CourseCivil, Rail & Smart Cities Applications open

Course on Urban Maritime Works (Docks, Breakwaters)

Online course of 300 hours in urban maritime works (breakwaters and groynes). 6 modules covering maritime works in the city, marine actions, rubble-mound breakwaters, vertical breakwaters and groynes, and construction and maintenance, applying ROM 0.0-01, ROM 1.0-09 and ROM 0.2-90 with SMC and MIKE 21, with an assigned technical tutor.

Duration3 months
ModeOnline
LanguageEnglish
Start datesSet by the faculty
AwardSEIUM Institute certificate
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Learning outcomes

What you will be able to do

01

Identify the types of maritime works in urban environments.

02

Determine the design marine actions.

03

Carry out the preliminary sizing of rubble-mound breakwaters using recognised formulae.

04

Check the stability of vertical breakwaters and groynes.

05

Plan the construction and maintenance of maritime works.

06

Apply the Recommendations for Maritime Works (ROM).

07

Develop the preliminary design of an urban maritime work.

Profile

Who it's for

  • Maritime works engineers.
  • Maritime site managers.
  • Port designers.
  • Port authority technicians.
  • Inspectors of breakwaters and shelter works.
  • Coastal engineering consultants.
  • Engineering or science graduates seeking to join port authorities.
Standards & tools

What you'll work with

  • ROM 0.0-01 (general procedure and design bases for maritime and port works)
  • ROM 1.0-09 (design and construction of breakwaters and shelter works)
  • ROM 0.2-90 (actions in the design of maritime and port works)
  • EurOtop (2018) (manual on wave overtopping)
  • The Rock Manual (CIRIA C683) (use of rock in hydraulic engineering)
  • Law 22/1988 (Spanish Coastal Law)
  • Royal Decree 1627/1997 (minimum health and safety requirements on construction sites)
  • Law 21/2013 (environmental assessment)
  • SMC (Coastal Modelling System)
  • MIKE 21
  • Breakwat
  • AutoCAD Civil 3D
  • SWAN
Syllabus

6 modules

  1. 1.1Types of urban maritime works
  2. 1.2Waterfronts and promenades
  3. 1.3Breakwaters in urban docks
  4. 1.4Groynes and their role on urban beaches
  5. 1.5Quays, pontoons and slipways
  6. 1.6Recommendations for Maritime Works (ROM)
  7. 1.7Design life and safety level
  8. 1.8Interaction with public use
  9. 1.9Landscape integration of the scheme
  10. 1.10Case study: analysis of an urban waterfront
  1. 2.1Mean and extreme maritime climate
  2. 2.2Wave propagation to the structure
  3. 2.3Breaking, refraction and diffraction
  4. 2.4Design water levels and tides
  5. 2.5Sea-level rise
  6. 2.6Forces on vertical breakwaters: Goda
  7. 2.7Overtopping and admissible discharges
  8. 2.8Toe scour
  9. 2.9Actions on piles
  10. 2.10Practical exercise: design wave height in a dock
  1. 3.1Parts of the breakwater: core, filters and armour layers
  2. 3.2Armour units: rock and concrete blocks
  3. 3.3Cubes, tetrapods and Accropodes
  4. 3.4Stability with Hudson and Van der Meer
  5. 3.5Filter sizing
  6. 3.6Toe berm and protection
  7. 3.7Crown walls and crest level
  8. 3.8Failure modes
  9. 3.9Physical model tests
  10. 3.10Workshop: preliminary sizing of a rubble-mound breakwater
  1. 4.1Caisson breakwaters and their construction
  2. 4.2Stability against sliding and overturning
  3. 4.3Composite breakwaters and berms
  4. 4.4Permeable and perforated breakwaters
  5. 4.5Design of beach groynes
  6. 4.6Length, spacing and orientation
  7. 4.7T-shaped and L-shaped groynes
  8. 4.8Alternative materials and geotextiles
  9. 4.9Effects on coastal dynamics
  10. 4.10Lab: stability check of a caisson
  1. 5.1Maritime construction procedures
  2. 5.2Marine and land-based plant
  3. 5.3Quarries and rock armour supply
  4. 5.4Manufacture and placement of blocks
  5. 5.5On-site quality control
  6. 5.6Occupational safety in maritime works
  7. 5.7Inspection and monitoring of breakwaters
  8. 5.8Repair of storm damage
  9. 5.9Environmental impact of the works
  10. 5.10Case study: repair of a breakwater after a storm
  1. 6.1Definition of the problem and site
  2. 6.2Maritime climate study
  3. 6.3Structural type alternatives
  4. 6.4Preliminary structural sizing of the works
  5. 6.5Overtopping and functionality check
  6. 6.6Construction procedure and plant
  7. 6.7Budget and schedule
  8. 6.8Impact study and monitoring plan
  9. 6.9Report and presentation
  10. 6.10Final project: final review with your tutor
Methodology, software & labs

