Thanks for your post.

But all offshore and onshore equipment and piping need to be supported by steel structures and foundations, which all need to be designed, and this is what I currently do in the oil and gas business as a civil/structural engineer in the UK.

And Qatar Petroleum and several other companies have job vacances for civil/structural engineers in the oil and gas division.

So I'm surprised you say they dont need civil engineers. Maybe you are referring to engineers working at the refinery, rather than at the design office.

Anyone else have an input?