Deck officer to ship captain
A deck officer already meets 43% of what the ship captain role asks for. The move turns on 18 required skills not yet in the profile.
64.1/ 100
1 How much of what a ship captain 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 ship captain role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
A ship captain role treats 15 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
- International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships
- assess vessel status
- ensure vessel security
- international regulations for preventing collisions at sea
- manage staff
What stands in the way is 18 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 16 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. A ship captain 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 assess vessel status working with machinery and specialised equipment
- already held plot shipping navigation routes working with machinery and specialised equipment
- already held steer vessels working with machinery and specialised equipment
- already held vessel points of sail services
- already held ensure vessel security information skills
- already held secure ships using rope working with machinery and specialised equipment
All 16 carried skills, including the 15 the ship captain role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 24 missing skills fall into 10 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 supervise movement of crew required
- still to learn supervise movement of passengers required
- still to learn prepare transportation routes required
- still to learn supervise crew required
- still to learn carry out navigational calculations required
- still to learn maintain voyage logs required
- still to learn analyse work-related written reports required
- still to learn conduct water navigation required
- still to learn operate marine communication systems required
- still to learn operate mechanical equipment of ships required
- still to learn ensure public safety and security required
- still to learn ensure ongoing compliance with regulations required
- optional, not held comply with checklists optional
- optional, not held deal with challenging work conditions optional
- still to learn communicate mooring plans required
- still to learn follow verbal instructions required
- optional, not held apply transportation management concepts optional
- optional, not held create solutions to problems optional
- still to learn types of maritime vessels required
- still to learn principles of mechanical engineering required
4 further areas in the appendix
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries a ship captain role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
- 01 carry out navigational calculations practise this
- 02 communicate mooring plans practise this
- 03 conduct water navigation 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 16 skills that carry over
- already held Global Maritime Distress and Safety System knowledge
- already held International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships knowledge
- already held assess vessel status skill
- already held ensure vessel security skill
- already held international regulations for preventing collisions at sea knowledge
- already held manage staff skill
- already held plot shipping navigation routes skill
- already held stay up-to-date with maritime transportation technology skill
- already held steer vessels skill
- already held supervise loading of cargo skill
- already held supervise unloading of cargo skill
- already held use maritime English skill
- already held use water navigation devices skill
- already held vessel points of sail knowledge
- already held vessel safety equipment knowledge
- already held secure ships using rope skill
The 4 learning areas not shown above
- still to learn geographic areas required
- still to learn freight transport methods required
- optional, not held warehouse operations optional
- optional, not held manage ocean-going oil tankers optional
6 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held apply transportation management concepts optional
- optional, not held manage ocean-going oil tankers optional
- optional, not held warehouse operations optional
- optional, not held comply with checklists optional
- optional, not held create solutions to problems optional
- optional, not held deal with challenging work conditions optional
12 held skills the ship captain role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role assist water-based navigation 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 handle stressful situations in the work place skill
- not needed by the target role make independent operating decisions skill
- not needed by the target role manipulate sails on vessels skill
- not needed by the target role provide first aid skill
- not needed by the target role tolerate stress skill
- not needed by the target role use different communication channels skill
- not needed by the target role work in a water transport team skill
5 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 types of maritime vessels required
- still to learn freight transport methods required
- still to learn geographic areas required
- still to learn principles of mechanical engineering required
- optional, not held warehouse operations optional
Common questions about this move
Can a deck officer become a ship captain?
Yes, and it is a substantial move. A deck officer already covers 43% of what a ship captain is expected to do: 16 skills carry over, 15 of which the ship captain role treats as required.
What skills does a deck officer need to become a ship captain?
18 required skills are missing, plus 6 optional ones. They fall into 10 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by management skills. The single most important is carry out navigational calculations.
How hard is the move from deck officer to ship captain?
Its learning distance is 64.1 out of 100, which is the substantial 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.