Dr Mike Lewus presents the IIMS Professional Qualification in Marine Corrosion live via Zoom in a series of ten online lectures, each lasting approximately 2 hours.
Who should study for this qualification?
The course is intended for marine surveyors of ships, yachts and small craft and offshore structures. It is also relevant for design engineers, material specifiers, other professional engineers and students of marine science and engineering. To gain the professional qualification, 7 of the 10 modules must be studied and passed to achieve the IIMS professional qualification. Assessment is by multiple-choice tests, with a pass mark of 70% required for each module.
Download the Professional Qualification in Marine Corrosion
The timetable of events is as follows:
1st December 2025: 10.00 – 12.00 (UK time)
Module 1 – The Marine Environment
(Core module to be taken by all students)
This module provides an extensive overview of the complex factors impacting maritime structures, vessels, and offshore installations. The module categorizes marine zones, including atmospheric, splash, tidal, submerged, and seabed environments, analysing their impact on metal degradation. It explores atmospheric corrosion processes, emphasizing the role of humidity, pollutants, and climatic conditions in accelerating metal deterioration. A significant portion is dedicated to seawater chemistry and its influence on corrosion, covering salinity, dissolved oxygen, temperature, pH, and biological activity. Forms of corrosion, such as galvanic, crevice, and pitting corrosion, are examined together with protection strategies using coatings and cathodic protection.
1st December 2025: 18.00 to 20.00 (UK time)
Module 2 – Ferrous and Non-Ferrous Alloys Used in the Marine Environment
(Core module to be taken by all students)
This module provides an extensive exploration of the various metallic materials employed in shipbuilding, smaller vessels and offshore structures. It begins by classifying ferrous alloys, including carbon steels, stainless steels, and high-strength low-alloy (HSLA) steels, detailing their properties, applications, and production processes. An in-depth look at steel processing covers deoxidation methods, heat treatment techniques, and the impact of microstructure on material performance.
3rd December 2025: 10.00 to 12.00 (UK time)
Module 3 – Forms of Corrosion Affecting Metals Used in the Marine Environment
(Core module to be taken by all students)
This module provides an in-depth exploration of the corrosion mechanisms that degrade metal alloys used in maritime applications. It begins with the fundamentals of marine corrosion, highlighting electrochemical reactions, cathode-anode relationships, and the influence of environmental factors such as differential aeration and pH changes. The module then categorizes the primary forms of corrosion, including uniform attack, bimetallic (galvanic) corrosion, erosion-corrosion, crevice corrosion, pitting corrosion, selective dealloying, intergranular corrosion, stress corrosion cracking, hydrogen embrittlement, corrosion fatigue, and stray current corrosion.
4th December 2025: 10.00 to 12.00 (UK time)
Module 4 – Corrosion Control Strategies for Metals Used in the Marine Environment
(Core module to be taken by all students)
This module offers a comprehensive examination of corrosion prevention methods essential for marine applications. The module emphasizes the importance of design considerations, highlighting how proper material selection and structural design can significantly enhance corrosion resistance. It explores corrosion prevention by design, addressing factors such as bimetallic contact, weldability, crevices, and fluid movement to minimize metal degradation. A key section delves into material selection and detailing the corrosion resistance of different metals and alloys, including stainless steel, aluminium, copper-nickel, and other marine grade materials. The module then focuses on cathodic protection, explaining both sacrificial anode and impressed current systems as essential strategies for protecting submerged structures from electrochemical corrosion.
5th December 2025: 10.00 to 12.00 (UK time)
Module 5 – Shipbuilding: Types, Structure, Strength, Stability and Corrosion Control
(Obligatory for commercial ship surveyors to study)
This module explores various ship types, including passenger ships, container vessels, cargo ships, and specialized carriers like LNG and bulk carriers, offering insights into their structure, design, and regulatory requirements. The module then delves into ship structures, highlighting keel and bottom structures, bending stresses, and transverse forces that impact vessel integrity. Stability principles, including flotation mechanics, metacentric height, and hydrostatic curves, are examined to enhance understanding of how ships maintain equilibrium at sea.
