All About Ship Engineers
Career Description Supervise and coordinate activities of crew engaged in operating and maintaining engines, boilers, deck machinery, and electrical, sanitary, and refrigeration equipment aboard ship.
Life As a Ship Engineer
- Monitor and test operations of engines or other equipment so that malfunctions and their causes can be identified.
- Perform or participate in emergency drills, as required.
- Monitor the availability, use, or condition of lifesaving equipment or pollution preventatives to ensure that international regulations are followed.
- Start engines to propel ships and regulate engines and power transmissions to control speeds of ships, according to directions from captains or bridge computers.
- Maintain complete records of engineering department activities, including machine operations.
- Maintain or repair engines, electric motors, pumps, winches, or other mechanical or electrical equipment or assist other crew members with maintenance or repair duties.
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What Skills Do You Need to Work as a Ship Engineer?
These are the skills Ship Engineers say are the most useful in their careers:
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.
Related Job Titles for this Occupation:
- Operating Engineer
- Fire Department Marine Engineer
- Barge Engineer
- Towboat Engineer
- Small Boat Engineer
Is There Going to be Demand for Ship Engineers?
In the United States, there were 10,100 jobs for Ship Engineer in 2016. 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.

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.
How Much Does a Ship Engineer Make?
The typical yearly salary for Ship Engineers is somewhere between $40,330 and $123,670.

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 |
What Tools do Ship Engineers Use?
Below is a list of the types of tools and technologies that Ship Engineers may use on a daily basis:
- 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
Becoming a Ship Engineer
Education needed to be a Ship Engineer:

How Long Does it Take to Become a Ship Engineer?

Where Ship Engineers Work

Ship Engineers work in the following industries:

Related Careers
Career changers with experience as a Ship Engineer sometimes find work in one of the following fields:
References:
Image Credit:
More about our data sources and methodologies.
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