Captains, Mates, and Pilots of Water Vessels
Command or supervise operations of ships and water vessels, such as tugboats and ferryboats. Required to hold license issued by U.S. Coast Guard.
What is this job like?
- Maintain records of daily activities, personnel reports, ship positions and movements, ports of call, weather and sea conditions, pollution control efforts, or cargo or passenger status.
- Dock or undock vessels, sometimes maneuvering through narrow spaces, such as locks.
- Direct or coordinate crew members or workers performing activities such as loading or unloading cargo, steering vessels, operating engines, or operating, maintaining, or repairing ship equipment.
- Direct courses and speeds of ships, based on specialized knowledge of local winds, weather, water depths, tides, currents, and hazards.
- Interview and hire crew members.
- Provide assistance in maritime rescue operations.
- Steer and operate vessels, using radios, depth finders, radars, lights, buoys, or lighthouses.
- Signal passing vessels, using whistles, flashing lights, flags, or radios.
- Learn to operate new technology systems and procedures through instruction, simulators, or models.
- Direct or coordinate crew members or workers performing activities such as loading or unloading cargo, steering vessels, operating engines, or operating, maintaining, or repairing ship equipment.
- Prevent ships under navigational control from engaging in unsafe operations.
- Tow and maneuver barges or signal tugboats to tow barges to destinations.
- Supervise crews in cleaning or maintaining decks, superstructures, or bridges.
- Measure depths of water, using depth-measuring equipment.
- Perform various marine duties, such as checking for oil spills or other pollutants around ports or harbors or patrolling beaches.
- Serve as a vessel's docking master upon arrival at a port or at a berth.
- Signal crew members or deckhands to rig tow lines, open or close gates or ramps, or pull guard chains across entries.
- Consult maps, charts, weather reports, or navigation equipment to determine and direct ship movements.
- Purchase supplies or equipment.
- Advise ships' masters on harbor rules and customs procedures.
- Maintain boats or equipment on board, such as engines, winches, navigational systems, fire extinguishers, or life preservers.
- Assign watches or living quarters to crew members.
- Report to appropriate authorities any violations of federal or state pilotage laws.
- Observe loading or unloading of cargo or equipment to ensure that handling and storage are performed according to specifications.
- Read gauges to verify sufficient levels of hydraulic fluid, air pressure, or oxygen.
- Tow and maneuver barges or signal tugboats to tow barges to destinations.
- Stand watches on vessels during specified periods while vessels are under way.
- Arrange for ships to be fueled, restocked with supplies, or repaired.
- Calculate sightings of land, using electronic sounding devices and following contour lines on charts.
- Operate ship-to-shore radios to exchange information needed for ship operations.
- Direct or coordinate crew members or workers performing activities such as loading or unloading cargo, steering vessels, operating engines, or operating, maintaining, or repairing ship equipment.
- Inspect vessels to ensure efficient and safe operation of vessels and equipment and conformance to regulations.
Local Wage Data
Showing wage data for: New Orleans
Entry
Median
High
Salary
Hourly Wage
$39,130
$99,460
$208,000
$18.81
$47.82
$100+