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.

The most in-demand skills for this role include geographic areas, international regulations for preventing collisions at sea, principles of mechanical engineering, types of maritime vessels, freight transport methods, International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships. These are the skills O*NET identifies as most important for competent performance.

Our AI-durability model gives ship captain 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.