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What You Need to Know About Ship Engineer

Ship Engineer Job Description Supervise and coordinate activities of crew engaged in operating and maintaining engines, boilers, deck machinery, and electrical, sanitary, and refrigeration equipment aboard ship.

Daily Life Of a Ship Engineer

  • Maintain or repair engines, electric motors, pumps, winches, or other mechanical or electrical equipment or assist other crew members with maintenance or repair duties.
  • Start engines to propel ships and regulate engines and power transmissions to control speeds of ships, according to directions from captains or bridge computers.
  • Monitor engine, machinery, or equipment indicators when vessels are underway and report abnormalities to appropriate shipboard staff.
  • Supervise the activities of marine engine technicians engaged in the maintenance or repair of mechanical or electrical marine vessels and inspect their work to ensure that it is performed properly.
  • Record orders for changes in ship speed or direction and note gauge readings or test data, such as revolutions per minute or voltage output, in engineering logs or bellbooks.
  • Fabricate engine replacement parts, such as valves, stay rods, or bolts, using metalworking machinery.

Qualities of a Ship Engineer

When polled, Ship Engineers say the following skills are most frequently used in their jobs:

Operation and Control: Controlling operations of equipment or systems.

Operation Monitoring: Watching gauges, dials, or other indicators to make sure a machine is working properly.

Critical Thinking: Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.

Equipment Maintenance: Performing routine maintenance on equipment and determining when and what kind of maintenance is needed.

Troubleshooting: Determining causes of operating errors and deciding what to do about it.

Repairing: Repairing machines or systems using the needed tools.

Types of Ship Engineer

  • Fire Boat Engineer
  • Ferry Engineer
  • Equipment Operating Engineer
  • Fire Department Marine Engineer
  • Harbor Engineer

Ship Engineer Job Outlook

There were about 10,100 jobs for Ship Engineer in 2016 (in the United States). New jobs are being produced at a rate of 6.9% which is above the national average. The Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts 700 new jobs for Ship Engineer by 2026. The BLS estimates 1,300 yearly job openings in this field.

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The states with the most job growth for Ship Engineer are Maine, Texas, and South Carolina. Watch out if you plan on working in Missouri, Indiana, or Pennsylvania. These states have the worst job growth for this type of profession.

Average Ship Engineers Salary

Ship Engineers make between $40,330 and $123,670 a year.

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Ship Engineers who work in New York, Missouri, or Washington, make the highest salaries.

Below is a list of the median annual salaries for Ship Engineers in different U.S. states.

State Annual Mean Salary
Alaska $63,620
California $66,870
Florida $67,650
Georgia $66,440
Kentucky $88,710
Louisiana $76,010
Massachusetts $84,810
Minnesota $73,450
Mississippi $77,260
Missouri $86,470
New Jersey $73,790
New York $100,430
North Carolina $49,370
Oregon $78,820
Pennsylvania $81,900
South Carolina $79,350
Tennessee $75,750
Texas $74,100
Virginia $72,970
Washington $84,960

Tools & Technologies Used by Ship Engineers

Although they’re not necessarily needed for all jobs, the following technologies are used by many Ship Engineers:

  • Microsoft Excel
  • Microsoft Word
  • Microsoft Office
  • Microsoft PowerPoint
  • Microsoft Outlook
  • Microsoft Access
  • Word processing software
  • Microsoft Project
  • Oracle software
  • Enterprise resource planning ERP software
  • Apple macOS
  • SAP software
  • Computerized maintenance management system CMMS
  • Customer relationship management CRM software
  • Salesforce
  • Computer aided dispatch software
  • Electronic data interchange EDI software
  • Wonderware software

How to Become a Ship Engineer

What kind of Ship Engineer requirements are there?

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How many years of work experience do I need?

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Ship Engineers Sector

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The table below shows some of the most common industries where those employed in this career field work.

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Other Jobs You May be Interested In

Career changers with experience as a Ship Engineer sometimes find work in one of the following fields:

References:

Image Credit: via CC0 Public Domain

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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