Ship and Boat Captains

Course Advisor; United States; On-site; USD 90,000 - 140,000; Full time

Job summary

Course Advisor seeks a Ship Captain to command vessels across diverse waterways, coordinate crew, and ensure safe navigation. The role requires strong decision making, problem solving, and effective communication to supervise operations and safety procedures.

Responsibilities include plotting courses, signaling other vessels, and maintaining accurate navigation logs, with emphasis on situational awareness and teamwork in dynamic maritime environments.

Qualifications

• Decision making under varying conditions with cost/benefit awareness.
• Ability to solve complex problems and evaluate options.
• Active listening and clear communication with team members.
• Strong verbal communication for conveying information.
• Critical thinking to assess strengths and weaknesses of options.
• Ability to oversee operations and control of equipment or systems.

Responsibilities

• Command vessels in oceans, bays, lakes, rivers, or coastal waters.
• Signal crew to operate lines, gates, or ramps and manage safety measures.
• Measure depths, sort logs, and salvage logs as needed.
• Signal passing vessels using whistles, lights, flags, or radios.
• Compute positions and speeds using charts, compasses, and local knowledge.
• Determine land sightings using electronic devices and charts.

Skills

Judgment & Decision Making

Complex Problem Solving

Active Listening

Speaking

Critical Thinking

Operation & Control

Tools

Microsoft Excel

Microsoft Word

Microsoft PowerPoint

Microsoft Outlook

Microsoft Office

Autodesk Revit

CMMS

Log book software

Jeppesen Marine Nobeltec Admiral

Maptech The CAPN

KNMI TurboWin

Job description

Life As a Ship Captain

Command vessels in oceans, bays, lakes, rivers, or coastal waters.

What Do They Do?

• Signal crew members or deckhands to rig tow lines, open or close gates or ramps, or pull guard chains across entries.
• Measure depths of water, using depth-measuring equipment.
• Sort logs, form log booms, or salvage lost logs.
• Signal passing vessels, using whistles, flashing lights, flags, or radios.
• Compute positions, set courses, and determine speeds, using charts, area plotting sheets, compasses, sextants, and knowledge of local conditions.
• Calculate sightings of land, using electronic sounding devices and following contour lines on charts.

Essential Skills

Judgment and Decision Making: considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.

Complex Problem Solving: identifying complex problems and reviewing related information to develop and evaluate options and implement solutions.

Active Listening: giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.

Speaking: talking to others to convey information effectively.

Critical Thinking: using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.

Operation and Control: controlling operations of equipment or systems.

Types of Ship Captain Jobs

• Marine Superintendent
• Ship Master
• Ship Captain
• Canal Boat Captain
• Scow Captain

Tools & Technology Used

• Microsoft Excel
• Microsoft Word
• Microsoft PowerPoint
• Microsoft Outlook
• Microsoft Office
• Autodesk Revit
• Computerized maintenance management system (CMMS)
• Log book software
• Jeppesen Marine Nobeltec Admiral
• Maptech The CAPN
• KNMI TurboWin