What skills does a ship captain need?

A ship captain needs 33 essential skills including geographic areas, international regulations for preventing collisions at sea, principles of mechanical engineering, types of maritime vessels, freight transport methods. Core competencies include .

Will AI replace ship captain jobs?

The AI disruption score for ship captain is 41/100 (moderate risk). Some tasks may be automated but the role will evolve rather than disappear entirely.

Engineering ServicesScience and engineering associate professionalsISCO 3152

ship captain

Ship captains are in charge of a vessel for the transportation of goods and passengers, operating in offshore and coastal waters. The size of the vessel can range from a small vessel to a cruise liner depending on the tonnage that they are certified to sail. Ship captains have vast experience with ships and their operation, and are likely to have worked their way through the ranks of other ship-related positions.

European Skills Framework

Skills and knowledge areas required for this occupation based on European classification.

Essential (33)

geographic areasgeographic areasThe detailed knowledge of a geographical area where different organisations carry out operations.international regulations for preventing collisions at seainternational regulations for preventing collisions at seaFundamental aspects of the international regulations to prevent collisions at sea, such as the conduct of vessels in sight of one another, navigation lights and markers, major light and accoustic sign...principles of mechanical engineeringprinciples of mechanical engineeringThe principles of mechanical engineering, physics, and materials science.types of maritime vesselstypes of maritime vesselsVarious types of maritime vessels such as container ships, passenger ships and fishing vessels, and their characteristics and specifications, security, technical, and maintenance requirements.freight transport methodsfreight transport methodsThe different modalities of freight transport such as air, sea, or intermodal freight transport, including the details and procedures specific to them.International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from ShipsInternational Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from ShipsThe fundamental principals and requirements laid in the International Regulation for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships (MARPOL): Regulations for the Prevention of Pollution by Oil, Regulations fo...vessel safety equipmentvessel safety equipmentSafety equipment used in vessels, including devices such as lifeboats, life rings, splash doors and fire doors, sprinkler systems, etc, and how these must be operated during emergency situations.Global Maritime Distress and Safety SystemGlobal Maritime Distress and Safety SystemThe internationally agreed-upon set of safety procedures, types of equipment and communication protocols used to increase safety and make it easier to rescue distressed ships, boats and aircraft.vessel points of sailvessel points of sailPoints of sail describing the orientation of a vessel in relation to the direction of the wind.ensure ongoing compliance with regulationsensure ongoing compliance with regulationsConduct tasks and procedures to ensure that aviation certificates maintain their validity; undertake safeguarding measures as appropriate.use water navigation devicesuse water navigation devicesUtilise water navigation devices, e.g. compass or sextant, or navigational aids such as lighthouses or buoys, radar, satellite, and computer systems, in order to navigate vessels on waterways. Work wi...supervise movement of crewsupervise movement of crewOversee embarkation and disembarkation of crew members. Ensure that safety regulations are followed according to specifications.supervise movement of passengerssupervise movement of passengersOversee embarking and disembarking of travellers; ensure that safety regulations are followed according to specifications.manage staffmanage staffManage employees and subordinates, working in a team or individually, to maximise their performance and contribution. Schedule their work and activities, give instructions, motivate and direct the wor...supervise unloading of cargosupervise unloading of cargoSupervise unloading processes for equipment, cargo, goods and other items. Ensure that everything is handled and stored correctly in accordance with regulations and standards.supervise loading of cargosupervise loading of cargoSupervise the process of loading equipment, cargo, goods and other Items. Ensure that all cargo is handled and stored properly in accordance with regulations and standards.ensure vessel securityensure vessel securityEnsure that security requirements for vessels are met according to legal norms. Check if the security equipment is in place and operational. Communicate with marine engineers to ensure that the techni...ensure public safety and securityensure public safety and securityImplement the relevant procedures, strategies and use the proper equipment to promote local or national security activities for the protection of data, people, institutions, and property.carry out navigational calculationscarry out navigational calculationsSolve mathematical problems to achieve safe navigation.operate marine communication systemsoperate marine communication systemsOperate on board marine communication systems. Communicate with other ships or with on-shore control centre e.g. to send urgent messages concerning safety. Transmit or receive alerts, etc.stay up-to-date with maritime transportation technologystay up-to-date with maritime transportation technologyGather information about the current trends in maritime transportation technology and stay up-to-date with the latest findings in the field. Apply this knowledge in operations and decision-making whil...steer vesselssteer vesselsOperate and steer vessels such as cruise ships, ferries, tankers, and container ships.supervise crewsupervise crewSupervise and observe the behaviour of employees.conduct water navigationconduct water navigationEnsure that a vessel carries up to date and adequate charts and appropriate nautical documents. Lead the process of preparing the voyage report, the vessel passage plan, daily position reports, and th...assess vessel statusassess vessel statusAssess the status of the operating radar, satellite, and computer systems of a vessel. Monitor speed, current position, direction, and weather conditions while carrying out watch duties.communicate mooring planscommunicate mooring plansPrepare crew briefings on mooring plans and division of labour. Provide the crew with information on protective gear such as helmets and safety goggles.use maritime Englishuse maritime EnglishCommunicate in English employing language used in actual situations on board ships, in ports and elsewhere in the shipping chain.prepare transportation routesprepare transportation routesPrepare routes through the addition or subtraction of routes, making changes to route frequency, and changing the service span of routes. Adjusts routes through providing additional running time to ro...plot shipping navigation routesplot shipping navigation routesPlot the navigation route of a vessel under the review of a superior deck officer. Operate a ship radar or electronic charts and automatic identification system.maintain voyage logsmaintain voyage logsMaintain a written records of events during a ship or aeroplane voyage.operate mechanical equipment of shipsoperate mechanical equipment of shipsOperate mechanical equipment on vessels; communicate with engineers if failures occur or should repairs be required during a voyage.follow verbal instructionsfollow verbal instructionsHave the ability to follow spoken instructions received from colleagues. Strive to understand and clarify what is being requested.analyse work-related written reportsanalyse work-related written reportsRead and comprehend job-related reports, analyse the content of reports and apply findings to daily work operations.

Optional (7)

warehouse operationswarehouse operationsThe basic principles and practices of warehouse operations such as goods storage and the organisation of warehouse facilities.create solutions to problemscreate solutions to problemsSolve problems which arise in planning, prioritising, organising, directing/facilitating action and evaluating performance. Use systematic processes of collecting, analysing, and synthesising informat...manage ocean-going oil tankersmanage ocean-going oil tankersManage lightering operations of ocean-going oil tankers and ensure that procedures throughout the operations are safe and environmentally sound.deal with challenging work conditionsdeal with challenging work conditionsDeal with challenging circumstances in which to perform work, such as night work, shift work, and atypical working conditions.apply transportation management conceptsapply transportation management conceptsApply transport industry management concepts in order to improve transportation processes, reduce waste, increase efficiency, and improve schedule preparation.secure ships using ropesecure ships using ropeUse rope to secure and untie the ship before departure or upon arrival.comply with checklistscomply with checklistsFollow checklists and ensure compliance with all the items included in them.