NorthStar

Occupations/53-5021.00

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.

Certificate or two-year

Usually a certificate, vocational program, or associate degree — not a bachelor’s.

AI automation risk

29%

More resilient

Human characteristics

73%

Strong human-characteristic mix

Task orientation

53%

Mixed exposure

A day in this job

  • Mostly human

    Consult maps, charts, weather reports, or navigation equipment to determine and direct ship movements.

  • Mostly routine

    Operate ship-to-shore radios to exchange information needed for ship operations.

  • Mostly routine

    Prevent ships under navigational control from engaging in unsafe operations.

Split from the wording of these tasks, shown next to the occupation’s AI risk. It is not a separate score for each task, and it is not a forecast that the job disappears.

Core tasks

  1. 01Direct courses and speeds of ships, based on specialized knowledge of local winds, weather, water depths, tides, currents, and hazards.
  2. 02Prevent ships under navigational control from engaging in unsafe operations.
  3. 03Serve as a vessel's docking master upon arrival at a port or at a berth.
  4. 04Consult maps, charts, weather reports, or navigation equipment to determine and direct ship movements.
  5. 05Steer and operate vessels, using radios, depth finders, radars, lights, buoys, or lighthouses.
  6. 06Operate ship-to-shore radios to exchange information needed for ship operations.

Model drivers (O*NET 1–5)

  • Repeating same tasks3.57
  • Degree of automation1.80
  • Time sitting2.86
  • Originality (ability)2.75
  • Conflict situations3.21
  • Hands-on objects/tools4.31
  • Outdoors / weather4.34
  • Disease exposure1.67
  • Decision freedom4.54

Top abilities

  • Oral Expression3.88
  • Oral Comprehension3.88
  • Spatial Orientation3.75
  • Problem Sensitivity3.75
  • Far Vision3.75
  • Deductive Reasoning3.75
  • Written Comprehension3.62
  • Speech Clarity3.62

Essential skills

  • Reading Comprehension3.25
  • Active Listening3.38
  • Writing3.12
  • Speaking3.50
  • Mathematics2.38
  • Science1.88
  • Critical Thinking3.38
  • Active Learning3.12
  • Learning Strategies2.88
  • Monitoring3.50

CIP matches

49.0303Commercial Fishing49.0309Marine Science/Merchant Marine Officer

Schools offering related programs

1 shown

Earnings are College Scorecard medians for that program, 1 and 2 years after completion. A dash means the Department suppressed the cell or the campus is not in the field file.

InstitutionProgramTuitionAdmitGrad 6-yrEarnings

Texas A & M University-College Station

College Station, TX · Public

Commercial Fishing

49.0303

$13,20063%83%

1 yr $72,682

2 yr $86,129

Bachelor's · CIP 49.03