A survey of subsea sector salaries has shown that the highest paid technical managers can expect to command up to £74,000 (US $148,000) a year for their work in the UK.

At the other end of the scale graduate entrants to the subsea sector can expect to earn between £22,000 and £25,800, according to an industry survey carried out by industry lobby group Subsea UK, in an effort to provide greater transparency for salaries within the sector.

Engineers can expect to earn £29,000 to £36,000 while project engineers can command rates between £33,700 and £45,200, and senior project engineers are in a £37,000 - £52,900 salary bracket.

“Whilst increases in the salary levels of staff are to be anticipated in such a market, it is important that these are not allowed to become excessive as this could harm our international competitiveness,” said David Pridden, chief executive of Subsea UK, commenting on the outcome of the survey among the subsea service sector in the UK.

On top of the salaries, bonuses of between 5% and 14% are also being paid, the survey found.

The salary figures were compiled after interviewing 800 subsea engineers working for 26 different UK subsea contractors, by Ashbrook Research and Consultancy.

“For the first time the industry will have a clearer picture of the salary scales and we hope that companies in the subsea service sector will use it to control the escalating costs and perhaps even curb some of the poaching that is beginning to harm the smaller companies down the supply chain.” Pridden said.

Next, Subsea UK has pledged to start collecting salary data on subsea specialists working within operator companies, to build up an ever better picture of the subsea employment market, as part of an effort to curb spiralling industry costs.