Job Description of a Merchant Marine

Merchant marines staff ships like this.

Merchant Marines are the people who operate and work on ships, whether the ships are on rivers, lakes or the ocean. Because ships are such complex machines, there is a wide range of available merchant marine jobs, and the qualifications required and compensation earned are just as wide-ranging. Deckhands can literally walk onto a ship off the dock, while captains, mates and engineers must go through a reasonably stringent qualification process.

Deckhand Duties

Deckhands are the merchant marines who do the physical "grunt" work involved in running a ship, like loading supplies, dealing with bait and catch (in the case of fishing boats) and performing basic maintenance on the ship.

Higher-Level Merchant Marines

Captains, mates and engineers have more leadership responsibility and/or technical skill than do deckhands. On smaller ships, like tugboats and Great Lakes ships, these people often start out as deckhands and work their way up, acquiring expertise on the job. However, on deepwater vessels, these people are generally graduates of the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy or a state merchant marine academy.

Whether someone is a graduate or not, however, he needs to pass an extensive test to be a captain, mate or engineer on a deepwater ship, a test that cannot generally be passed without a four-year degree.

Personal Qualities

Merchant Marines, regardless of their rank, need to be strong, with good balance and vision. What's more, they need to be flexible--because of the isolated nature of ships, merchant marines need to be willing and able to take on others' duties in the event of illness or injury. This is particularly true for officers--these men and women, while academically qualified, need to understand their deckhands' duties and be willing to undertake them should the need arise.

Outlook

In general, the Merchant Marine job outlook is positive as of June 2010. Deepwater vessels, for example, are considered of high priority for national defense, as they shuttle supplies during wartime. This means that there are a number of subsidies available to the U.S. deepwater shipping industry, which will keep it afloat as long as the U.S. government is also afloat.

Trade is also growing worldwide, and many officers are reaching retirement age. What's more, cruise ships are required by law to be under U.S. flag if they dock in a U.S. port, and this industry is also growing.

Compensation

Because of the large amount of variation in ship size, voyage length and value of cargo, there is a similar variation in earnings. However, for entry-level deckhands, the pay tends to be higher than positions that require similar skills ashore, and room and board are covered while at sea. The lowest-paid deckhands make an average of about $21,000 per year, while the highest-paid deckhands make about $50,000 per year. The median figure is $34,000.

Ship engineers and captains make about $34,000 to $102,000 per year, with a median of $60,000 per year.

These salary ranges are current as of June 2010.

References

• Water Transport Occupations: Bureau of Labor Statistics