Marine chief engineer to ship captain
A marine chief engineer already meets 32% of what the ship captain role asks for. The move turns on 22 required skills not yet in the profile.
74.4/ 100
1 How much of what a ship captain is expected to do is already part of a marine chief engineer’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 11 of its required skills as things a marine chief engineer 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
- analyse work-related written reports
- carry out navigational calculations
- international regulations for preventing collisions at sea
- maintain voyage logs
What stands in the way is 22 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 12 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 marine chief engineer background worth leading with.
- already held maintain voyage logs information skills
- already held operate mechanical equipment of ships working with machinery and specialised equipment
- already held carry out navigational calculations information skills
- already held International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships business, administration and law
- already held international regulations for preventing collisions at sea business, administration and law
- already held supervise crew management skills
All 12 carried skills, including the 11 the ship captain role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 28 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 assess vessel status required
- still to learn conduct water navigation required
- still to learn plot shipping navigation routes required
- still to learn steer vessels required
- still to learn use water navigation devices required
- still to learn operate marine communication systems required
- optional, not held secure ships using rope optional
- still to learn supervise loading of cargo required
- still to learn supervise movement of crew required
- still to learn supervise movement of passengers required
- still to learn supervise unloading of cargo required
- still to learn prepare transportation routes required
- still to learn vessel points of sail required
- still to learn vessel safety equipment required
- still to learn freight transport methods 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 create solutions to problems optional
- still to learn ensure vessel security required
- still to learn stay up-to-date with maritime transportation technology 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 assess vessel status 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 12 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 analyse work-related written reports skill
- already held carry out navigational calculations skill
- already held international regulations for preventing collisions at sea knowledge
- already held maintain voyage logs skill
- already held manage staff skill
- already held operate mechanical equipment of ships skill
- already held principles of mechanical engineering knowledge
- already held supervise crew skill
- already held use maritime English skill
- already held apply transportation management concepts skill
The 4 learning areas not shown above
- still to learn types of maritime vessels required
- still to learn geographic areas 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 manage ocean-going oil tankers optional
- optional, not held secure ships using rope 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
57 held skills the ship captain role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role act reliably skill
- not needed by the target role adjust engineering designs skill
- not needed by the target role approve engineering design skill
- not needed by the target role communicate verbal instructions skill
- not needed by the target role conduct financial audits skill
- not needed by the target role coordinate fire fighting skill
- not needed by the target role electrical systems used in transportation knowledge
- not needed by the target role electronics knowledge
- not needed by the target role electronics principles knowledge
- not needed by the target role engineering principles knowledge
- not needed by the target role engineering processes knowledge
- not needed by the target role ensure compliance with environmental legislation skill
- not needed by the target role ensure vessel compliance with regulations skill
- not needed by the target role execute analytical mathematical calculations skill
- not needed by the target role extinguish fires skill
- not needed by the target role fire-fighting systems knowledge
- not needed by the target role fishing vessels knowledge
- not needed by the target role follow ethical code of conduct in transport services skill
- not needed by the target role have computer literacy skill
- not needed by the target role lead a team in fishery services skill
- not needed by the target role maintain electrical equipment skill
- not needed by the target role maintain electronic equipment skill
- not needed by the target role maintain safe engineering watches skill
- not needed by the target role maintain shipboard machinery skill
- not needed by the target role maintain vessel engine room skill
- not needed by the target role maintain vessel inventory skill
- not needed by the target role manage engine-room resources skill
- not needed by the target role manage safety standards for maritime water transport skill
- not needed by the target role manage ship emergency plans skill
- not needed by the target role manage the operation of propulsion plant machinery skill
- not needed by the target role maritime electric drives knowledge
- not needed by the target role maritime law knowledge
- not needed by the target role mathematics knowledge
- not needed by the target role mechanical engineering knowledge
- not needed by the target role mechanical tools knowledge
- not needed by the target role mechanics knowledge
- not needed by the target role mechanics of vessels knowledge
- not needed by the target role operate control systems skill
- not needed by the target role operate life-saving appliances skill
- not needed by the target role operate marine machinery systems skill
17 further entries not listed here
6 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 vessel points of sail required
- still to learn vessel safety equipment required
- still to learn freight transport methods required
- still to learn geographic areas required
- optional, not held warehouse operations optional
Common questions about this move
Can a marine chief engineer become a ship captain?
Yes, and it is a substantial move. A marine chief engineer already covers 32% of what a ship captain is expected to do: 12 skills carry over, 11 of which the ship captain role treats as required.
What skills does a marine chief engineer need to become a ship captain?
22 required skills are missing, plus 6 optional ones. They fall into 10 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by working with machinery and specialised equipment. The single most important is assess vessel status.
How hard is the move from marine chief engineer to ship captain?
Its learning distance is 74.4 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.