What does a marine cargo inspector do?
Marine cargo inspector responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real marine cargo inspector resumes:
- Conduct dimensional and visual inspections procedures on CMM machines to ensure geometrical characteristics of the product are in specification.
- Perform annual termite inspections of residential and commercial termite contract customers (average 80 per month )
Marine cargo inspector skills and personality traits
We calculated that 28% of Marine Cargo Inspectors are proficient in USCG, Plan Review, and Firefighting. They’re also known for soft skills such as Dexterity, Math skills, and Mechanical skills.
We break down the percentage of Marine Cargo Inspectors that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- USCG, 28%
Applied leadership skills by supervising over 12 USCG members & civilian members from British Petroleum.
- Plan Review, 26%
Conducted regulatory oversight during commercial vessel dry-docking, new construction, plan review, and in-service repairs.
- Firefighting, 18%
Inspected 100+ commercial passenger vessels annually for compliance with lifesaving, construction, engineering, firefighting, and stability standards.
- Federal Regulations, 11%
Conducted required annual safety inspection of all off-shore drilling units to ensure compliance with all federal regulations.
- API, 7%
Perform API internal/external inspections and generate reports with repair recommendations.
- International Law, 5%
Enforced compliance with US and international law, regulation and convention.
Most marine cargo inspectors use their skills in "uscg," "plan review," and "firefighting" to do their jobs. You can find more detail on essential marine cargo inspector responsibilities here:
Math skills. Many marine cargo inspector duties rely on math skills. "knowledge of basic math is important for measuring, calibrating, and calculating specifications in quality control testing.," so a marine cargo inspector will need this skill often in their role. This resume example is just one of many ways marine cargo inspector responsibilities rely on math skills: "machine operator- lap grinder, polish jack ndt inspector mathematical bearing match special process operator- black oxide"
Mechanical skills. This is an important skill for marine cargo inspectors to perform their duties. For an example of how marine cargo inspector responsibilities depend on this skill, consider that "quality control inspectors use tools and machinery when testing products." This excerpt from a resume also shows how vital it is to everyday roles and responsibilities of a marine cargo inspector: "utilized ultra pipe for reliability and mechanical integrity repairs and forecasting. ".
Physical strength. marine cargo inspector responsibilities often require "physical strength." The duties that rely on this skill are shown by the fact that "quality control inspectors may be required to lift or maneuver heavy production materials or finished products." This resume example shows what marine cargo inspectors do with physical strength on a typical day: "achieved aci certification in field testing, concrete strength and aggregate testing. "
Technical skills. Another common skill required for marine cargo inspector responsibilities is "technical skills." This skill comes up in the duties of marine cargo inspectors all the time, as "to ensure that products and parts meet quality standards, inspectors must understand the relevant blueprints, technical documents, and manuals." An excerpt from a real marine cargo inspector resume shows how this skill is central to what a marine cargo inspector does: "calculate waivers or depositions cost, using appropriate forms and technical manuals to complete estimated costs of damage repair reports. "
Choose from 10+ customizable marine cargo inspector resume templates
Build a professional marine cargo inspector resume in minutes. Our AI resume writing assistant will guide you through every step of the process, and you can choose from 10+ resume templates to create your marine cargo inspector resume.Compare different marine cargo inspectors
Marine cargo inspector vs. Cargo surveyor
In the manufacturing industry, a senior inspector is responsible for performing quality assurance procedures to ensure that products adhere to the company's standards and regulations. Among their responsibilities include gathering and analyzing data to study product specifications, performing various examinations and product assessments, identifying issues and inconsistencies, and providing advice to staff as needed. Besides conducting regular inspections, they must also produce progress reports, provide technical guidance and support, and develop quality assurance strategies. Moreover, as a senior inspector, it is essential to lead and serve as a mentor to junior inspectors while enforcing the company's policies.
There are some key differences in the responsibilities of each position. For example, marine cargo inspector responsibilities require skills like "pollution prevention," "fire protection," "inspection documentation," and "cfr." Meanwhile a typical cargo surveyor has skills in areas such as "commodities," "calculate quantities," "safety hazards," and "board vessels." This difference in skills reveals the differences in what each career does.
Cargo surveyors tend to reach similar levels of education than marine cargo inspectors. In fact, cargo surveyors are 2.2% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 0.0% less likely to have a Doctoral Degree.Marine cargo inspector vs. Senior inspector
An inspector is responsible for overseeing the overall condition of the site, ensuring that it complies with the safety standards and regulations. Inspectors' duties include monitoring the quality of the materials used, inspecting any defects and discrepancies that might compromise the operations, generating reports to assess the product costing if it meets the budget goals, and utilizing available resources in the market for the highest quality project. An inspector must have excellent decision-making and critical-thinking skills to perform comprehensive actions on risk management and service delivery.
In addition to the difference in salary, there are some other key differences worth noting. For example, marine cargo inspector responsibilities are more likely to require skills like "pollution prevention," "fire protection," "inspection documentation," and "cfr." Meanwhile, a senior inspector has duties that require skills in areas such as "asphalt," "traffic control," "construction inspection," and "ndt." These differences highlight just how different the day-to-day in each role looks.
Average education levels between the two professions vary. Senior inspectors tend to reach higher levels of education than marine cargo inspectors. In fact, they're 5.2% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 0.0% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Marine cargo inspector vs. Inspector
There are many key differences between these two careers, including some of the skills required to perform responsibilities within each role. For example, a marine cargo inspector is likely to be skilled in "pollution prevention," "fire protection," "inspection documentation," and "cfr," while a typical inspector is skilled in "sketch," "good communication," "magnetic particle," and "customer service."
When it comes to education, inspectors tend to earn similar degree levels compared to marine cargo inspectors. In fact, they're 1.4% more likely to earn a Master's Degree, and 0.4% more likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.Marine cargo inspector vs. Freight inspector
Types of marine cargo inspector
Updated January 8, 2025











