Captains, Mates, and Pilots of Water Vessels
On the Job
Captains, Mates, and Pilots of Water Vessels operate ships that take cargo and people over water. These ships travel to and from foreign parts of the ocean, to domestic ports along the coast, and along the country's main inland waterways.
Physical Demands
This career requires good eyesight.
Typical Work Tasks
People who work in this career often:
- Inspect material-moving equipment to detect problems.
- Operate ships or other watercraft.
- Choose optimal transportation routes or speeds.
- Operate ships or other watercraft.
- Operate ships or other watercraft.
- Read maps to determine routes.
- Choose optimal transportation routes or speeds.
- Monitor surroundings to detect potential hazards.
- Monitor work environment to ensure safety or adherence to specifications.
- Maintain watercraft engines or machinery.
Typical Working Conditions
- Having face-to-face discussions.
- Freedom to make decisions without supervision.
- Using your hands to handle, control, or feel objects, tools, or controls.
- The freedom to determine tasks, priorities, and goals.
- Working in a closed vehicle or equipment.
- Responsibility for others' health and safety.
- Working with a group or team.
- Exposure to sounds or noise levels that are distracting or uncomfortable.
- Meeting strict deadlines.
- Wearing common protective or safety equipment such as safety shoes, glasses, gloves, hearing protection, hard hats, or life jackets.
- High levels of competition.
This page includes information from the O*NET 24.2 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA.
Source: You can learn about our data sources in the About Us section.