes: mechanical fixing with bolted clamps and underwater welding
- 3.6. Temporary sealing and leak plugging: packings, mechanical and inflatable stopples and quick-sealing patches on pressurized pipes
- 3.7. Lifting and installing mechanical components: lifting bags, constant-tension winches and subsea pipe alignment frames
- 3.8. High-pressure water jet cleaning
Wet and dry (hyperbaric) underwater welding
- 4.1. Physics and metallurgy of underwater welding: rapid quenching, hydrogen cracking, porosity and gas absorption in the weld metal
- 4.2. Wet shielded metal arc welding (SMAW): specially formulated waterproof electrodes, arc handling techniques and joint design
- 4.3. Welding procedure specifications (WPS) and welder qualification to AWS D3.6M (Classes A, B, O and C)
- 4.4. Direct current power sources, straight and reverse polarity, knife switches and equipment insulation to prevent electric shock
- 4.5. Dry welding in hyperbaric habitats: design of mini-habitats and alignment chambers, control of the internal atmosphere and steel preheating
- 4.6. Post-weld inspection and quality control: immediate and delayed (48-hour) non-destructive testing to detect delayed hydrogen cracking
- 4.7. Advances in automated underwater welding: robotic torches and orbital welding in hyperbaric repairs
- 4.8. Underwater welder qualification
Subsea pipeline and riser system repair
- 5.1. Anatomy and common failures of marine pipelines: dents, cracks, internal and external corrosion and movement caused by seabed currents
- 5.2. Repair with metal sleeves: bolted sleeves, wet-welded sleeves and epoxy grout-filled sleeves
- 5.3. Composite repair systems: underwater application of carbon or glass fiber impregnated with vinyl ester or epoxy resins
- 5.4. Spool piece renewal: measuring bends and lengths with 3D templates, cutting out the damaged section and connecting with mechanical (gripper or swage) connectors
- 5.5. Hot tapping and line plugging: drilling into pressurized pipelines without interrupting service
- 5.6. Maintenance and repair of risers and splash zones: elastomeric coatings (EPDM, Monel) and anti-corrosion protective jackets
- 5.7. Post-repair hydrostatic pressure testing, purging, drying and pigging to verify internal integrity
- 5.8. Clamps and temporary repairs
Repair of port civil works, dams and ship hulls
- 6.1. Inspection and diagnosis of submerged concrete structures: carbonation, leaching, reinforcement corrosion and sulfate attack
- 6.2. Underwater resin injection: expanding polyurethanes and underwater-curing epoxies to seal cracks in dams and piles
- 6.3. Formwork and underwater concreting: tremie pipes, anti-washout admixtures and concrete jackets for pile encasement
- 6.4. Inspection and repair of hulls afloat (UWILD, underwater inspection in lieu of drydocking): propeller cleaning, polishing and rudder repair
- 6.5. Temporary and permanent hull repairs: cofferdams for dry repairs below the waterline
- 6.6. Maintenance of propulsion and steering components: replacing propeller shaft seals afloat, straightening blades and changing azimuth thrusters
- 6.7. Rehabilitation of steel sheet piling, mooring sinkers, mooring chains and oil terminal infrastructure (SPM and CBM)
- 6.8. Pile and quay repair
Robotic technologies (ROVs and AUVs), automated tools and digitalization
- 7.1. Integration of work-class ROVs: hydraulic articulated manipulators (5 and 7 functions) for inspection and torque tasks
- 7.2. Specialized ROV-mounted tools: cavitation cleaning skids, high-capacity cable cutters and resin injectors powered by the ROV
- 7.3. Inspection with autonomous underwater vehicles: high-resolution photogrammetric mapping, synthetic aperture sonar (SAS) and automatic anomaly detection with artificial intelligence
- 7.4. 3D surveying and underwater laser scanning: high-precision point clouds for reverse engineering of damaged components
- 7.5. Data clouds and digital twins of subsea assets: integrating NDT inspection history to analyze remaining service life
- 7.6. Remote teleoperation of inspection ROVs from shore via satellite or 4G and 5G
- 7.7. Hybrid surface-subsea marine drones for faster inspection of splash zones and offshore wind structures
- 7.8. Underwater photogrammetry
Subsea integrity management (SIM) and integrated project
- 8.1. Risk-based inspection (RBI) applied to oil fields and marine structures
- 8.2. Developing short, medium and long-term inspection and maintenance plans (IMP) to optimize OPEX
- 8.3. Failure mode and effects analysis (FMEA and FMECA) in underwater inspection and repair systems
- 8.4. Marine and surface support logistics: diving support vessels, DP2 and DP3 dynamic positioning vessels, integrated diving systems and marine work permits
- 8.5. Environmental management in subsea repair operations: recovery of cutting and welding waste, mitigation of biodegradable hydraulic fluid spills and underwater noise control
- 8.6. Cost analysis (CAPEX and OPEX), downtime estimation and technical and economic comparison of repair options (wet, hyperbaric or full renewal)
- 8.7. Presentation of the integrated project
- 8.8. Integrated project: a complete technical file for the inspection, failure diagnosis and subsea repair plan of a damaged marine asset (pipeline, platform pile or ship hull), including NDT method selection, repair procedure (cutting, welding or sleeving), job safety and FMEA risk matrices, vessel and equipment logistics and a QA/QC plan
Duration and format of the Professional Diploma in Underwater Inspection and Repair
It is 800 hours. Tell us how many you can study each week and we will tell you when you will really finish.
