Career Overlap Transition record
RecordMove

Water traffic coordinator to vessel operations coordinator

A water traffic coordinator already meets 22% of what the vessel operations coordinator role asks for. The move turns on 22 required skills not yet in the profile.

Fig. 1 · Skill transfer ESCO v1.2.1 · directional
From water traffic coordinator
22 % overlap
Distant match
To vessel operations coordinator
9 You already bring
22 Still to learn
39 Skills in the target role2
Learning distance A rebuild

81.9/ 100

1 How much of what a vessel operations coordinator is expected to do is already part of a water traffic 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 vessel operations coordinator role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.

Why

Why this move works

A vessel operations coordinator role treats 6 of its required skills as things a water traffic coordinator already does. You would walk in with these on day one.

  • coordinate the itineraries of vessels
  • develop efficiency plans for maritime shipping
  • match vessels to shipping routes
  • principles of cargo stowage
  • types of maritime vessels
  • vessel traffic services

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

Table 2 · What you already bring

Of the 9 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. A vessel operations coordinator role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of a water traffic coordinator background worth leading with.

Skill the target role also needs Area
  • already held develop efficiency plans for maritime shipping management skills
  • already held coordinate the itineraries of vessels management skills
  • already held vessel traffic services services
  • already held match vessels to shipping routes management skills
  • already held principles of cargo stowage services
  • already held types of maritime vessels engineering, manufacturing and construction

All 9 carried skills, including the 6 the vessel operations coordinator role treats as required.

Table 3

Table 3 · What you may need to learn

The 30 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.

Skill to pick up Tier
01 management skills 8 required, 3 supplementary
  • still to learn establish draft annual schedules for vessels required
  • still to learn manage vessel deck operations required
  • still to learn consider constraints in maritime shipping required
  • still to learn plan procedures for cargo operations required
  • still to learn supervise loading of cargo required
  • still to learn supervise unloading of cargo required
  • still to learn consider time zones in execution of work required
  • still to learn manage vessel fleet required
  • optional, not held manage the lightering operation optional
  • optional, not held adjust priorities optional
  • optional, not held manage staff optional
02 information skills 5 required
  • still to learn inspect maritime operations required
  • still to learn assess vessel capability required
  • still to learn calculate the amount of cargo on a vessel required
  • still to learn maintain vessel inventory required
  • still to learn conduct on board safety inspections required
03 communication, collaboration and creativity 3 required, 4 supplementary
  • still to learn advise on tanker operations required
  • still to learn advise on maritime regulations required
  • still to learn negotiate prices for transport of cargo required
  • optional, not held work in a water transport team optional
  • optional, not held write emergency instructions for handling of dangerous goods optional
  • optional, not held give instructions to staff optional
  • optional, not held use maritime English optional
04 business, administration and law 2 required
  • still to learn International Maritime Organisation conventions required
  • still to learn maritime law required
05 services 2 required
  • still to learn physical parts of the vessel required
  • still to learn types of cargo required
06 assisting and caring 1 required
  • still to learn apply regulations on cargo transport operations required

2 further areas in the appendix

Table 4

Table 4 · Where to start

The 3 entries a vessel operations coordinator role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.

Each entry opens a course search for that skill. Career Overlap earns nothing from these links.

Appendix

Appendix · The rest of the record

All 9 skills that carry over
Skill Type
  • already held coordinate the itineraries of vessels skill
  • already held develop efficiency plans for maritime shipping skill
  • already held match vessels to shipping routes skill
  • already held principles of cargo stowage knowledge
  • already held types of maritime vessels knowledge
  • already held vessel traffic services knowledge
  • already held act reliably skill
  • already held have computer literacy skill
  • already held use different communication channels skill
The 2 learning areas not shown above
Skill to pick up Tier
07 working with machinery and specialised equipment 1 required
  • still to learn ensure incident free execution of voyages required
08 working with computers 1 supplementary
  • optional, not held use microsoft office optional
8 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
Skill to pick up Tier
  • optional, not held manage the lightering operation optional
  • optional, not held work in a water transport team optional
  • optional, not held write emergency instructions for handling of dangerous goods optional
  • optional, not held adjust priorities optional
  • optional, not held give instructions to staff optional
  • optional, not held manage staff optional
  • optional, not held use maritime English optional
  • optional, not held use microsoft office optional
25 held skills the vessel operations coordinator role does not ask for
Skill Type
  • not needed by the target role anticipate shipment handling requirements skill
  • not needed by the target role apply procedures to ensure cargo complies with customs regulations skill
  • not needed by the target role commodities in maritime transportation knowledge
  • not needed by the target role comply with checklists skill
  • not needed by the target role coordinate dock operations skill
  • not needed by the target role customs regulations for passengers knowledge
  • not needed by the target role ensure compliance with port regulations skill
  • not needed by the target role ensure vessel compliance with regulations skill
  • not needed by the target role freight transport methods knowledge
  • not needed by the target role implement cost-effective cargo handling strategies on ships skill
  • not needed by the target role implement efficiency plans for logistics operations skill
  • not needed by the target role liaise with port users skill
  • not needed by the target role load cargo onto ships skill
  • not needed by the target role manage dispatch software systems skill
  • not needed by the target role manage port operations improvement procedures skill
  • not needed by the target role maritime telecommunications knowledge
  • not needed by the target role operate port communications systems skill
  • not needed by the target role perform manual work autonomously skill
  • not needed by the target role perform services in a flexible manner skill
  • not needed by the target role port regulation knowledge
  • not needed by the target role prepare transportation routes skill
  • not needed by the target role transportation methods knowledge
  • not needed by the target role verify qualifications of water transport crew skill
  • not needed by the target role vessel stability principles knowledge
  • not needed by the target role warehouse operations knowledge
4 gaps that are knowledge rather than practice

Knowledge gaps usually close through study. Practical skill gaps usually need something you can point at.

Skill to pick up Tier
  • still to learn International Maritime Organisation conventions required
  • still to learn maritime law required
  • still to learn physical parts of the vessel required
  • still to learn types of cargo required
Index
FAQ

Common questions about this move

Can a water traffic coordinator become a vessel operations coordinator?

Yes, and it is a career change move. A water traffic coordinator already covers 22% of what a vessel operations coordinator is expected to do: 9 skills carry over, 6 of which the vessel operations coordinator role treats as required.

What skills does a water traffic coordinator need to become a vessel operations coordinator?

22 required skills are missing, plus 8 optional ones. They fall into 8 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by management skills. The single most important is advise on tanker operations.

How hard is the move from water traffic coordinator to vessel operations coordinator?

Its learning distance is 81.9 out of 100, which is the career change band. That accounts for both how much is missing and how specialised those skills are.

Note

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.