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Overview
Ship captains command vessels carrying goods or passengers in coastal and offshore waters, with responsibility for navigation, crew, cargo movement, vessel security and voyage records.
In job descriptions, look for route planning, navigational calculations, marine communications, safety equipment, mooring plans, loading supervision, voyage logs, vessel status checks and crew management.
Explore this occupation
Open in Job ExplorerWhat the work can involve
Work is command responsibility on a vessel. The captain plans routes, assesses vessel status, directs crew, manages communications and keeps voyage decisions aligned with cargo, passengers and safety equipment.
Skills and specializations
Important depth includes navigation calculations, route plotting, voyage logs, marine communication systems, mooring plans, cargo loading supervision, vessel security and knowledge of maritime vessels.
Salary context
Salary context is shaped by vessel size, waters sailed, passenger or cargo responsibility, crew size, voyage length, communication systems, security duties and accountability for loading or route decisions.
Career paths
Career paths usually build from deck and officer roles toward larger tonnage, specialized vessels, port or fleet operations, marine safety, training or shore-side maritime management.
Good to know
Check whether adverts specify vessel type, tonnage, route area, crew size, cargo or passenger focus, navigation systems, voyage logs, mooring duties and emergency communication equipment.
Editorial note
This guide is editorial career context. It is not official labour-market statistics or role-specific salary data.
Map overview
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O*NET relationships
See occupations connected to this ESCO occupation in the official O*NET–ESCO mapping. The relationship type comes from the source and is not a ranking or recommendation.
O*NET relationships: 1
Captains, Mates, and Pilots of Water Vessels
53-5021.00
O*NET occupation is broader
The O*NET occupation covers a broader field of work than this ESCO occupation.
Open in O*NETSource and method
These relationships come from the official European Commission O*NET–ESCO crosswalk.
Relationship direction: O*NET occupation to ESCO occupation.
Several O*NET occupations can point to the same ESCO occupation, and one O*NET occupation can point to several ESCO occupations.
AltoTrail preserves the source relationship type. The order is technical and does not show which occupation is best, most relevant or recommended.
AltoTrail validates and presents the source relationships without adding ranking or recommendation semantics.
Alternative labels
Occupation group
Ships' deck officers and pilots (3152)
Source facts
| ESCO URI | http://data.europa.eu/esco/occupation/f2a416b8-c7e4-49ee-964d-a49f6af79b84 |
|---|---|
| ESCO code | 3152.4 |
| ISCO group | 3152 |
| Concept type | Occupation |