How you'll learn

100% online training on the SEIUM campus, with downloadable material, recorded classes and an assigned technical tutor. No fixed timetables: you progress at your own pace within the intake, so it fits around your work.

Each module combines theory, guided reading of the original standard and applied exercises. The working software is SMC (Coastal Modelling System), MIKE 21, Breakwat, AutoCAD Civil 3D and SWAN, in free, academic or evaluation versions. Tests are studied on real procedures for preliminary sizing of rubble-mound and vertical breakwaters, overtopping and stability calculations and construction planning of maritime works. Assessment is continuous per module, plus the final project.

Standards covered: ROM 0.0-01, ROM 1.0-09, ROM 0.2-90, EurOtop (2018), The Rock Manual (CIRIA C683), Law 22/1988, Royal Decree 1627/1997, Law 21/2013.

Assigned technical tutor:every module ends with a deliverable that your tutor marks individually.
Standards-based learning:guided reading of ROM 0.0-01, ROM 1.0-09 and ROM 0.2-90 applied to real cases, not as a theoretical annex.
Industry software:SMC (Coastal Modelling System), MIKE 21, Breakwat, AutoCAD Civil 3D and SWAN, in free, academic or evaluation versions.
Final project:the preliminary design of a real urban maritime work, from maritime climate to construction procedure and budget, reviewed by your tutor.
Flexible format:100% online, no fixed timetables, compatible with full-time work.
Capstone project

Build it end to end

Your final project follows the real engineering workflow, step by step, reviewed by your tutor.

Define problem and site
Define the problem and site and carry out the maritime climate study.
Compare structural types
Formulate structural type alternatives for the works.
Size and check the works
Carry out the preliminary structural sizing and check overtopping and functionality.
Plan construction
Define the construction procedure and plant, budget, schedule and monitoring plan.
Final project
Present the preliminary design report of the urban maritime work, reviewed by your tutor.
Career opportunities

Where this takes you

Maritime works engineerMaritime site managerPort designerPort authority technicianBreakwater inspectorCoastal engineering consultant
Admissions & scholarships

Requirements

  • No prior qualification is required.
  • An internet connection and a computer capable of running the programme software.
  • English sufficient to read technical standards.

Ready to start?

Send your application today. Our admissions team replies within 72 hours with your study plan and funding options.

FAQ

Frequently asked questions

The programme totals 300 hours over 3 months. You set your own pace within each intake, and your tutor helps you plan the workload around your job.

You work with SMC (Coastal Modelling System), MIKE 21, Breakwat, AutoCAD Civil 3D and SWAN, using free, academic or evaluation versions. Your tutor indicates the free alternative wherever one exists.

A SEIUM Institute certificate, awarded on passing the continuous assessment and the final project. It is SEIUM's own qualification, not an official state degree; its recognition depends on the programme completed and the regulations of each country.

Yes. Modules passed are recognised in a higher programme in the same area (postgraduate diploma or master's). Ask about the recognition policy when you enrol.

No prior qualification is required; you need an internet connection, a computer able to run the programme software and English sufficient to read technical standards.

Start dates are set by SEIUM's faculty for each intake. Our admissions team will confirm the next available date when you apply.

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