A group of students from the BSc (Hons) Marine Studies course visited the world-famous Pendennis Shipyard in Falmouth.

The visit was an important opportunity to learn more about the marine industry as part of their progress towards a career at sea either in the Merchant Navy or the growing global fleet of superyachts similar to those made and refitted at the yard.

The Pendennis Shipyard is one of the few yards in the world capable of both building and refitting superyachts. These vessels are owned by the super-rich and start at 24 metres in length and rise to well over 100 metres. Superyacyhts are always maintained to the highest standard and can be chartered out a rate of more than £100,000 per week - and that does not include fuel, food and crew tips.

As these vessels get bigger and bigger, the career possibilities for Plymouth students multiply as there is a worldwide shortage of crew for both commercial cargo ships as well as superyachts. In fact last year a brand new graduate, with professional Merchant Navy qualifications gained as part of his course, went straight into a Navigating Officer's job on an 88m superyacht.

During the visit, staff at Pendennis who are responsible for the maintenance and refit part of the business explained the procedures for dry-docking and dealing with the long list of tasks that have to be performed. This was followed by a tour of the yard, including a visit to the covered dock where two 50 metre superyachts are undergoing major refits.

A highlight of the tour was the new state-of-the art 400t travelling crane which lifts huge yachts straight out of the water and into the various working areas. The vessel that was actually in the slings belongs to one of the UK's most famous rock stars - but such is the veil of privacy that the yard must provide for their high-profile clients, that we can't tell you who the owner is.

Toby Allies, Head of Sales and Marketing at Pendennis Shipyard said: "we are extremely pleased to support this course and present to these University of Plymouth students. At Pendennis we invest heavily in training and apprenticeships and are encouraged that numerous structured programmes are in place to guide students through. With 4,000 yachts in the global superyacht fleet, there are many opportunities to develop a career in this exciting industry and we recognise that some of the individuals on this course are likely to be our clients of the future - in their roles as captains and project managers."