What is a Ship Engineer?
Job Description & Duties Supervise and coordinate activities of crew engaged in operating and maintaining engines, boilers, deck machinery, and electrical, sanitary, and refrigeration equipment aboard ship.
Ship Engineer Responsibilities
- Maintain electrical power, heating, ventilation, refrigeration, water, or sewerage systems.
- Operate or maintain off-loading liquid pumps or valves.
- 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 or repair engines, electric motors, pumps, winches, or other mechanical or electrical equipment or assist other crew members with maintenance or repair duties.
- 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.
- Act as a liaison between a ship’s captain and shore personnel to ensure that schedules and budgets are maintained and that the ship is operated safely and efficiently.
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Skills Needed to be 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.
Other Ship Engineer Job Titles
- Towboat Engineer
- Equipment Operating Engineer
- Tugboat Engineer
- Deck Engineer
- Barge Engineer
Job Demand for Ship Engineers
In 2016, there was an estimated number of 10,100 jobs in the United States for Ship Engineer. 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. There will be an estimated 1,300 positions for Ship Engineer per year.
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.
Salary for a Ship Engineer
The average yearly salary of a Ship Engineer ranges 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?
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
Becoming a Ship Engineer
Are there Ship Engineers education requirements?
How Long Does it Take to Become a Ship Engineer?
Where do Ship Engineers Work?
The table below shows the approximate number of Ship Engineers employed by various industries.
You May Also Be Interested In…
Career changers with experience as a Ship Engineer sometimes find work in one of the following fields:
References:
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