Vessel operations coordinator to deck officer
A vessel operations coordinator already meets 23% of what the deck officer role asks for. The move turns on 16 required skills not yet in the profile.
76.1/ 100
1 How much of what a deck officer is expected to do is already part of a vessel operations coordinator’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 5 of its required skills as things a vessel operations coordinator already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- manage staff
- supervise loading of cargo
- supervise unloading of cargo
- use different communication channels
- work in a water transport team
What stands in the way is 16 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 vessel operations coordinator background worth leading with.
- already held work in a water transport team communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held supervise unloading of cargo management skills
- already held supervise loading of cargo management skills
- already held use maritime English communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held manage staff management skills
- already held use different communication channels communication, collaboration and creativity
All 6 carried skills, including the 5 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 assess vessel status required
- still to learn assist water-based navigation required
- still to learn plot shipping navigation routes required
- still to learn steer vessels required
- still to learn use water navigation devices required
- optional, not held manipulate sails on vessels optional
- optional, not held secure ships using rope optional
- still to learn ensure smooth on board operations required
- still to learn consider economic criteria in decision making required
- still to learn handle stressful situations in the work place required
- optional, not held tolerate stress optional
- optional, not held make independent operating decisions optional
- still to learn vessel safety equipment required
- still to learn Global Maritime Distress and Safety System required
- optional, not held vessel points of sail 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 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 assist water-based navigation practise this
- 03 celestial navigation study 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 manage staff skill
- already held supervise loading of cargo skill
- already held supervise unloading of cargo skill
- already held use different communication channels skill
- already held work in a water transport team skill
- already held use maritime English skill
The 2 learning areas not shown above
- still to learn celestial navigation required
- optional, not held communicate with customers optional
6 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held manipulate sails on vessels optional
- optional, not held secure ships using rope optional
- 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
33 held skills the deck officer role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role International Maritime Organisation conventions knowledge
- not needed by the target role act reliably skill
- not needed by the target role adjust priorities skill
- not needed by the target role advise on maritime regulations skill
- not needed by the target role advise on tanker operations skill
- not needed by the target role apply regulations on cargo transport operations skill
- not needed by the target role assess vessel capability skill
- not needed by the target role calculate the amount of cargo on a vessel skill
- not needed by the target role conduct on board safety inspections skill
- not needed by the target role consider constraints in maritime shipping skill
- not needed by the target role consider time zones in execution of work skill
- not needed by the target role coordinate the itineraries of vessels skill
- not needed by the target role develop efficiency plans for maritime shipping skill
- not needed by the target role ensure incident free execution of voyages skill
- not needed by the target role establish draft annual schedules for vessels skill
- not needed by the target role give instructions to staff skill
- not needed by the target role have computer literacy skill
- not needed by the target role inspect maritime operations skill
- not needed by the target role maintain vessel inventory skill
- not needed by the target role manage the lightering operation skill
- not needed by the target role manage vessel deck operations skill
- not needed by the target role manage vessel fleet skill
- not needed by the target role maritime law knowledge
- not needed by the target role match vessels to shipping routes skill
- not needed by the target role negotiate prices for transport of cargo skill
- not needed by the target role physical parts of the vessel knowledge
- not needed by the target role plan procedures for cargo operations skill
- not needed by the target role principles of cargo stowage knowledge
- not needed by the target role types of cargo knowledge
- not needed by the target role types of maritime vessels knowledge
- not needed by the target role use microsoft office skill
- not needed by the target role vessel traffic services knowledge
- not needed by the target role write emergency instructions for handling of dangerous goods skill
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 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
- optional, not held vessel points of sail optional
Other moves recorded from vessel operations coordinator
Common questions about this move
Can a vessel operations coordinator become a deck officer?
Yes, and it is a career change move. A vessel operations coordinator already covers 23% of what a deck officer is expected to do: 6 skills carry over, 5 of which the deck officer role treats as required.
What skills does a vessel operations coordinator need to become a deck officer?
16 required skills are missing, plus 6 optional ones. They fall into 8 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 vessel operations coordinator to deck officer?
Its learning distance is 76.1 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.