Ship Engineers
Supervise and coordinate activities of crew engaged in operating and maintaining engines, boilers, deck machinery, and electrical, sanitary, and refrigeration equipment aboard ship.
8,400 people do this job in the US. $109,530 a year.
of the working time. Estimate.
- 10%
- 0%
- 90%
Measured, from Anthropic's usage data (2025). Counts help on part of a task.
On the chosen pace and reliability. Estimate.
Share of the working time within reach, now to 2030
What each choice means: , , , , . Every pace starts from .
At this date and pace, models finish tasks up to 4.4 h long four times in five.
How far this has come
With GPT-4, measured in March 2023, 0% of this job's working time was within reach at . With Claude 3.7 Sonnet, measured in February 2025, 0%. With Claude Mythos Preview (early), measured in April 2026, 9%. Today's estimate: 9%.
A backcast: today's task data with the best model METR had measured by each date. It shows how fast the models have moved, not what anyone forecast at the time.
The tasks
Sorted by . 17 tasks from .
| Task | Kind | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Maintain or repair engines, electric motors, pumps, winches, or other mechanical or electrical equipment, or assist other crew members with maintenance or repair duties.Done daily by most who do it. | 17% | 3.3 h50 min to 1.3 work days | Stays with people | |
| Monitor engine, machinery, or equipment indicators when vessels are underway, and report abnormalities to appropriate shipboard staff.Done daily by most who do it. | 16% | 1.7 h25 min to 3.3 h | Stays with people | |
| Perform general marine vessel maintenance or repair work, such as repairing leaks, finishing interiors, refueling, or maintaining decks.Done daily by most who do it. | 12% | 2.5 h50 min to 6.7 h | Stays with people | |
| Maintain electrical power, heating, ventilation, refrigeration, water, or sewerage systems.Done daily by most who do it. | 9% | 2.5 h50 min to 1 work day | Stays with people | |
| Monitor and test operations of engines or other equipment so that malfunctions and their causes can be identified.Done daily by most who do it. | 9% | 1.7 h38 min to 5 h | Stays with people | |
| Clean engine parts and keep engine rooms clean.Done daily by most who do it. | 7% | 1.3 h25 min to 3.3 h | Stays with people | |
| Supervise marine engine technicians engaged in the maintenance or repair of mechanical or electrical marine vessels, and inspect their work to ensure that it is performed properly.Done more than monthly by most who do it. | 5% | 2.5 h50 min to 6.7 h | Stays with people | |
| Monitor the availability, use, or condition of lifesaving equipment or pollution preventatives to ensure that international regulations are followed.Done daily by most who do it. | 4% | 50 min25 min to 2.5 h | Stays with people | |
| Act as a liaison between a ship's captain and shore personnel to ensure that schedules and budgets are maintained and that the ship is operated safely and efficiently.Done daily by most who do it. | 4% | 1.3 h25 min to 2.5 h | 87%Half by now | |
| Maintain complete records of engineering department activities, including machine operations.Done daily by most who do it. | 3% | 38 min17 min to 1.3 h | 100%Half by now | |
| Start engines to propel ships, and regulate engines and power transmissions to control speeds of ships, according to directions from captains or bridge computers.Done daily by most who do it. | 3% | 25 min8 min to 1.3 h | Stays with people | |
| Order and receive engine room stores, such as oil or spare parts, maintain inventories, and record usage of supplies.Done more than weekly by most who do it. | 3% | 1.7 h25 min to 5 h | Stays with people |
Within reach, per task: the share of the task's time whose instances are short enough for a model to finish at the chosen date, pace and reliability. Half by: the date half of that time comes within reach.
Jobs that share skills with this one
From O*NET's related occupations. Within reach now and by the end of 2028, long-run pace, four in five.
- Stationary Engineers and Boiler Operators13% now, 22% by 2028
- Marine Engineers and Naval Architects4% now, 41% by 2028
- Maintenance and Repair Workers, General5% now, 15% by 2028
- Hydroelectric Plant Technicians10% now, 11% by 2028
- Sailors and Marine Oilers4% now, 19% by 2028
- Motorboat Mechanics and Service Technicians3% now, 3% by 2028
Where this job works
The industry groups that employ the most of it (BLS, May 2025).
Where the most of these jobs are
The metro areas with the most people in it (BLS, May 2025).