Sailors and Marine Oilers
Stand watch to look for obstructions in path of vessel, measure water depth, turn wheel on bridge, or use emergency equipment as directed by captain, mate, or pilot. Break out, rig, overhaul, and store cargo-handling gear, stationary rigging, and running gear. Perform a variety of maintenance tasks to preserve the painted surface of the ship and to maintain line and ship equipment. Must hold government-issued certification and tankerman certification when working aboard liquid-carrying vessels. Includes able seamen and ordinary seamen.
Most important skills
- Operations Monitoring
- Operation and Control
- Monitoring
- Equipment Maintenance
- Troubleshooting
- Repairing
- Reading Comprehension
- Active Listening
Key knowledge
- Transportation
- English Language
- Public Safety and Security
- Geography
- Mechanical
- Education and Training
- Administration and Management
- Computers and Electronics
What the work involves
- Maintain government-issued certifications, as required.
- Handle lines to moor vessels to wharfs, to tie up vessels to other vessels, or to rig towing lines.
- Stand watch in ships' bows or bridge wings to look for obstructions in a ship's path or to locate navigational aids, such as buoys or lighthouses.
- Operate, maintain, or repair ship equipment, such as winches, cranes, derricks, or weapons system.
- Lubricate machinery, equipment, or engine parts, such as gears, shafts, or bearings.
- Splice and repair ropes, wire cables, or cordage, using marlinespikes, wire cutters, twine, and hand tools.
- Provide engineers with assistance in repairing or adjusting machinery.
- Paint or varnish decks, superstructures, lifeboats, or sides of ships.
Strongest interest areas (O*NET): Realistic, Conventional, Investigative.
Qualifications and licensing
- Most common education
- High School Diploma or the equivalent (such as a GED) (37.2% of expert ratings)
- Related experience
- None (34%)
- On-the-job training
- Over 6 months, up to and including 1 year (30.9%)
- Preparation level
- O*NET job zone 2: Job Zone 1-2: Very Little to Some Preparation Needed
- Licensing
- Not yet verified. Check your state licensing board.
Check before planning
- Licensing for Sailors and Marine Oilers is not yet verified for any state: check the state licensing board before planning.
Limits
- Distributions show what current workers or occupational experts report, not legal minimums.
- Requirements vary by employer and state; time to qualify is not estimated.
Source: O*NET 31.0 Database (USDOL/ETA, CC BY 4.0); BLS Employment Projections · dataset 2026.10.8 · method e3-qualification-1.0.0
Work environment
How the typical conditions of this occupation compare with 911 occupations in O*NET (very low = the lowest fifth).
Levels are relative. Most occupations involve a lot of contact with people, for example, so “very low” can still mean regular contact; the last column shows what workers actually reported.
| Condition | Level | Compared with other occupations | Most common answer (O*NET survey) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Contact with others | Low | Lower on contact with others than 63% of occupations compared | 46% of surveyed respondents chose “Constant contact with others” |
| Dealing with the public | Low | Lower on dealing with the public than 79% of occupations compared | 44% of surveyed respondents chose “Not important at all” |
| Teamwork | Low | Lower on teamwork than 63% of occupations compared | 46% of surveyed respondents chose “Extremely important” |
| Freedom to make decisions | Low | Lower on freedom to make decisions than 63% of occupations compared | 46% of surveyed respondents chose “Some freedom” |
| Time pressure | Low | Lower on time pressure than 70% of occupations compared | 32% of surveyed respondents chose “Once a month or more but not every week” |
| Conflict situations | Very low | Lower on conflict situations than 87% of occupations compared | 42% of surveyed respondents chose “Never” |
| Dealing with unpleasant or angry people | Low | Lower on dealing with unpleasant or angry people than 77% of occupations compared | 42% of surveyed respondents chose “Once a year or more but not every month” |
| Consequence of error | Very high | Higher on consequence of error than 83% of occupations compared | 51% of surveyed respondents chose “Extremely serious” |
Work-pressure profile
- Time pressure: low
- Conflict situations: very low
- Dealing with unpleasant or angry people: low
- Consequence of error: very high
Each part is shown on its own. There is no combined stress score, and conditions vary by employer and role.
Full answer distributions
Contact with others
- No contact with others: 0%
- Occasional contact with others: 11.42%
- Contact with others about half the time: 0%
- Contact with others most of the time: 42.68%
- Constant contact with others: 45.9%
n = 15, Incumbent 08/2026
Dealing with the public
- Not important at all: 44.47%
- Fairly important: suppressed by O*NET (low precision)
- Important: 0%
- Very important: 15.39%
- Extremely important: 25.62%
n = 15, Incumbent 08/2026
Teamwork
- Not important at all: 0%
- Fairly important: 0%
- Important: 34.87%
- Very important: suppressed by O*NET (low precision)
- Extremely important: 45.53%
n = 15, Incumbent 08/2026
Freedom to make decisions
- No freedom: 0%
- Very little freedom: 9.8%
- Limited freedom: 12.38%
- Some freedom: 46.33%
- A lot of freedom: 31.49%
n = 15, Incumbent 08/2026
Time pressure
- Never: 1.94%
- Once a year or more but not every month: 17.06%
- Once a month or more but not every week: 31.54%
- Once a week or more but not every day: 18.13%
- Every day: 31.33%
n = 15, Incumbent 08/2026
Conflict situations
- Never: 41.89%
- Once a year or more but not every month: 21.74%
- Once a month or more but not every week: 9.84%
- Once a week or more but not every day: 23.95%
- Every day: 2.58%
n = 15, Incumbent 08/2026
Dealing with unpleasant or angry people
- Never: 27.61%
- Once a year or more but not every month: 41.61%
- Once a month or more but not every week: 3.88%
- Once a week or more but not every day: 21.74%
- Every day: 5.16%
n = 15, Incumbent 08/2026
Consequence of error
- Not serious at all: 10.87%
- Fairly serious: suppressed by O*NET (low precision)
- Serious: 0%
- Very serious: 18.13%
- Extremely serious: 51.4%
n = 15, Incumbent 08/2026
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O*NET-SOC 53-5011.00 · SOC 53-5011 (exact, high confidence) · dataset 2026.10.8