Description
Serve as a licensed deck officer assisting the master with navigation, cargo, safety, and deck operations aboard ships or other watercraft; supervise watchkeeping and deck crews. U.S. Coast Guard Mate license required.
- • Stand bridge watches and direct course and speed based on winds, tides, currents, weather, and hazards.
- • Consult charts, publications, and navigation systems to plan and execute movements.
- • Steer and operate the vessel or supervise the helmsman using radar, AIS, depth sounders, and visual aids.
- • Operate ship-to-ship and ship-to-shore radios for operational coordination.
- • Assist the master with docking and undocking, including maneuvers in locks and narrow channels.
- • Signal passing vessels and tugs using whistles, lights, flags, or radios.
- • Measure and monitor water depths and under-keel clearance.
- • Prevent unsafe operations and enforce bridge and deck safety procedures.
- • Conduct and record rounds and inspections to ensure vessel and equipment compliance.
- • Maintain logs of watches, positions, weather, cargo or passenger status, and pollution control actions.
- • Observe and supervise loading, stowage, and unloading to meet specifications and stability requirements.
- • Direct and coordinate deck crew in line handling, cargo operations, steering, and routine maintenance.
- • Signal deckhands to rig tow lines, operate ramps or gates, and set safety chains.
- • Supervise cleaning and maintenance of decks, superstructures, and bridges.
- • Check gauges and indicators for hydraulic systems, air pressure, and other deck equipment.
- • Provide assistance in search-and-rescue or emergency response as required.
- • Conduct safety drills such as man overboard, fire, and abandon ship; train crew in procedures.
- • Learn and operate new navigation and bridge technologies via instruction or simulators.
- • Coordinate fueling, stores, or repairs as directed by the master.
- • Advise the master on local harbor rules and customs procedures.
- • Report safety, environmental, or regulatory violations to the master or authorities.
- • Maintain and test navigational systems, life preservers, fire extinguishers, and deck machinery.
- • Assign watches and living quarters to deck crew.
- • Tow and maneuver barges or coordinate with tugs during towing operations.
- • Perform harbor patrols or pollution checks when assigned.
- • Prepare requisitions for supplies or deck equipment.
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O*NET occupational data (work activities, skills, knowledge).
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This site includes information from O*NET by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under the CC BY 4.0 license. Career Clutch has modified some of this information for student readability. USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed, or tested these modifications. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA.
Last reviewed: Jan 2026
