Deck officer to ordinary seaman
A deck officer already meets 25% of what the ordinary seaman role asks for. The move turns on 19 required skills not yet in the profile.
77.1/ 100
1 How much of what an ordinary seaman is expected to do is already part of a deck officer’s work. Directional: the figure for the reverse move differs, because moving into a speciality is not the same problem as moving out of one. 2 Every skill the ordinary seaman role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
An ordinary seaman role treats 6 of its required skills as things a deck officer already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- Global Maritime Distress and Safety System
- assist water-based navigation
- handle stressful situations in the work place
- secure ships using rope
- use maritime English
- vessel safety equipment
What stands in the way is 19 required skills the profile does not yet cover. Table 3 groups them; Table 4 says which to take first.
Table 2 · What you already bring
Of the 9 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. An ordinary seaman role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of a deck officer background worth leading with.
- already held assist water-based navigation working with machinery and specialised equipment
- already held manipulate sails on vessels working with machinery and specialised equipment
- already held secure ships using rope working with machinery and specialised equipment
- already held work in a water transport team communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held vessel safety equipment services
- already held Global Maritime Distress and Safety System services
All 9 carried skills, including the 6 the ordinary seaman role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 24 missing skills fall into 8 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, numbered in the order worth working in. Areas carrying the most required skills come first, and inside each one the required skills sit above the optional ones. Nothing here is a verdict on you: it is a list of what this particular job asks for that your current one does not.
- still to learn clean ships required
- still to learn maintain ship brightwork required
- still to learn secure cargo on ships required
- still to learn load cargo onto ships required
- still to learn handle cargo required
- still to learn sort waste required
- optional, not held perform manual work autonomously optional
- still to learn maintain vessel safety and emergency equipment required
- still to learn follow hygienic procedures during food processing required
- still to learn use different types of fire extinguishers required
- still to learn operate life-saving appliances required
- still to learn unmoor vessels required
- still to learn moor vessels required
- still to learn maintain ropes required
- still to learn perform lookout duties during maritime operations required
- optional, not held inspect construction of ships optional
- still to learn physical parts of the vessel required
- still to learn principles of cargo stowage required
- still to learn swim required
- optional, not held act reliably optional
- optional, not held follow verbal instructions optional
- optional, not held follow written instructions optional
2 further areas in the appendix
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries an ordinary seaman role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
- 01 clean ships practise this
- 02 maintain ship brightwork practise this
- 03 secure cargo on ships practise this
Each entry opens a course search for that skill. Career Overlap earns nothing from these links.
Appendix · The rest of the record
All 9 skills that carry over
- already held Global Maritime Distress and Safety System knowledge
- already held assist water-based navigation skill
- already held handle stressful situations in the work place skill
- already held secure ships using rope skill
- already held use maritime English skill
- already held vessel safety equipment knowledge
- already held manipulate sails on vessels skill
- already held use different communication channels skill
- already held work in a water transport team skill
The 2 learning areas not shown above
- still to learn maintain vessel engine room required
- still to learn types of maritime vessels required
5 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held inspect construction of ships optional
- optional, not held perform manual work autonomously optional
- optional, not held act reliably optional
- optional, not held follow verbal instructions optional
- optional, not held follow written instructions optional
19 held skills the ordinary seaman role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships knowledge
- not needed by the target role assess vessel status skill
- not needed by the target role celestial navigation knowledge
- not needed by the target role communicate with customers skill
- not needed by the target role consider economic criteria in decision making skill
- not needed by the target role ensure smooth on board operations skill
- not needed by the target role ensure vessel security skill
- not needed by the target role international regulations for preventing collisions at sea knowledge
- not needed by the target role make independent operating decisions skill
- not needed by the target role manage staff skill
- not needed by the target role plot shipping navigation routes skill
- not needed by the target role provide first aid skill
- not needed by the target role stay up-to-date with maritime transportation technology skill
- not needed by the target role steer vessels skill
- not needed by the target role supervise loading of cargo skill
- not needed by the target role supervise unloading of cargo skill
- not needed by the target role tolerate stress skill
- not needed by the target role use water navigation devices skill
- not needed by the target role vessel points of sail knowledge
3 gaps that are knowledge rather than practice
Knowledge gaps usually close through study. Practical skill gaps usually need something you can point at.
- still to learn physical parts of the vessel required
- still to learn principles of cargo stowage required
- still to learn types of maritime vessels required
Common questions about this move
Can a deck officer become an ordinary seaman?
Yes, and it is a career change move. A deck officer already covers 25% of what an ordinary seaman is expected to do: 9 skills carry over, 6 of which the ordinary seaman role treats as required.
What skills does a deck officer need to become an ordinary seaman?
19 required skills are missing, plus 5 optional ones. They fall into 8 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by handling and moving. The single most important is clean ships.
How hard is the move from deck officer to ordinary seaman?
Its learning distance is 77.1 out of 100, which is the career change band. That accounts for both how much is missing and how specialised those skills are.
How this record was compiled
Both occupations are taken from ESCO, which lists the skills and knowledge each occupation is expected to have and marks every one required or optional. Nothing here is a prediction about hiring, and nothing here knows that a particular employer wants a particular certificate. Treat Table 3 as a starting point for your own research rather than a syllabus. The full method states what these figures can and cannot tell you.