Deck Officers
Job description
These individuals direct and command ships or boats and coordinate the activities of deckhands. They carry passengers and goods by sea, along coasts, and inland waters. This group includes Canadian Coast Guard Deck Officers. They are employed by shipping companies and in the federal public service.
Environment
- Vehicle or passenger compartment
- Hazardous workplaces
Main tasks
- Provide various services for the Coast Guard (icebreakers, search and rescue, etc.).
- Inform the captain of the route to be taken to enter and exit the seaway.
- Plan and execute the safe passage of the vessel.
- Determine the geographical position of the vessel.
- Guide the vessel through narrow and dangerous rivers, canals and passages.
- Maintain the navigation equipment and instruments.
- Direct and monitor cargo loading and unloading.
- Supervise and coordinate deckhands' activities.
- Record crew activities, weather, and sea conditions in the logbook.
Advancement and mobility
- Experience, training, and exams enable you to move from one level of certification to another.
- There is mobility from one job to another for positions requiring the same level of certification.
- Experience leads to management positions.
Hourly wage
Not available.Job prospects for 2024-2028
Les 2 champs de sélection ci-dessous vous permettent de comparer 2 régions. Les données des régions seront automatiquement mises à jour à la sélection. Par défaut, la province de Québec est sélectionnée pour la première région.
Job prospects for 2024-2028
Job prospects
All of Québec
Very good
All of Québec
Non available
Total jobs for 2023
All of Québec
1,000
All of Québec
na
Gender distribution
All of Québec
Not available.
- 6.6% Female
- 93.4% Male
Not available.
- 6.6% Female
- 93.4% Male
Job types
All of Québec
Not available.
- Full time
- Part time
Not available.
- Full time
- Part time
Yearly wage on 2020
All of Québec
$94,000
All of Québec
Other characteristics
All of Québec
- Non traditional for women
- None
All of Québec
- Non traditional for women
- None
Sectors of activity
All of Québec
Not available.
-
NAICS 48, 4974% of jobs
-
NAICS 9123% of jobs
-
NAICS 336 [excluding 3364]2% of jobs
-
NAICS 711% of jobs
-
NAICS 711% of jobs
-
Others0% of jobs
All of Québec
Not available.
-
NAICS 48, 4974% of jobs
-
NAICS 9123% of jobs
-
NAICS 336 [excluding 3364]2% of jobs
-
NAICS 711% of jobs
-
NAICS 711% of jobs
-
Others0% of jobs
Training and requirements
Formation
Most training programs are offered in French only.
College
DCS in navigation
Code : 248B0
Placement rate: 88%
4% of graduates pursue further studies
Also required
- Competency certificate as Deck Officer.
- Successful completion of a Deck Officer Cadet Program from an approved marine institute or one to three years of experience as a Deck Crew Member.
Ship Pilots
- Ship Pilot certificate.
- Competency certificate as Captain.
Main skills and characteristics
Skills
- Judgment and decision-making
- Data collection
- Coordination
- Active listening
- Oral expression
- Operations and control
- Critical thought
- Solving complex problems
- Active learning
- Result evaluation
- Human resource management
- Time management
- Social perception
- Monitoring operations
- Reading comprehension
- Teaching
- Information processing
- Written expression
- Persuasion
- Service oriented
Abilities
- Oral comprehension
- Spatial orientation
- Selective attention
- Verbal skills
- Control accuracy
- Awareness of issues
- Distance vision
- Speech clarity
- Depth perception
- Deductive reasoning
- Inductive reasoning
- Near vision
- Written comprehension
- Information organization
- Speech recognition
- Written expression
- Time sharing
- Hand-arm stability
- Visualization
- Manual dexterity
- Perception speed
- Limb coordination
- Response orientation
- Reaction time
- Tolerance to bright light
- Auditory attention
- Classification
- Speed control
- Idea generation
- Originality
- Colour perception and distinction
- Information processing speed
- Processing flexibility
- Digital dexterity
- Hearing sensitivity
- Peripheral vision
Knowledge and attributes
- Capacity to work under pressure
- Diplomacy
- Critical thinking
- Leadership
- Capacity to influence and mobilize
- Spoken and written bilingualism (French and English)
- Capacity to delegate
- Knowledge of mathematics
- Respect standards and regulations
- Sense of observation
Interests
- Draft, communicate, and inform
- Work in transportation and maintenance
- Work outdoors
Personality profiles (RIASEC)
- Realistic
- People with this profile prefer carrying out concrete tasks and being physically involved in what they do.
- Enterprising
- People with this profile prefer having responsibilities, influencing others and responding to challenges.
- Investigative
- People with this profile prefer relying on theoretical knowledge before acting. They like observation, analysis and problem solving.
Official name of the NOC 72602
Deck officers, water transport
Job titles
- Ship master
- Commanding officer - water transport
- Ship's mate
- Deck officer
- Second mate
- Apprentice master - minor waters
- Master - inland waters
- Master - minor waters
- Captain - water transport
- Home trade master
- Master mariner
- Hovercraft master
- Self-propelled drilling rig captain
- Offshore rig captain
- Self-propelled barge captain
- Dredge captain
- Riverboat captain
- Passenger ship captain
- Tugboat captain
- Ferryboat captain
- Coast guard vessel chief officer
- Offshore rig commanding officer
- Dredge commanding officer
- Coast guard vessel commanding officer
- Second mate - inland waters
- Home trade second mate
- Foreign-going second mate
- Ship second mate
- Coast guard vessel second officer
- Second deck officer
- Coast guard vessel second watchkeeping officer
- Deck officer - cadet
- Ferryboat operator
- River pilot
- Ship junior mate
- Inland navigation mate
- Mate - water transport
- Home trade mate
- Dredge mate
- Self-propelled drilling rig mate
- Ship watchkeeping mate
- Navigation officer - water transport
- Coast guard vessel navigation officer
- Self-propelled oil rig deck officer
- Self-propelled barge deck officer
- Merchant navy mate
- Watchkeeping officer - water transport
- Coast guard vessel watchkeeping officer
- Tugboat skipper
- Pilot - water transport
- Ship pilot
- Harbour pilot
- First mate - inland waters
- Home trade first mate
- Foreign-going first mate
- Self-propelled drilling rig first mate
- Offshore drilling rig first mate
- Ship first mate
- Ferryboat first mate
- Coast guard vessel first watchkeeping officer
- Ship operation chief officer
- Ship chief officer
- Ship third mate
- Coast guard vessel third officer
- Coast guard vessel third watchkeeping officer
Skill type
Natural and applied sciences and related occupations
Last update: January 29, 2026
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