Marine career in Middle East opens up ocean of opportunities

Nawal Sohail was studying environmental science at university when she developed a deep interest in the ocean that would go on to see her hard work pay off with a position in the marine team at RSK Middle East.

It was during her second year at Manchester Metropolitan University that Nawal attended a lecture introducing her to the concept of blue carbon (carbon stored by coastal and marine ecosystems such as mangroves, seagrasses and salt marshes), sparking an interest in marine work.

Nawal said: “It was one of the best lectures I’d ever had, and that very day I decided to make blue carbon the subject of my dissertation. I went on to be selected for an internship to process geological marine sediment (deposits of insoluble particles that have accumulated on the seafloor) and would listen to podcasts about deep sea exploration while I was working. I found it fascinating how much is unknown about the deep ocean and loved hearing the scientists talk about the animals they’d found.”

Nawal’s enthusiasm grew, and during her final year of university she focused her studies on geographic information systems, conservation science and coastal ecology and ecosystem services to further develop her knowledge and skills.

In 2024, Nawal applied for a graduate environment consultant role at RSK Middle East but was keen to learn more about the work of the marine team at the business. Her passion shone through during her interview, and a few days later she was invited to work as an intern with the marine team.

Nawal said: “I felt like the luckiest girl in the world when I was offered the internship. It just goes to show that if you have a dream and have a great love for it, you should chase that dream no matter what.

“When I first started, I was assigned a long list of underwater footage from a project and was asked to identify and count fish species. I’d never done that before, but I began looking for region-specific identification guides referring to sources from local fishing groups to research papers. I watched over 20 hours of footage and am now pretty good at identifying local fish!

“As an intern, I also organised data, created data sheets for report appendices and was given the chance to write the marine mammal section in a baseline report for a project. I was always excited to be given more opportunities to get involved.”

Nawal’s hard work and enthusiasm impressed the team so much that she was offered a role as a graduate marine consultant. Working alongside two marine consultants, two graduate marine consultants and a marine manager, Nawal, who is based in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), works on projects across the country and the Saudi Arabian Red Sea.

She said: “I was so happy when I heard the news that I would be continuing my journey at RSK Middle East, having really enjoyed my time as an intern. I felt excited knowing how much scope there was for me to develop even further.”

Since becoming a graduate marine consultant, Nawal has learned how to perform coastal vulnerability modelling and survey design for distance sampling. The former assesses the sensitivity or susceptibility of coastal areas to natural hazards and can pinpoint which communities are at risk of sea level rises or storm surges or where habitats such as mangroves are protecting the coast the most.

Survey designing for distance sampling is done by complying with distance sampling protocols, such as making sure you have at least 20 transects and even coverage across the study area, to ensure the results from the statistical analysis have the highest level of confidence possible, helping with the estimation of animal abundance.

She has also gained experience in the pre-mobilisation processes (preparations before a project) and how to act as a bridge between contractors and RSK, as well as having the opportunity to coach early career marine biologists and environmental scientists at RSK.

Nawal’s love for the ocean is clear, and the work she and her colleagues do has a significant impact not only on marine life but on people too.

She said: “Many communities worldwide rely on coastal ecosystems. No one wants to swim in contaminated waters or eat fish exposed to sewage, microplastics or chemicals, which accumulate in their tissues and eventually enter our bodies when we eat seafood.

“As marine consultants, we assess project impacts on marine environments and recommend mitigation measures. Our goal is to make sure that if anything that is initiated affects the marine environment, the impacts are as low as possible.”

Nawal has completed a number of training courses since joining RSK and praised her manager for encouraging the whole team to pursue opportunities that would help its professional development.

She said: “I enjoy learning and am always looking at ways to be better at what I do. Before being offered the graduate marine consultant role, I had completed a course recommended by my manager that helped me strengthen our reports with the inclusion of statistical analysis. I was really thankful that my manager identified this particular course for me, as it also highlighted that they wanted to see me progress.

“All the training opportunities I’ve taken part in at RSK have been incredibly valuable, and I look forward to carrying out more in the future.