Design, develop, and take responsibility for the installation of ship machinery and related equipment including propulsion machines and power supply systems.
U.S. Workers
8,440
Median Salary
$105,670
10-Year Growth
+5.8%
Annual Openings
600
Typical entry: Bachelor's degree
23 of 23 tasks have some AI capability
Exposure Trend
This score reflects estimated AI technical capability for tasks in this occupation. It does not predict employment changes, and it does not account for company-specific constraints, regulation, or adoption barriers.
Maintain records of engineering department activities, including expense records and details of equipment maintenance and repairs.
AI: Fully automatable - Recordkeeping and expense tracking are highly automatable with RPA and AI workflows, allowing full automation of maintaining engineering department records.
Prepare technical reports for use by engineering, management, or sales personnel.
AI: Fully automatable - AI can reliably compile data, perform analyses, and generate clear technical reports tailored to engineering, management, or sales audiences with minimal human input.
Schedule machine overhauls and the servicing of electrical, heating, ventilation, refrigeration, water, and sewage systems.
AI: Fully automatable - Scheduling overhauls and servicing can be fully automated by AI using maintenance records, predictive models, resource calendars, and optimization algorithms.
Conduct analytical, environmental, operational, or performance studies to develop designs for products, such as marine engines, equipment, and structures.
AI: Fully automatable - AI can perform analytical, environmental, operational, and performance simulations and synthesize results to produce design recommendations and trade-off analyses at scale.
Supervise other engineers and crew members and train them for routine and emergency duties.
AI: Partial - AI can provide training modules, simulations, and scheduling support but cannot fully replace human leadership, on-the-spot decisions, and hands-on emergency supervision.
Perform monitoring activities to ensure that ships comply with international regulations and standards for life-saving equipment and pollution preventatives.
AI: Partial - AI combined with sensors can continuously monitor equipment and emissions and flag noncompliance, but physical inspections, certification, and certain judgment calls still require human oversight.
Prepare plans, estimates, design and construction schedules, and contract specifications, including any special provisions.
AI: Partial - AI can generate draft plans, estimates, schedules, and contract language, but complex engineering judgments, legal responsibility, and final approvals still require human engineers.
Check, test, and maintain automatic controls and alarm systems.
AI: Partial - AI can run diagnostics, monitor control and alarm systems, and schedule predictive maintenance, but it cannot perform physical repairs or assume final technical responsibility.
Evaluate operation of marine equipment during acceptance testing and shakedown cruises.
AI: Partial - AI can analyze sensor data from acceptance tests and shakedown cruises and detect anomalies, but on-site troubleshooting, nuanced performance judgments, and sign-off remain human tasks.
Act as liaisons between ships' captains and shore personnel to ensure that schedules and budgets are maintained, and that ships are operated safely and efficiently.
AI: Partial - AI can automate communications, scheduling, budget tracking, and decision-support, yet cannot fully replace human liaison roles that require negotiation, accountability, and situational leadership.
Inspect marine equipment and machinery to draw up work requests and job specifications.
AI: Partial - AI-enabled vision systems and sensors can perform many inspection tasks and generate work requests, but complex assessments and final job specifications typically need human expert evaluation.
Conduct environmental, operational, or performance tests on marine machinery and equipment.
AI: Partial - AI can design and execute instrumented tests and analyze results, but many field tests still require human setup, supervision, and interpretation under variable marine conditions.
Prepare, or direct the preparation of, product or system layouts and detailed drawings and schematics.
AI: Partial - Generative design and CAD automation can produce layouts and detailed schematics, but engineering validation, compliance considerations, and complex trade-offs require human oversight.
Investigate and observe tests on machinery and equipment for compliance with standards.
AI: Partial - AI can analyze sensor logs, test data, and video to identify compliance issues but cannot fully replace on-site physical observation and hands-on testing.
Coordinate activities with regulatory bodies to ensure repairs and alterations are at minimum cost and consistent with safety.
AI: Partial - AI can draft communications, identify regulatory requirements, and suggest cost-optimizing options but cannot fully manage negotiations, approvals, and relationship-driven interactions with regulators.
Design and oversee testing, installation, and repair of marine apparatus and equipment.
AI: Partial - AI tools can generate designs and test plans and support remote oversight via analytics, but on-site supervision and hands-on installation/repair leadership remain human responsibilities.
Procure materials needed to repair marine equipment and machinery.
AI: Partial - AI can automate vendor selection, order generation, and inventory planning but complex procurement negotiations, approvals, and logistics exceptions still require human intervention.
Maintain contact with, and formulate reports for, contractors and clients to ensure completion of work at minimum cost.
AI: Partial - AI can maintain communication logs and produce status and cost reports, but maintaining contractor/client relationships and negotiating trade-offs for cost control require human engagement.
Maintain and coordinate repair of marine machinery and equipment for installation on vessels.
AI: Partial - AI can drive predictive maintenance schedules, coordinate workflows, and optimize resource allocation, yet physical maintenance and final coordination on vessels need human technicians and supervisors.
Confer with research personnel to clarify or resolve problems and to develop or modify designs.
AI: Partial - AI can support research collaboration by analyzing data, proposing design modifications, and documenting issues, but nuanced scientific discussion and iterative problem solving are not fully automatable.
Determine conditions under which tests are to be conducted, as well as sequences and phases of test operations.
AI: Partial - AI can propose test conditions and sequence simulations based on models and past data, but responsibility for final test condition selection and safety-critical sequencing still rests with human engineers.
Review work requests and compare them with previous work completed on ships to ensure that costs are economically sound.
AI: Partial - AI can compare work requests to historical records and flag cost anomalies, but cannot fully replace human economic judgement and contextual decision-making.
Analyze data to determine feasibility of product proposals.
AI: Partial - AI can analyze technical and financial data to assess feasibility and generate evidence-based recommendations, but broader business, regulatory, and stakeholder judgments still require humans.