National Occupational Classification (NOC): 72602
Fast Facts
- Average Pay: N/A
- Future Growth: N/A
- Skill Level: N/A
- Employment Size: N/A
- Unemployment: N/A
- Full-time Share: N/A
Sample Job Titles
- Ship pilot
- Navigation officer, Coast Guard vessel
- First mate, ship
- Tugboat captain
- Coast Guard vessel watchkeeping officer
- Ship third mate
- Ship's captain
- Ship second mate
- Master mariner
What do deck officers in water transport do?
Deck officers in water transport operate and command ships or self-propelled vessels to transport passengers and cargo on oceans and coastal and inland waters, and supervise and coordinate the activities of deck crews. This unit group also includes Canadian Coast Guard deck officers. They are employed by marine transportation companies and federal government departments. Apprentices are also included in this unit group.
Deck officers in water transport perform some or all of the following duties:
- Command and operate ships or other self-propelled vessels, such as barges or oil rigs, to transport passengers and cargo
- Command and operate coast guard vessels to provide ice-breaking and search and rescue services, and to maintain control over ships operating in Canadian waters
- Board vessels at berth or from pilot boats to advise ships’ captains on the course to steer for safe passage into and out of ports, seaways or other waterways under pilotage authority
- Plan and execute safe navigational passage using navigational aids
- Determine geographical position using navigational instruments, maps and charts
- Guide vessels in rivers, canals, and other confined or hazardous waters and waterways
- Maintain vessels’ navigational instruments and equipment
- Direct and oversee the loading and unloading of cargo
- Supervise and co-ordinate the activities of deck crews
- Record vessel progress, crew activities, weather and sea conditions in the ship’s log.
Source: National Occupational Classification (NOC) 2021, Employment and Social Development Canada
Deck officers in water transport work in the following subsectors (NAICS) in Newfoundland and Labrador:
- 483 Water transportation
- 911 Federal government public administration
- 561 Administrative and support services
Source: Census 2021, Statistics Canada
Short and Long Term Occupational Projections
Short Term Projections for 2023-2025
The employment outlook will be good for deck officers in water transport in Newfoundland and Labrador (rating of 4 out of 5) for the 2023-2025 period.
Source: Job Bank, Government of Canada
Long Term Projections for 2023-2032
Deck officers in water transport belong to the broader occupational group 72602, 72603 (Engineer and deck officers, water transport). This group is forecast to be tightening (rating of 3.3 out of 4) over the next several years, meaning new labour supply will be required to meet anticipated job openings.
Source: Department of Finance, Occupation Projections (Summer 2023)
Number of Job Postings in 2023
During 2023, there were 28 public job postings for this occupation, with the following distribution:
| Avalon: 54% | Western: 11% |
| Eastern: 7% | Labrador: 0% |
| Central: 7% | NL-unspecified: 21% |
Source: Lightcast (note: data used in this analysis reflects new unique monthly postings which are totaled for the calendar year)
Who works as deck officers in water transport in Newfoundland and Labrador?
During the reference week of May 2021, there were approximately 690 people working in this occupation in Newfoundland and Labrador. 94% of those employed were Male+ and 7% of those employed were Female+.
Here is the age group breakdown for this group of workers:
| 15 to 24 | 25 to 54 | 55 to 64 | 65+ |
| 4% | 73% | 22% | 1% |
Source: Census 2021, Statistics Canada
How much do accommodation service managers make?
Annual Earnings
The median employment income for all deck officers in water transport in the reference year 2020 (825 workers in total, including those working part-time and full-time, as well as part-year and full-year) was $104,000.
Source: Census 2021, Statistics Canada
Hourly Earnings
Salary information for deck officers in water transport in Newfoundland and Labrador is as follows:
| Low ($/hour) | Median ($/hour) | High ($/hour) | |
| Newfoundland and Labrador | $22.89 | $39.11 | $66.75 |
The following low, median, and high wages are for Canada:
| Low ($/hour) | Median ($/hour) | High ($/hour) |
| $23.35 | $38.00 | $59.44 |
Source: Job Bank, Government of Canada
Most Frequently Sought Skills from Job Postings (2023)
- Risk Management
- Oil And Gas
- Watchkeeping
- Application Programming Interface (API)
- Manifold
- Navigational Instruments
- Security Awareness
- Offshore Drilling
- Boat Maintenance
- Floating Production Storage And Offloading
Source: Lightcast
What training is required?
- Completion of secondary school is required.
- Completion of deck officer cadet program from an approved nautical institute or one to three years of experience as a member of a deck crew is required.
- A deck officer certificate of competency, issued by Transport Canada, is required.
- For ship pilots, a ship pilot licence and a master certificate of competency are required.
* Find public and private education, training and skills development opportunities in Newfoundland and Labrador here.