Careers information
Maritime Crew
What do they do?
Maritime crew may assist in vessel operations, fishing and taking care of passengers. Crew work on all kinds of vessels - passenger vessels, superyachts, commercial fishing vessels, charter boats, coastal freight ships, tankers and navy ships. Larger passenger boats have specialist hospitality crew. Fishing vessel crew may also operate fishing gear and large fishing vessels have a crew who process the fish.
A typical day
Typically shift work of varying hours and weekend work is common.
Deck crew assist with vessel operations, maintenance, cargo and emergency procedures. Fishing crew assists with fishing, cleaning, and processing fish. Passenger crew look after passengers, including preparing and serving meals.
Ships Officer
What do they do?
Ships Officers command the vessel and are also called Masters, Skippers or Mates. They work on all types and size of vessels. They have knowledge of running and supplying a ship; navigation, control, chart reading and hazard identification. They also manage cargo, ballast and fuel, and must understand maritime laws and safety procedures such as firefighting, rescue, and collision prevention.
A typical day
Typically shift work, on the vessel.
Ships Officers may navigate and control ships, take charge of ships when on watch, arrange repairs, fuel and supplies, supervise the loading, unloading and storage of cargo, organise crew activities on deck and organise ship security.
Marine Engineer
What do they do?
Marine engineers run and maintain a ship's systems including the engines, pump and electrical equipment. They have knowledge of mechanical engineering, pneumatic and hydraulic machinery, electronic equipment, safety regulations and procedures, firefighting, first aid and port regulations.
A typical day
Usually shift work on the vessel but may be an eight-hour-day.
Marine engineers may fabricate, repair, maintain and diagnose machinery, maintain controls and alarms, maintain controls and alarm, maintain services at sea, supervise other crew and train them in routine and emergency duties.
Sound like you?
Study areas | Attributes | Helpful experience | Preferred work environments |
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Career pathway
| School | Entry level jobs | Advancing jobs | Senior jobs |
| No minimum entry requirement |
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| Unit/Achievement standards in schools | Apprenticeship | Higher learning | Higher learning |
| Gateway programme available | |||