Engineer Jobs in the U.S. Maritime Industry

Marine engineer is the job that keeps everything else possible, and the one U.S. operators struggle most to staff. Main engines, generators, switchboards, hydraulics, steering gear, pumps, compressors, purifiers, HVAC, sewage and water treatment all live under the same set of hands, and the nearest parts house is wherever the boat happens to be.

The shape of the work depends on the plant. On a towboat with a DDE the engineer is usually alone, running preventive maintenance, oil samples and repairs between fuel stops, and calling shoreside when something exceeds what can be done underway. On a deep-sea ship there is a department, a watch structure or an unmanned automated plant, and a division of responsibility among chief, first, second and third assistants.

Licenses are keyed to horsepower and route, with DDE covering limited-horsepower vessels and the assistant grades covering larger plants. STCW endorsements apply on international routes.

Pay is generally a day rate or salary above the equivalent deck grade, reflecting scarcity. Rotations are commonly even time offshore, 28/14 or 28/28 inland, and voyage-length deep sea.

Openings run heaviest on the Gulf Coast, the inland rivers, government and research fleets, and harbor and ferry operations.