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What does a marine electrician do?

Updated January 8, 2025
6 min read
What does a marine electrician do

A marine electrician specializes in installing and maintaining electrical wiring and equipment in water vessels such as ships and yachts. Among their responsibilities include understanding diagrams and blueprints, upgrading systems, responding to complaints and concerns, inspecting systems, troubleshooting problems, handling fixtures and outlets, and replacing electrical components. They must also conduct regular maintenance checks, performing repairs as needed. Furthermore, as a marine technician, it is essential to maintain an active communication line with staff, coordinating for a safe and efficient workflow.

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Marine electrician responsibilities

Here are examples of responsibilities from real marine electrician resumes:

  • Remove, analyze, identify issue install properly working pressure transducers, effectively accomplishing priorities to go underway.
  • Experience in wiring power distribution boxes, DC motors, motor controllers, fan control switches, and power generation stations.
  • work with voltages ranging from 480 - 24 volts ac and dc.
  • Mount and install power distribution panels, ABT's, MBT's, and transformers.
  • Provide wire installations for switchboards, power panels, lighting, transformers and connection boxes.
  • Work also involve maintenance and repair of generators, switchboards, distribution panels, lighting and alarm circuits.
  • Pull cable, terminate plc's boxes.
  • Install Dc power distribution system, lighting revise schematic drawings.
  • Plan, layout and install electrical wires to various controllers and DC motors.
  • Work in an industrial environment using overhead crane, ladders, scaffolds, or rooftops.
  • Provide security and maintain the safety of over 3,500 crew members of the USS Abraham Lincoln.
  • Work from ladders, scaffolds, or roofs to put in, maintain, or repair electrical wiring.
  • Maintain and operate all equipment responsible for power generation and propulsion aboard the aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt.
  • Experience in working, testing and troubleshooting nuclear switchboards, controllers, motors, pumps and propulsion plant instrumentation.
  • Install wire on cable trays, terminate motors, starters, j-boxes, transfer switches all electrical duties on a ship

Marine electrician skills and personality traits

We calculated that 12% of Marine Electricians are proficient in Electrical Equipment, Switches, and Electrical Systems. They’re also known for soft skills such as Color vision, Communication skills, and Physical strength.

We break down the percentage of Marine Electricians that have these skills listed on their resume here:

  • Electrical Equipment, 12%

    Interpreted corporate expectations and plans using effective communication skills while directing team upon installation of electrical equipment aboard military naval vessels.

  • Switches, 9%

    Power Hook-up, switches, receptacles, junction boxes, fire alarms, etc, and other duties as assigned.

  • Electrical Systems, 8%

    Test electrical systems and continuity of circuits in electrical wiring, equipment and fixtures to ensure compatibility and safety of system.

  • Motor Controllers, 7%

    Installed motor controller panels, various lighting fixtures, motor operated valves, pumps and recepticles.

  • Shipyard, 7%

    Repaired and maintained shipyard telecommunications equipment.

  • Hand Tools, 7%

    Utilize hand tools and power tools on a daily basis.

"electrical equipment," "switches," and "electrical systems" are among the most common skills that marine electricians use at work. You can find even more marine electrician responsibilities below, including:

Color vision. To carry out their duties, the most important skill for a marine electrician to have is color vision. Their role and responsibilities require that "electricians must identify electrical wires by color." Marine electricians often use color vision in their day-to-day job, as shown by this real resume: "scheduled, planned, coordinated, organized and provided supervision for various types of work on shipboard electrical systems. "

Physical strength. This is an important skill for marine electricians to perform their duties. For an example of how marine electrician responsibilities depend on this skill, consider that "electricians need to be strong enough to move heavy components, which may weigh up to 50 pounds." This excerpt from a resume also shows how vital it is to everyday roles and responsibilities of a marine electrician: "wired and rewired control panels and switchboards major strength in preventive maintenance and record keeping. ".