8th December: 10.00 to 12.00 (UK time)
Module 6 – Shipbuilding: Steel, Aluminium Processing, Shipyard Practices & Testing
(Optional module but strongly recommended for commercial ship surveyors)
This module provides an in-depth exploration of ship construction, focusing on material processing, modern shipyard practices, and quality control testing. The module begins by describing typical shipyard layouts, illustrating the transition from traditional riverside shipyards to modern, large-scale facilities with optimized production flows. It then delves into steel and aluminium production, detailing refining processes such as the open-hearth method, electric arc furnaces, and the Hall-Héroult process for aluminium extraction. The importance of heat treatments like annealing, quenching, and tempering is emphasized to enhance the mechanical properties of shipbuilding materials.
8th December 2025: 18.00 to 20.00 (UK time)
Module 7 – Off-Shore Oil & Gas and, WTG Platforms: Types, Structure, Strength, Stability and Corrosion Control
(Optional module but strongly recommended for commercial ship surveyors)
This module provides an in-depth exploration of offshore structural engineering, with a focus on oil and gas platforms and offshore wind turbine generators. Beginning with a historical overview, the module details the evolution of offshore structures from early wooden platforms to modern fixed and floating installations. It categorizes various platform types, including drilling, production, and auxiliary platforms, alongside advanced floating structures such as Floating Production, Storage, and Offloading (FPSO) units and tension-leg platforms.
10th December 2025: 10.00 to 12.00 (UK time)
Module 8 – Small Yachts (<24m), Superyachts & Aluminium Workboats: Types, Structure, Strength, Stability and Corrosion Control
(Obligatory module for yacht and small craft and narrowboat marine surveyors)
This module provides a comprehensive guide to yacht and workboat design, construction, and performance. Covering small leisure yachts under 24m, superyachts, and aluminium workboats, it explores critical aspects such as hull geometry, hydrodynamics, stability at different heel angles, and keel and rudder dynamics. The module delves into sail aerodynamics, mast interference, and streamlining, providing essential knowledge for optimizing performance. It also examines the evolution of superyachts over the past 20 years, including trends in sustainability, technological advancements, luxury amenities, and the growing charter market. The section on aluminium workboats focuses on their role in offshore wind farms, highlighting the advantages of aluminium alloys in marine applications. Construction methods, welding techniques, and comparisons between aluminium and steel vessels are explored in depth.
11th December 2025: 10.00 to 12.00 (UK time)
Module 9 – Wood and GRP Vessels: Structure, Strength, Material Degradation and Corrosion Control Strategies
(Optional module but strongly recommended for yacht and small craft and narrowboat marine surveyors)
This module provides an in-depth examination of wooden and fiberglass reinforced plastic (GRP) vessels, highlighting their construction, structural integrity, and long-term maintenance challenges. It covers the classification and properties of hardwoods and softwoods used in wooden boatbuilding, explaining optimal lumber specifications, fastenings, and best practices for durability. Traditional wooden construction methods, such as plank-on-frame, lapstrake, and strip-planking, are discussed alongside deck construction techniques, including traditional planked, canvas-covered, and plywood decks.
12th December 2025: 10.00 to 12.00 (UK time)
Module 10 – Failure analysis
(Optional module)
This educational module provides a comprehensive understanding of failure mechanisms in maritime structures, components, and processes. It explores the principles and methodologies of failure investigation, emphasizing the importance of root cause analysis to prevent recurrence and improve engineering practices. The module begins by defining failure types, including physical failures (fractures, corrosion, wear), procedural failures (testing, maintenance errors), and systemic failures influenced by human factors or design flaws.
Click to book and pay for your place to attend the live lectures
If you want to study for the Professional Qualification, but prefer to study in your own time and at your own pace, pre-recorded video course material of the course is available now and ready for you to study in your own time, at your convenience via the IIMS On Demand Training Portal.