Maritime pilot to deck officer
A maritime pilot already meets 20% of what the deck officer role asks for. The move turns on 17 required skills not yet in the profile.
78/ 100
1 How much of what a deck officer is expected to do is already part of a maritime pilot’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 deck officer role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
A deck officer role treats 4 of its required skills as things a maritime pilot already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- assist water-based navigation
- use different communication channels
- use water navigation devices
- work in a water transport team
What stands in the way is 17 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 6 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. A deck officer role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of a maritime pilot 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 vessel points of sail services
- already held work in a water transport team communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held use water navigation devices working with machinery and specialised equipment
- already held use different communication channels communication, collaboration and creativity
All 6 carried skills, including the 4 the deck officer role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 22 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 ensure smooth on board operations required
- still to learn supervise loading of cargo required
- still to learn supervise unloading of cargo required
- still to learn consider economic criteria in decision making required
- still to learn handle stressful situations in the work place required
- still to learn manage staff required
- optional, not held tolerate stress optional
- optional, not held make independent operating decisions optional
- still to learn assess vessel status required
- still to learn plot shipping navigation routes required
- still to learn steer vessels required
- optional, not held secure ships using rope optional
- still to learn international regulations for preventing collisions at sea required
- still to learn International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships required
- still to learn ensure vessel security required
- still to learn stay up-to-date with maritime transportation technology required
- still to learn vessel safety equipment required
- still to learn Global Maritime Distress and Safety System required
- still to learn provide first aid required
2 further areas in the appendix
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries a deck officer 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 celestial navigation study this
- 03 ensure smooth on board operations 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 6 skills that carry over
- already held assist water-based navigation skill
- already held use different communication channels skill
- already held use water navigation devices skill
- already held work in a water transport team skill
- already held manipulate sails on vessels skill
- already held vessel points of sail knowledge
The 2 learning areas not shown above
- still to learn celestial navigation required
- optional, not held communicate with customers optional
- optional, not held use maritime English optional
5 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held secure ships using rope optional
- optional, not held tolerate stress optional
- optional, not held communicate with customers optional
- optional, not held make independent operating decisions optional
- optional, not held use maritime English optional
24 held skills the deck officer role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role act reliably skill
- not needed by the target role analyse weather forecast skill
- not needed by the target role anchor ships to the port skill
- not needed by the target role assist in maritime rescue operations skill
- not needed by the target role assist in the movement of heavy loads skill
- not needed by the target role balance transportation cargo skill
- not needed by the target role carry out ship-to-shore operations skill
- not needed by the target role conduct water navigation skill
- not needed by the target role cooperate with colleagues skill
- not needed by the target role coordinate dock operations skill
- not needed by the target role ensure compliance with port regulations skill
- not needed by the target role guide ships into docks skill
- not needed by the target role have computer literacy skill
- not needed by the target role local waters of the port knowledge
- not needed by the target role maintain ship logs skill
- not needed by the target role monitor aviation meteorology skill
- not needed by the target role plan pilotage skill
- not needed by the target role principles of cargo stowage knowledge
- not needed by the target role regulate the speed of ships in ports skill
- not needed by the target role steer vessels in ports skill
- not needed by the target role use meteorological information skill
- not needed by the target role use rigging tools skill
- not needed by the target role vessel stability principles knowledge
- not needed by the target role vessel traffic services knowledge
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 celestial navigation required
- still to learn international regulations for preventing collisions at sea required
- still to learn vessel safety equipment required
- still to learn Global Maritime Distress and Safety System required
- still to learn International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships required
Common questions about this move
Can a maritime pilot become a deck officer?
Yes, and it is a career change move. A maritime pilot already covers 20% of what a deck officer is expected to do: 6 skills carry over, 4 of which the deck officer role treats as required.
What skills does a maritime pilot need to become a deck officer?
17 required skills are missing, plus 5 optional ones. They fall into 8 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by management skills. The single most important is assess vessel status.
How hard is the move from maritime pilot to deck officer?
Its learning distance is 78 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.