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Water transport deck and engine room crew (NOC 7532)

Table of contents
About this job Earnings and Outlook Duties Work environment
Workforce and employment statistics Job requirements Related careers Career paths and resources
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About this job

See what a day in the life of this job is like—watch WorkBC’s Career Trek video about this occupation.

Source: WorkBC’s Career Trek

Workers in this group:

  • stand watch, operate and maintain deck equipment
  • perform other deck and bridge duties, assist ship engineer officers to operate, maintain and repair engines, machinery and auxiliary equipment aboard ships or self-propelled vessels
  • work for marine transportation companies and federal government departments
Common job titles
  • boatswain
  • carpenter, ship's
  • crew member, ship - engine and boiler room
  • seaman / seawoman - able / ordinary / pump
  • ship tunnel operator
  • stoker - ship
  • boatswain
  • carpenter, ship's
  • crew member, ship - engine and boiler room
  • deckhand, barge / ship / ferryboat / tug
  • helmsman / helmswoman
  • marine engine mechanic / technician

Earnings

Annual provincial median salary

$54,810

Source: 2016 Job Bank Wage data

Note:Estimated median employment income based on 2016 Job Bank median hourly wage rate (median annual salary = hourly wage rate x 40 (hours per week) x 52.14 (weeks per year))

Provincial hourly rate

  • High
  • Median
  • Low

Source: 2016 Job Bank Wage Report

B.C. Labour Market Outlook (2017-2027)

Provincial outlook

Forecasted average employment growth rate

  • 2017 - 2022
  • 2022 - 2027

Source: B.C. Labour Market Outlook

Job openings

10 year expected job openings: 530

  • 2017
  • 2022
  • 2027

Source: B.C. Labour Market Outlook

Composition of job openings

 
New jobs due to economic growth:
32.2%
170 openings
 
Replacement of retiring workers:
67.8%
360 openings

Source: B.C. Labour Market Outlook

Regional outlook

Select a region to view regional outlook
Vancouver Island / Coast Mainland / Southwest Thompson-Okanagan Kootenay Cariboo Northeast North Coast & Nechako
Cariboo
Employment in 2017:
N/A
Average annual employment growth:
N/A
Expected number of job openings:
N/A
Kootenay
Employment in 2017:
N/A
Average annual employment growth:
N/A
Expected number of job openings:
N/A
Mainland / Southwest
Employment in 2017:
670
Average annual employment growth:
1.0%
Expected number of job openings:
190
North Coast & Nechako
Employment in 2017:
70
Average annual employment growth:
-0.4%
Expected number of job openings:
10
Northeast
Employment in 2017:
N/A
Average annual employment growth:
N/A
Expected number of job openings:
N/A
Thompson-Okanagan
Employment in 2017:
N/A
Average annual employment growth:
N/A
Expected number of job openings:
N/A
Vancouver Island / Coast
Employment in 2017:
880
Average annual employment growth:
1.1%
Expected number of job openings:
330

N/A - Data not available

Source: B.C. Labour Market Outlook

Duties

Workers in this group perform some or all of the following duties:

  • stand watch and steer ship or self-propelled vessel under the direction of the officer on watch
  • operate, maintain and repair deck equipment such as winches, cranes, derricks and hawsers
  • Assist ship engineer officers in performing routine maintenance work and repair to ship's engine, machinery and auxiliary equipment
  • Monitor engine, machinery and equipment indicators, record variables and report abnormalities to ship engineer officer on watch
  • Lubricate moving parts of engines, machinery and auxiliary equipment
  • Operate and maintain off-loading liquid pumps and valves
  • Clean engine parts and keep engine room clean
  • clean, chip and paint deck surfaces
  • handle mooring lines, and splice and repair ropes, wire cables and cordage

Work environment

Key aspects of the work in this occupation:

  • Work takes place inside a ship or other self-propelled vessel.
  • Work also takes place outdoors so workers may be exposed to various weather conditions.
  • Working with machinery and equipment can be a source of injury.
  • The workplace may be noisy enough to affect hearing.

Workforce and employment statistics

Workforce characteristics

1,300 workers are employed
43% of workers are working mostly full time

Source: 2011 National Household Survey

Employment by gender

  Men
  Women

Source: 2011 National Household Survey

Employment by age group

  15 - 24 years
  25 - 44 years
  45 - 64 years
  65+ years

Source: 2011 National Household Survey

Labour force by industry

Transportation and Warehousing:
81%
Public Administration:
11%
Accommodation and Food Services:
2%
Retail Trade1:
2%
Wholesale Trade1:
2%
View more industry data

Source: 2011 National Household Survey

Note:1Data represents Wholesale and Retail Trade and will be updated when the 2017 data is available from Statistics Canada.

Employment by region

Select your region:
Vancouver Island / Coast Mainland / Southwest Thompson-Okanagan Kootenay Cariboo Northeast North Coast & Nechako
  % employment of this occupation
  % employment of all occupations
Cariboo
Kootenay
Mainland / Southwest
North Coast & Nechako
Northeast
Thompson-Okanagan
Vancouver Island / Coast

Source: 2011 National Household Survey

Career paths and resources

Career paths

Progression to deck officer positions is possible with experience, additional training and deck officer certification by Transport Canada.

Training and testing for various endorsements and certification, including the Marine Emergency Duty (MED) certificate, are possible after working as a deck crew member.

Additional resources

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Profile last updated:
July 5, 2018
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