Occupation
Marine deck officer
Marine deck officers navigate and operate ships, standing bridge watches and taking charge of cargo, mooring, and safety operations on deck. Certification is standardised internationally and progresses through defined levels of responsibility up to master. Contracts usually mean living aboard for extended tours away from home.
Also known as: Deck officer · Ship's mate · Navigating officer · Watchkeeping officer
Occupation content
Part of Supply chain, transport and logistics
What the work involves
- Keep a navigational watch, fixing position and monitoring traffic, weather, and depth.
- Plan passages and update charts, publications, and voyage documentation.
- Supervise cargo loading, discharge, securing, and stability calculations.
- Run mooring, anchoring, and pilotage operations with the deck crew.
- Lead drills and maintain lifesaving, firefighting, and pollution-prevention equipment.
- Complete logbooks, port paperwork, and inspection records.
How people commonly enter
- A cadetship at a maritime academy or nautical college combined with supervised sea time toward a certificate of competency.
- A maritime studies or nautical science degree that includes sea phases.
- Progression from ratings-level deck work with study toward officer certification.
- A naval or coast guard background converted to civil certificates of competency.
Typical training: Certificate or college diploma
Licensing: Regulated in most jurisdictions — confirm the current requirement with the regulator in your province, state, or country.
Typical work context
Involves travel · Shift work · High responsibility · Team based · Outdoors
Related interests
Realistic (hands-on) · Investigative (analytical) · Conventional (organizing)
Related aptitude preparation
These are preparation links only. They do not measure eligibility for this occupation and no score here qualifies or disqualifies anyone.
Skills to practise
Practice suites
Related learning
Family-level learning links for Supply chain, transport and logistics.
Official sources
Labour-market facts such as pay and employment projections are not reproduced here. Open an official source below for figures, with its own geography and reference period.
- US BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook — Water Transportation Occupations · United States
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- O*NET OnLine — occupation quick search: mates, ship, boat, and barge · International
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- UK National Careers Service — Explore careers · United Kingdom
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Labour-market context (not part of exploration match)
This is broad family-level context for Supply chain, transport and logistics in Canada, not a figure for Marine deck officer. It does not affect matching scores and is not an eligibility determination.
This is a broad Supply chain, transport and logistics family. Explore the official profile for the chosen occupation; entry education and training can differ within the family.
Canada Job Bank Career Planning · Canada · Current official profile; consult source for its release period
Supply chain, transport and logistics: education pathways
Some roles in Supply chain, transport and logistics may be regulated. Confirm whether the specific role requires registration, certification, or a jurisdiction-specific licence.
Canada Job Bank Career Planning · Canada · Current official profile; consult source for its release period
Supply chain, transport and logistics: licensing
Find jobs
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- Search Canada Job Bank · Canada
- Search USAJOBS · United States federal
- Search EURES · European Union / EEA
- Search Indeed · International (choose location on Indeed)