container crane operator
Container crane operators operate electrically powered cranes equipped with cantilevers on which hoisting gear is supported to load or unload container cargo. They move towers in position alongside vessel and lower cantilevers over the deck or hold of a vessel. They lift and move containers along the cantilever and position the container on the dock, on the vessel deck or in the hold.
container crane operator container crane operators operate electrically powered cranes equipped with cantilevers on which hoisting gear is supported to load or unload container cargo. The role shows moderate AI exposure (0.50 on a 0-1 scale) — some tasks are being automated but the role adapts. The most in-demand skills for the role include loading charts for transportation of goods, operate railway lever frames, assist in the movement of heavy loads, use rigging tools, maintain crane equipment.
Pay in the UK
UK: median £46,463 a year for Crane drivers (ONS ASHE 2025, full-time)
UK jobs are grouped differently; this is the closest UK occupation group (ONS SOC 2020 8221). ONS rates this estimate acceptable: it rests on a small sample, so treat it as a rough guide. 2025 provisional figures; ONS revises them a year later. Source: ONS Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (Open Government Licence)
Pay in India (occupation group)
Average monthly earnings of salaried employees in the occupation group “Plant and machine operators and assemblers” in India, from the Government of India's Periodic Labour Force Survey (January–December 2025). It covers everyone in this group, not only container crane operator, and it is not US pay converted to rupees.
Source: MoSPI (Government of India), Periodic Labour Force Survey Annual Report 2025, Table 51 — average wage/salary earnings of regular wage/salaried employees, NCO-2015 division 8. Official India data gives one average per occupation group: there are no official India figures for single careers, experience levels or cities. Read the report
Top skills
Knowledge you'll build
- Mechanical
- Customer and Personal Service
- English Language
- Public Safety and Security
- Transportation
- Administration and Management
- Engineering and Technology
- Education and Training
What you'd actually do
- Move levers, pedals, and throttles to stop, start, and regulate speeds of hoist or winch drums in response to hand, bell, buzzer, telephone, loud-speaker, or whistle signals, or by observing dial indicators or cable marks.
- Start engines of hoists or winches and use levers and pedals to wind or unwind cable on drums.
- Observe equipment gauges and indicators and hand signals of other workers to verify load positions or depths.
- Operate compressed air, diesel, electric, gasoline, or steam-driven hoists or winches to control movement of cableways, cages, derricks, draglines, loaders, railcars, or skips.
- Move or reposition hoists, winches, loads and materials, manually or using equipment and machines such as trucks, cars, and hand trucks.
- Select loads or materials according to weight and size specifications.
Tools & technology you'd use
Frequently asked questions
What does container crane operator do?
Container crane operators operate electrically powered cranes equipped with cantilevers on which hoisting gear is supported to load or unload container cargo. They move towers in position alongside vessel and lower cantilevers over the deck or hold of a vessel. They lift and move containers along the cantilever and position the container on the dock, on the vessel deck or in the hold.
What skills does container crane operator need?
The most in-demand skills for this role include loading charts for transportation of goods, operate railway lever frames, assist in the movement of heavy loads, use rigging tools, maintain crane equipment, organise weight of loads according to lifting equipment capacity. These are the skills O*NET identifies as most important for competent performance.
Will AI replace container crane operator?
Our AI-durability model gives container crane operator a score of 0.50 on a 0-1 scale (higher = more exposure). That places it at moderate AI exposure — some tasks are being automated but the role adapts. Learning to work with AI tools rather than against them is the path forward.