Deckhand vs able seaman

The differences between deckhands and able seamen can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a deckhand has an average salary of $56,163, which is higher than the $54,205 average annual salary of an able seaman.

The top three skills for a deckhand include TWIC, vessel maintenance and mooring lines. The most important skills for an able seaman are cargo operations, general maintenance, and emergency equipment.

Deckhand vs able seaman overview

	Deckhand	Able Seaman
Yearly salary	$56,163	$54,205
Hourly rate	$27.00	$26.06
Growth rate	1%	1%
Number of jobs	500	422
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 43%	Bachelor's Degree, 39%
Average age	33	33
Years of experience	-	-

Deckhand vs able seaman salary

Deckhands and able seamen have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Deckhand	Able Seaman
Average salary	$56,163	$54,205
Salary range	Between $21,000 And $145,000	Between $22,000 And $130,000
Highest paying City	Bayonne, NJ	-
Highest paying state	New Jersey	-
Best paying company	Enterprise Products Partners	-
Best paying industry	-	-

Differences between deckhand and able seaman education

There are a few differences between a deckhand and an able seaman in terms of educational background:

	Deckhand	Able Seaman
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 43%	Bachelor's Degree, 39%
Most common major	Business	Marine Transportation
Most common college	-	-

Deckhand vs able seaman demographics

Here are the differences between deckhands' and able seamen' demographics:

	Deckhand	Able Seaman
Average age	33	33
Gender ratio	Male, 90.9% Female, 9.1%	Male, 95.0% Female, 5.0%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 16.9% Unknown, 9.4% Hispanic or Latino, 12.9% Asian, 4.8% White, 54.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.7%	Black or African American, 17.3% Unknown, 9.8% Hispanic or Latino, 13.2% Asian, 4.8% White, 53.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.8%
LGBT Percentage	3%	3%

Differences between deckhand and able seaman duties and responsibilities

Deckhand example responsibilities.

Conduct daily JSA's, occasionally lead weekly fire and boat drills.
Spearhead cross-functional initiative to achieve successful whole shipments of wild Alaskan salmofrozen and gut.
Qualify shipboard firefighting and water survival, certify CPR human resources.
Maintain working order of multiple boats including water taxis, ferries, yachts, and passenger vessels.
Comply with all environmental and CFR regulations.
Sign DOI and go over pretransfer procedures.

Able seaman example responsibilities.

Conduct daily JSA's, occasionally lead weekly fire and boat drills.
Plan and coordinate training sessions on firefighting and lifesaving equipment.
Serve as helmsman: repair and maintain stowing equipment in preparation for underwater operations.
Work on an offshore lift boat providing crane services for third party contractors working on oil wells and platforms.
Serve as helmsman: repair and maintain stowing equipment in preparation for underwater operations.

Deckhand vs able seaman skills

Common deckhand skills

TWIC, 9%
Vessel Maintenance, 9%
Mooring Lines, 8%
Ladders, 8%
Customer Service, 7%
USCG, 6%

Common able seaman skills

Cargo Operations, 14%
General Maintenance, 9%
Emergency Equipment, 8%
Rig, 7%
Mooring Lines, 6%
Coast Guard, 6%

Deckhand vs. similar jobs

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Cadet responsibilities

Updated January 8, 2025

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