Advancing Steel Wire Rope Research for lifting of heavy structures offshore. 

Your role in the story 

Are you a final-year student with a passion for offshore engineering and looking for a graduation assignment that makes real impact? Join us and become part of a team that works on complex and large-scale offshore projects within one of our engineering disciplines. Kick-start your career with a graduation project in the heart of Structural Engineering. As a graduation student, you’ll dive into a challenging assignment that contributes directly to our operations, innovation efforts, or future developments. You'll be guided by experienced engineers and exposed to the practical world of offshore engineering, from concept development to project execution. 

What’s the challenge 

At Heerema Marine Contractors we are relying on helical steel wire ropes every day. They are used to lift heavy steel structures. It is therefore of paramount importance to understand the behavior of these wire ropes under heavy tension. The behavior of steel helical wire ropes under bending is not well studied. We would like to learn more about how wire ropes behave when they are bent under smaller wrap angles and/or bent over a varying radius.  

Your mission & goals 

• Gain better understanding about the accuracy of the existing methodologies used in the industry to calculate the limiting load of wire ropes and possibly create or propose new methodologies. Key research questions include: 

• What is the effect of wrap angle on the strength of the wire ropes? 

• How can the friction occurring in wire ropes be modelled efficiently? 

• How can tension tests of wire ropes be correlated with our models? 

• How is the strength of wire ropes influenced by varying bending radii? 

What you’ll gain 

• Hands-on experience with Finite Element Analysis (FEA) and the chance to deepen your technical knowledge. 

• Valuable exposure to the offshore and heavy lift industry, working on large-scale, complex projects. 

Is this you? 

• You’re currently pursuing a MSc. in Civil, Mechanical, Maritime, Offshore technology, or Aerospace Engineering 

• You have a strong interest in safety, offshore structures, installation techniques, sustainability 

• You bring basic knowledge of FEM or structural analysis (Python skills are a big plus!) 

• You’re fluent in English (Dutch is a welcome bonus) 

• You have an independent, analytical, and curious mindset 

Practical Information 

Start date: February 2026, flexible upon agreement 

Duration: 9 months 

Location: Leiden office  

What we offer 

• A meaningful assignment aligned with your academic goals 

• Guidance from experienced engineers and sustainability experts 

• Access to cutting-edge tools and vessel data systems 

• A monthly internship allowance 

• Potential career opportunities within HMC 

Ready to graduate with impact? Apply now and take the first step toward your offshore engineering career! 

We are looking forward to hearing from you. We are interested in your CV, but we mainly want to find out more about your ambitions, your personality, and what is your motivation to succeed. So be sure to include a brief cover letter explaining why you are the perfect fit for this graduation assignment. You’ll hear from us no later than the end of October. 

So hit the button, apply, and make the impossible possible with Heerema. We’d love to meet you!