Troubleshooting skills. marine electrician responsibilities often require "troubleshooting skills." The duties that rely on this skill are shown by the fact that "electricians find, diagnose, and repair problems." This resume example shows what marine electricians do with troubleshooting skills on a typical day: "perform troubleshooting on a diverse spectrum of systems, electrical and ic. "

Most common marine electrician skills

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Compare different marine electricians

Marine electrician vs. Journeyman ironworker

An apprentice is responsible for learning specialized tasks on their chosen field through actual job training under the supervision of tenured staff. An apprentice's duties include performing administrative tasks as needed, creating observation reports of daily operations, providing possible recommendations on improving productivity, and adhering to the business' safety standards and regulatory procedures. An apprentice must be detail-oriented, fast-learner, and enthusiastic. An apprentice should also know how to accept constructive criticisms and feedback to improve performance and skill development.

If we compare the average marine electrician annual salary with that of a journeyman ironworker, we find that journeyman ironworkers typically earn a $17,256 lower salary than marine electricians make annually.

These skill sets are where the common ground ends though. The responsibilities of a marine electrician are more likely to require skills like "electrical equipment," "switches," "electrical systems," and "motor controllers." On the other hand, a job as a journeyman ironworker requires skills like "cranes," "bars," "hoisting," and "rebar." As you can see, what employees do in each career varies considerably.

Journeyman ironworkers tend to reach similar levels of education than marine electricians. In fact, journeyman ironworkers are 1.1% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 0.2% less likely to have a Doctoral Degree.

Marine electrician vs. Wireman

A low voltage technician is responsible for monitoring and installing low-voltage cables and systems for electronic equipment and communication devices. Low voltage technicians analyze blueprints and schematics to connect the cables safely and accurately. They also conduct repairs for defective components and faulty wirings, recommending solutions and low-cost materials with high quality according to the customers' needs and budget limitations. A low voltage technician must have excellent electrical and organizational skills, especially in performing duties with utmost adherence to safety guidelines and procedures to prevent hazards and operational delays.

Wireman positions earn lower pay than marine electrician roles. They earn a $26,761 lower salary than marine electricians per year.While the salary may differ for these jobs, they share a few skills needed to perform their duties. Based on resume data, both marine electricians and wiremen have skills such as "electrical equipment," "switches," and "electrical systems. "

Each career also uses different skills, according to real marine electrician resumes. While marine electrician responsibilities can utilize skills like "motor controllers," "shipyard," "ladders," and "limit switches," wiremen use skills like "work ethic," "electrical conduit," "safety standards," and "electrical schematics."

In general, wiremen achieve similar levels of education than marine electricians. They're 2.1% less likely to obtain a Master's Degree while being 0.2% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.

Marine electrician vs. Apprentice

On average, apprentices earn lower salaries than marine electricians, with a $21,461 difference per year.Using the responsibilities included on marine electricians and apprentices resumes, we found that both professions have similar skill requirements, such as "electrical equipment," "electrical systems," and "test equipment.rdquo;

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 electrician is likely to be skilled in "switches," "motor controllers," "shipyard," and "hand tools," while a typical apprentice is skilled in "pet," "customer service," "basic math," and "apprenticeship."

Apprentices earn the best pay in the transportation industry, where they command an average salary of $44,876. Marine electricians earn the highest pay from the technology industry, with an average salary of $61,474.Most apprentices achieve a similar degree level compared to marine electricians. For example, they're 0.6% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree, and 0.2% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.

Marine electrician vs. Low voltage technician

Low voltage technicians average a lower salary than the annual salary of marine electricians. The difference is about $18,963 per year.According to resumes from marine electricians and low voltage technicians, some of the skills necessary to complete the responsibilities of each role are similar. These skills include "switches," "electrical systems," and "hand tools. "While some skills are required in each professionacirc;euro;trade;s responsibilities, there are some differences to note. "electrical equipment," "motor controllers," "shipyard," and "limit switches" are skills that commonly show up on marine electrician resumes. On the other hand, low voltage technicians use skills like cctv, patch panels, security systems, and structured cabling on their resumes.The technology industry tends to pay the highest salaries for low voltage technicians, with average annual pay of $46,465. Comparatively, the highest marine electrician annual salary comes from the technology industry.The average resume of low voltage technicians showed that they earn similar levels of education compared to marine electricians. So much so that theyacirc;euro;trade;re 1.9% less likely to earn a Master's Degree and more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree by 0.0%.

Types of marine electrician

Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Research Team
Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

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