What is Marine Technology?

Marine technology is the application of science and engineering knowledge, tools, and techniques to the understanding and use of the marine environment. Its scope is much wider than just the marine environment, however, because the ocean's impacts extend throughout the global environment.

Overview of the Branches of Marine Technology
Marine technology deals directly with the marine environment but, by its very nature, has global implications as well. It is a broad field with many branches, and it intersects widely with other branches of technology, such as environmental management, resource extraction, transportation, construction, communication, and recreation. The 6 major branches of marine technology are:

• Resource extraction activities
• Transportation activities
• Military activities
• Exploration and research activities
• Human-environment interface activities
• Multi-purpose activities

Branches of Marine Technology

A. Resource Extraction Activities

1. Fishing
2. Mariculture/Aquaculture
3. Husbandry and aquarium technology
4. Food extraction and processing
5. Drug extraction and processing
6. Biotechnology
7. Mineral extraction
   1. oil, gas, sand and gravel, diamonds, salt, other
8. Water extraction
   1. fresh water via desalination
   2. salt water for cooling and heating
   3. salt water for aquariums
9. Energy extraction
   1. wave energy
   2. tidal energy
   3. thermal energy
10. Extraction of other industrial commodities
    1. kelp and other sea vegetation
    2. guano and other fertilizers
11. Ocean dumping
    1. sewage
    2. solid waste
    3. toxic waste

B. Transportation Activities

1. Ship and boat design
   1. naval architecture
   2. design of marine propulsion systems
2. Ship and boat construction
3. Ship and boat maintenance
4. Shipping
5. Harbor and port operations
6. Piloting
7. Dredging
8. Salvage operations

C. Military Activities

1. Development, operation, and maintenance of equipment, such as satellites, aircraft, surface vessels, submarine vehicles
2. Monitoring and predicting the marine atmosphere, the sea surface, the subsurface, and coastal environments
3. Monitoring and predicting human activities in the marine and coastal environment
4. Military diving and salvage

D. Exploration And Research Activities

1. Surveying
   1. sea floor surveys
   2. satellite measurements of sea surface
   3. resource (e.g., oil and gas) surveys
   4. scientific surveying and sampling (e.g., biological, geological, chemical, archeological, paleontological)
2. Scientific and industrial experimentation
3. Submarine vehicles
   1. submersibles
   2. remotely operated vehicles (ROVs)
   3. autonomous unmanned vehicles (AUVs)
4. Commercial and research diving

E. Human-Environment Interface Activities

1. Marine construction
2. Coastal construction
3. Environmental monitoring
4. Environmental modeling and forecasting
   1. wave and surf modeling
   2. marine weather prediction
   3. prediction of currents
   4. determining shipping routes
   5. predicting pollutant dispersal
5. Marine and coastal environmental protection
6. Ocean hazards mitigation
   1. natural hazards (e.g., waves, storm surges, red tides)
   2. human-caused hazards (e.g., pollution)
7. Erosion Control
8. Flood control
9. Salt water intrusion control
10. Recreation
    1. recreational cruises
    2. coastal tourism
    3. environmental interpretation
    4. recreational equipment design and manufacture
    5. diving
    6. sport fishing

F. Multi-Purpose Activities

1. Communication
   1. submarine cables
   2. satellites
   3. fiber-optics
   4. acoustics
2. Navigation
   1. bathymetric charting
   2. global positioning systems (GPS)
   3. electronic charts
   4. radar technology
   5. acoustic technology
3. Satellite technologies
   1. environmental monitoring
   2. navigation
   3. communication
4. Data management and analysis
   1. geographic information systems (GIS)
   2. database management
   3. data visualization
   4. computer modeling
5. Computers
   1. design
   2. operation
   3. maintenance and repair
   4. programming
6. Electronics
   1. design
   2. operation
   3. maintenance and repair

Employers
It has been estimated that there may be over one million marine technicians employed nationwide. They may work on board a ship at sea, on an oil drilling platform, under the ocean in a submarine, or in an inland laboratory.

Employers of marine technicians are just as diverse: the government, public companies, and research institutes all require their services. The following examples illustrate this broad field of employment:

• National Defense
  Over 200,000 marine technicians support the U.S. national defense. They design, build, operate, maintain, and upgrade ships, submarines, aircraft, weapon systems, weather and oceanographic data collection systems, military communication and satellite systems, and special forces equipment. Employers include all of the major military shipyards and bases, large corporations such as Hughes, Lockheed-Martin, Northrop-Grumman, IBM, Raytheon, and TRW, and hundreds of smaller companies.
  