This is the pace at which most students finish. It fits well with the installment plan.
Academic leadership and faculty
The Navalis teaching team: working professionals who teach and supervise the programs.
Dr. Marina AlcoverAcademic Director and Head of Quality Assurance
Eng. Diego CifuentesSenior Lecturer in Naval Welding and Non-Destructive Testing; Head of QA/QC for Welded Joints
Capt. Javier Abaroa (MCA)Senior Lecturer in Ship Handling, Electronic Navigation (ECDIS/Radar/ARPA) and GMDSS; STCW Compliance and Bridge Resource Management Coordinator
Dr. Pau FerrerSenior Lecturer in Naval Architecture and Simulation; Director of the Hydrodynamics and CFD Laboratory
Dr. Nuria LlobregatSenior Lecturer in Marine Meteorology, SAR and Operational Safety; Navigation Risk Management Coordinator
Eng. Javier BañulsSenior Lecturer in Electrical Engineering, Automation and ETO Engineering; Electronic Integration and Engine Alarms Coordinator
Eng. Sofía MarquinaSenior Lecturer in Materials, Composites and Corrosion Protection; Coordinator of the Advanced Paints and Coatings Line
Eng. Tomás RieraSenior Lecturer in Propulsion, Alternative Energy and Hybrid Systems; Energy Performance and Vibration CoordinatorObjectives of the Professional Diploma in Underwater Inspection and Repair
Career opportunities after the Professional Diploma in Underwater Inspection and Repair
Questions about the Professional Diploma in Underwater Inspection and Repair
Offshore platforms and jackets, wind turbine monopiles, pipelines and risers, subsea cables, port piles and quays, dams, mooring systems and ship hulls afloat.
Yes. It is delivered online with live and recorded classes, downloadable materials and tutor support, so you can combine it with your work.
No. Navalis Institute teaches the content behind these schemes, including CSWIP inspection grades and AWS D3.6M weld classes. Those qualifications are issued by their own certification bodies after practical tests.
Visual inspection, cathodic protection potential measurement, ultrasonic thickness, magnetic particle inspection, ACFM, underwater radiography and phased array ultrasonics, together with standardized reporting.
Yes. A full module covers work-class ROVs and their tooling, AUVs with synthetic aperture sonar, 3D laser scanning, photogrammetry, remote teleoperation and digital twins of subsea assets.
No. Engineers, inspectors and port works supervisors can also join; the course gives you the knowledge to plan, supervise and evaluate inspection and repair work, whether or not you dive yourself.
Through case studies and practical exercises in each module and a final project: a full technical file for the inspection, diagnosis and repair of a damaged pipeline, platform pile or ship hull.
A Navalis Institute professional diploma certifying the 800 hours of the program, together with the technical file you prepare in the final project.
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Admission process
No waiting for a call back. If your documents are in order, you can enroll in the same session.
- Profile: a degree in engineering (civil, mechanical, naval or similar), marine sciences or an equivalent technical qualification, or a professional diving qualification with proven underwater work experience; prior knowledge of underwater welding, NDT or underwater imaging is a plus.
- Language: sufficient command of English to follow the classes and the technical documentation.
- Technical resources: a computer with broadband internet, an up-to-date browser, a PDF viewer, microphone and headphones.
- Admission: online application, review of your profile and a short interview with the academic team.
- 01ApplicationYour details, background and documents.
- 02Instant reviewWe check that everything is complete and in order.
- 03EnrollmentChoose full payment or instalments and reserve your place.
Admission is provisional until the committee validates the documents provided. If you do not meet the requirements, the full amount is refunded.
Ask us before you enroll
Leave your details and admissions will write to you to answer any questions. If you are already sure, you can apply and pay in the same session.