About This Career

Supervises and coordinates activities of crew engaged in operating and maintaining engines, boilers, deck machinery, and electrical, sanitary, and refrigeration equipment aboard ship.

This career is part of the Transportation, Distribution and Logistics cluster Transportation Operations pathway.

A person in this career:

• Starts engines to propel ships, and regulates engines and power transmissions to control speeds of ships, according to directions from captains or bridge computers.
• Maintains or repairs engines, electric motors, pumps, winches, or other mechanical or electrical equipment, or assists other crew members with maintenance or repair duties.
• Performs or participates in emergency drills, as required.
• Monitors engine, machinery, or equipment indicators when vessels are underway, and reports abnormalities to appropriate shipboard staff.
• Maintains complete records of engineering department activities, including machine operations.
• Performs general marine vessel maintenance or repair work, such as repairing leaks, finishing interiors, refueling, or maintaining decks.
• Maintains electrical power, heating, ventilation, refrigeration, water, or sewerage systems.
• Monitors and tests operations of engines or other equipment so that malfunctions and their causes can be identified.
• Monitors the availability, use, or condition of lifesaving equipment or pollution preventatives to ensure that international regulations are followed.
• Installs engine controls, propeller shafts, or propellers.

Working Conditions and Physical Demands

People who do this job report that:

• You would often handle loads up to 20 lbs., sometimes up to 50 lbs. You might do a lot of lifting, carrying, pushing or pulling.
• Work in this occupation involves use of protective items such as safety shoes, glasses, gloves, hearing protection, a hard hat, or personal flotation devices
• Exposure to pollutants, gases, dust, fumes, odors, poor ventilation, etc.
• Requires getting into awkward positions
• Lighting is either extremely bright or inadequate
• Conditions are very hot (above 90 F) or very cold (under 32 F)
• Work in this occupation involves using your hands to hold, control, and feel objects more than one-third of the time
• Exposed to conditions such as high voltage electricity, combustibles, explosives, and chemicals more than once a month
• Exposed to hazardous equipment such as saws, machinery, or vehicular traffic more than once a month
• Sound and noise levels are loud and distracting
• Work in this occupation requires being outside most of the time

Working in this career involves (physical activities):

• Picking out a particular sound in the presence of other sounds
• Identifying color and seeing differences in color, including shades and brightness
• Bending, stretching, twisting, or reaching
• Seeing clearly at a distance
• Detecting sounds and hearing the differences between sounds of different pitch and loudness
• Seeing clearly up close
• Speaking clearly enough to be able to be understood by others
• Identifying and understanding the speech of another person
• Using abdominal and lower back muscles repeatedly or over time without tiring

Work Hours and Travel

• Overnight travel
• Rotating shift work
• Weekend work