Ordinary seaman to deck officer
An ordinary seaman already meets 30% of what the deck officer role asks for. The move turns on 15 required skills not yet in the profile.
70.5/ 100
1 How much of what a deck officer is expected to do is already part of an ordinary seaman’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 6 of its required skills as things an ordinary seaman 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
- use different communication channels
- vessel safety equipment
- work in a water transport team
What stands in the way is 15 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. A deck officer role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of an ordinary seaman 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 work in a water transport team communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held secure ships using rope working with machinery and specialised equipment
- already held vessel safety equipment services
- already held Global Maritime Distress and Safety System services
All 9 carried skills, including the 6 the deck officer role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 19 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 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
- still to learn use water navigation devices required
- 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 provide first aid required
- still to learn celestial navigation 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 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 use different communication channels skill
- already held vessel safety equipment knowledge
- already held work in a water transport team skill
- already held manipulate sails on vessels skill
- already held secure ships using rope skill
- already held use maritime English skill
The 2 learning areas not shown above
- optional, not held communicate with customers optional
- optional, not held vessel points of sail optional
4 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held tolerate stress optional
- optional, not held vessel points of sail optional
- optional, not held communicate with customers optional
- optional, not held make independent operating decisions 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 clean ships skill
- not needed by the target role follow hygienic procedures during food processing skill
- not needed by the target role follow verbal instructions skill
- not needed by the target role follow written instructions skill
- not needed by the target role handle cargo skill
- not needed by the target role inspect construction of ships skill
- not needed by the target role load cargo onto ships skill
- not needed by the target role maintain ropes skill
- not needed by the target role maintain ship brightwork skill
- not needed by the target role maintain vessel engine room skill
- not needed by the target role maintain vessel safety and emergency equipment skill
- not needed by the target role moor vessels skill
- not needed by the target role operate life-saving appliances skill
- not needed by the target role perform lookout duties during maritime operations skill
- not needed by the target role perform manual work autonomously skill
- not needed by the target role physical parts of the vessel knowledge
- not needed by the target role principles of cargo stowage knowledge
- not needed by the target role secure cargo on ships skill
- not needed by the target role sort waste skill
- not needed by the target role swim skill
- not needed by the target role types of maritime vessels knowledge
- not needed by the target role unmoor vessels skill
- not needed by the target role use different types of fire extinguishers skill
4 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 International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships required
- optional, not held vessel points of sail optional
Common questions about this move
Can an ordinary seaman become a deck officer?
Yes, and it is a substantial move. An ordinary seaman already covers 30% of what a deck officer is expected to do: 9 skills carry over, 6 of which the deck officer role treats as required.
What skills does an ordinary seaman need to become a deck officer?
15 required skills are missing, plus 4 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 ordinary seaman to deck officer?
Its learning distance is 70.5 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.