Captains, Mates, and Pilots of Water Vessels
Complete Captains, Mates, and Pilots of Water Vessels career guide. Discover required skills, average salary, day-to-day responsibilities, interview tips, and resume templates.
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What Does a Captains, Mates, and Pilots of Water Vessels Do?
Command or supervise operations of ships and water vessels, such as tugboats and ferryboats. Required to hold license issued by U.S. Coast Guard.
Day-to-Day Responsibilities
- 1Direct courses and speeds of ships, based on specialized knowledge of local winds, weather, water depths, tides, currents, and hazards.
- 2Prevent ships under navigational control from engaging in unsafe operations.
- 3Serve as a vessel's docking master upon arrival at a port or at a berth.
- 4Consult maps, charts, weather reports, or navigation equipment to determine and direct ship movements.
- 5Steer and operate vessels, using radios, depth finders, radars, lights, buoys, or lighthouses.
- 6Operate ship-to-shore radios to exchange information needed for ship operations.
- 7Dock or undock vessels, sometimes maneuvering through narrow spaces, such as locks.
- 8Stand watches on vessels during specified periods while vessels are under way.
Required Skills
- Operation and Control
- Speaking
- Monitoring
- Apple macOS
- Autodesk Revit
- Computerized maintenance management system CMMS
- FURUNO navigational chart software
- Groundwater modeling system GMS
- Jeppesen Marine Nobeltec Admiral
- JRC navigation software
- KNMI TurboWin
- Log book software
- Maptech The CAPN
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Captains, Mates, and Pilots of Water Vessels FAQs
What skills do I need to become a Captains, Mates, and Pilots of Water Vessels?
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Key skills for Captains, Mates, and Pilots of Water Vessels include Operation and Control, Speaking, Monitoring. Strong foundational knowledge in your field plus continuous learning is essential.
How much does a Captains, Mates, and Pilots of Water Vessels make?
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Captains, Mates, and Pilots of Water Vessels salaries vary based on experience, location, and employer. Visit our salary guide section for detailed compensation data.
What does a Captains, Mates, and Pilots of Water Vessels do day-to-day?
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Command or supervise operations of ships and water vessels, such as tugboats and ferryboats. Required to hold license issued by U.S. Coast Guard.
How long does it take to become a Captains, Mates, and Pilots of Water Vessels?
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The path to becoming a Captains, Mates, and Pilots of Water Vessels varies. Many enter the field with a bachelor's degree (4 years) plus 1-3 years of entry-level experience, though bootcamps and self-study routes are increasingly common.
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