Ship Engineers
Transportation and Material Moving
Aboard ship, the work centers on engines, boilers, deck machinery, and the electrical, sanitary, and refrigeration equipment, including supervising the crew that operates and maintains them. While underway, that means watching gauges and indicators, testing equipment to find faults, starting and regulating engines to match orders from the captain or bridge computers, and keeping records of engineering-department activity. The same role covers repairing leaks, motors, pumps, and winches, checking lifesaving and pollution-control gear against international rules, and taking part in emergency drills. It suits people who like diagnosing machines, watching systems closely, and doing hands-on repair at sea.
Typical education: High School Diploma or GED
Annual Median Wage in Field (2025)
$109'530
Median Wage Market Position
$109'530
What you might do
- Watch engine gauges while the ship is underway
- Start and regulate engines to set the ship's speed
- Test machinery to pinpoint the cause of breakdowns
- Repair engines, pumps, motors, and electrical gear
- Inspect lifeboats and pollution gear against the rules
- Keep written logs of engine-room work
Skills that matter
- Watching engine and machinery indicators
- Testing equipment to find the fault
- Starting engines and regulating ship speed
- Repairing leaks, pumps, motors, and winches
- Checks that lifesaving gear meets rules
- Written logs of engine-room activity
AI & the future of this role
Engine-room leadership centers on diagnosing machinery failures, coordinating repairs at sea, and keeping critical systems running. Predictive tools may flag issues earlier, while hands-on maintenance and shipboard accountability are likely to stay central.
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Includes O*NET® 30.3 Database information by USDOL/ETA under CC BY 4.0; modified by LostInCareer. Wage/outlook from BLS. Attribution details