Sailors and Marine Oilers: Salary, Job Description, How To Become One, and Quiz

Job description

Sailors and Marine Oilers stand watch to look for obstructions in path of vessel, measure water depth, turn wheel on bridge, or use emergency equipment as directed by captain, mate, or pilot. Break out, rig, overhaul, and store cargo-handling gear, stationary rigging, and running gear. Perform a variety of maintenance tasks to preserve the painted surface of the ship and to maintain line and ship equipment. Must hold government-issued certification and tankerman certification when working aboard liquid-carrying vessels. Includes able seamen and ordinary seamen.

• Tie barges together into tow units for tugboats to handle, inspecting barges periodically during voyages and disconnecting them when destinations are reached.
• Attach hoses and operate pumps to transfer substances to and from liquid cargo tanks.
• Handle lines to moor vessels to wharfs, to tie up vessels to other vessels, or to rig towing lines.
• Read pressure and temperature gauges or displays and record data in engineering logs.

Salary

Sailors and Marine Oilers with little to no experience tend to make between $23880 and $29790 while the more experienced ones can earn over $54860 per year.

One of the easiest ways to increase your salary as a Sailor and Marine Oiler is to move to a higher paying state like FL. Right now, the highest paying states for Sailors and Marine Oilers are FL, MI, MN, WA and MO.

However, a higher pay at FL doesn’t guarantee that you will make more because the living expenses at FL might be twice as high than where you are currently at now.

Three other factors that can increase your salary as a Sailor and Marine Oiler is the degree you hold, the industry you work in, and lastly the company you work for.

Requirements

We asked other Sailors and Marine Oilers what degree they had when they got the job and most of them said they had a High School Diploma followed by a Post-Secondary Certificate.

Other than that, we also asked them what did they major in and here are the most popular majors that came up.

Pros and Cons

Here are some of the pros and cons of being a Sailor and Marine Oiler.

What is the job like

61% of Sailors and Marine Oilers said they were satisfied with their job and 47% said they feel like their job is making other people’s lives better.

Is this right for me

You can read more about these career personality types here.

People who are suitable for this job tends to like work activities that include practical, hands-on problems and solutions. They like working with plants, animals, and real-world materials like wood, tools, and machinery..

They also like following set procedures and routines. They like working with data and details more than with ideas.

Explore other careers