Ship Engineers
What Ship Engineers Do
Supervise and coordinate activities of crew engaged in operating and maintaining engines, boilers, deck machinery, and electrical, sanitary, and refrigeration equipment aboard ship.
See full salary breakdown & percentiles →
Career Outlook
National employment outlook, 2024–2034.
- Related work experience
- Less than 5 years
- On-the-job training
- None
- Self-employed
- Not available
Source: BLS Employment Projections — 2024-2034.
How Much Preparation Does This Take?
Job Zone 3 of 5Job Zone Three: Medium Preparation Needed
- Experience
- Previous work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is required for these occupations.
- Education
- Most occupations in this zone require training in vocational schools, related on-the-job experience, or an associate's degree.
- Job training
- Employees in these occupations usually need one or two years of training involving both on-the-job experience and informal training with experienced workers. A recognized apprenticeship program may be associated with these occupations.
Source: O*NET Job Zones.
Key Knowledge Areas
Subject-matter areas this occupation draws on most, per O*NET.
- Mechanicalimportance 4.5/5
- English Languageimportance 3.5/5
- Engineering and Technologyimportance 3.5/5
- Public Safety and Securityimportance 3.5/5
- Transportationimportance 3.3/5
- Mathematicsimportance 3.3/5
- Computers and Electronicsimportance 3.2/5
- Building and Constructionimportance 3.0/5
Work Environment
What the day-to-day work setting is like, per O*NET.
- Health and Safety of Other Workers4.7/5
- Exposed to Sounds, Noise Levels that are Distracting or Uncomfortable4.7/5
- Wear Common Protective or Safety Equipment such as Safety Shoes, Glasses, Gloves, Hearing Protection, Hard Hats, or Life Jackets4.5/5
- Face-to-Face Discussions with Individuals and Within Teams4.5/5
- Impact of Decisions on Co-workers or Company Results4.5/5
- Consequence of Error4.5/5
Careers With Similar Skills
Occupations whose Transferable Skills profile most closely matches this one — a mathematical comparison, not observed data about people actually moving between these careers.
- Mobile Heavy Equipment Mechanics, Except Engines94% skill match
- Service Unit Operators, Oil and Gas94% skill match
- Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters94% skill match
- Stationary Engineers and Boiler Operators93% skill match
- Millwrights93% skill match
- Helpers--Installation, Maintenance, and Repair Workers93% skill match
- Electric Motor, Power Tool, and Related Repairers92% skill match
- Rail Car Repairers92% skill match
Transferable Skills
Cross-functional skills this occupation draws on most, per O*NET — the kind that carry over to other careers.
- Operations Monitoringimportance 3.9/5
- Operation and Controlimportance 3.9/5
- Equipment Maintenanceimportance 3.8/5
- Troubleshootingimportance 3.8/5
- Repairingimportance 3.8/5
- Complex Problem Solvingimportance 3.4/5
- Judgment and Decision Makingimportance 3.3/5
- Systems Analysisimportance 3.3/5
Software & Technologies
Tools and software used in this occupation, per O*NET.
Hot Technologies
Other Software Used
- Computer aided dispatch software
- Computerized maintenance management system CMMS
- Damen DAMOS
- Electronic data interchange EDI software
- Kongsberg Maritime K-LOG Electronic Logbooks
- Marine Software Marine Planned Maintenance
- Marine Software Marine Safety Manager
- Wonderware software
Work Style
Personal work characteristics that matter most for this occupation, per O*NET.
- Dependability
- Attention to Detail
- Cautiousness
- Stress Tolerance
- Leadership Orientation
- Integrity
- Perseverance
Career Interests
This occupation’s RIASEC interest profile, per O*NET — how strongly it fits each of the six Holland interest types.
- RealisticHigh
- ConventionalMedium
- EnterprisingMedium
- InvestigativeMedium
- SocialLow
- ArtisticLow
This page includes information from the O*NET 30.3 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA.
Where This Career Is Most Concentrated
Metro areas where ship engineers make up the largest share of local employment, relative to the national average (BLS location quotient).
- 1Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk, VA-NC34.36× national avg
- 2Houma-Bayou Cane-Thibodaux, LA34.21× national avg
- 3Jacksonville, FL10.90× national avg
- 4New Orleans-Metairie, LA9.44× national avg
- 5Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA5.17× national avg
Possible Career Moves
A computed starting point, not observed job-change data — see the full list for why each one might fit.
- Stationary Engineers and Boiler OperatorsCareer Change
- Bus and Truck Mechanics and Diesel Engine SpecialistsCareer Change
- Mobile Heavy Equipment Mechanics, Except EnginesCareer Change
- Commercial DiversCareer Change
Related Education Programs
Schools that offer related fields of study, based on the NCES CIP-SOC crosswalk — not a guarantee that graduates enter this specific career.
Marine Science/Merchant Marine Officer
- Divers Institute of Technology (Seattle, WA)grads earn ~$55,911
- Ocean Corporation (Houston, TX)grads earn ~$49,951
- United States Merchant Marine Academy (Kings Point, NY)grads earn ~$107,654
- SUNY Maritime College (Throggs Neck, NY)grads earn ~$115,831
- Commercial Divers International (Goodyear, AZ)