  
• Transportation
  Over 30,000 marine technicians are involved in U.S. Commerce. They are the key behind all international shipping operations ranging from vessel procurement and outfitting to operations on the high seas. Marine technicians build commercial cargo and passenger ships and are involved with all aspects of vessel, marine terminal, and port operations. Employers include over 350 shipyards, vessel manufacturers and repair facilities, 600 regional passenger ship operations, and thousands of companies supporting U.S. ports.
  
  
• Energy and exploration
  Marine technicians support oil and gas research, exploration, extraction, processing, and sub-sea piping. Support activities include offshore platform and offshore production system construction, operations, and maintenance. Employers include all of the major oil companies (e.g., Shell, Texaco, Amoco, and Mobil) as well as over 2,000 support contractors providing hardware and services to the industry. In exploration along, over 135 geophysical survey vessels are employed by U.S. companies, each with ten to twenty-five technicians.
  
  
• Telecommunications
  Marine technicians support international and regional fiber-optic undersea communications systems installation, maintenance, and operations. Employers include communications companies such as AT&T, Cable & Wireless, Ltd., Alcatel Submarine Networks, Inc., and numerous offshore operations companies, such as General Offshore Corporation and Oceaneering Technologies, Inc., which provide hardware, installation, and maintenance services.

Future trends:
According to the Sea Technology Buyers Guide 1996-1997, one of the biggest problems facing Gulf of Mexico workboat owners is the lack of qualified crews to staff vessels. That need is evident in other industries as well: Oceaneering Technologies, Inc., a firm specializing in deep-sea search and salvage, has indicated a difficulty finding qualified technicians. When companies cannot find qualified marine technicians, they must invest in intensive recruitment and education programs to satisfy their needs.

Skilled marine technicians are in demand by industry, government agencies, the research community, consulting firms, and many other employers. That need will continue to grow as ocean exploration, the nation's reliance on marine resources, and technological advances continue. This can be seen in many sectors of the economy, as evidenced by the following examples:

• Application of land-based technologies to the marine environment
  Technical and engineering problems often arise when land-based engineering concepts, technologies, and facilities are applied to the marine environment. The successful resolution of these problems requires the intensive involvement of well-educated marine technicians, knowledgeable in both basic science and engineering concepts, and in their application to the marine environment.
  
  
• Telecommunications
  The installation of the first transoceanic fiber-optic cable system in 1988 was accompanied by predictions that the system would not be filled to capacity for at least ten years. However, capacity was reached within only eighteen months. Currently, eight trans-Atlantic fiber-optic cable systems connecting Europe and North America are either in operation or under construction.
  
  
• Commercial fishing and aquaculture
  The fisheries market is ripe with opportunities for providers of technologically advanced products and services. Richard Martin, publisher of several fishing industry newsletters, states, in Commercial Fishing, Aquaculture Look to Technology for Answers, Solutions, that "many in the [fishing] industry believe that the biggest impact on fisheries businesses will come as a result of emerging technology in the communications field. Pair that will the satellite-based electronics for shipboard use, and you find a real technological revolution sweeping the world's fishing fleets." Aquaculture also shows a trend towards the use of technology. As this industry expands in response to the increasing worldwide demand for seafood, the need for technicians who can develop and work with sophisticated water quality equipment and other aquaculture technology will grow.
  
  
• Remote Sensing
  This field, which involves data collection by a system removed from what is being observed (e.g., via aircraft, satellite, sonar systems), is expanding rapidly. Ocean circulation, currents, and waves are observed remotely more and more frequently, providing valuable data to researchers and industry users. New demands for improved measurements and transmission will require more sophisticated equipment and individuals capable of operating it.
  
  
• Government assessment, management, and regulation
  Federal agencies that require marine technicians include the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration, the U.S. Geological Survey, the Department of Energy, the Environmental Protection Agency, the Minerals Management Service, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, and the Navy. That need extends to the state level as well. For instance, the state of Louisiana has undertaken a multi-billion dollar coastal restoration project for the next several years which will be that state's biggest government project in years; the potential for employing marine technicians in that project is significant.
  
  These examples are indicative of the future outlook for employment of marine technicians. The need for qualified technicians is real, and it spans a broad spectrum of industries and work environments. The overall job market for marine technicians is not likely to be saturated in the foreseeable future.

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