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Sailor vs merchant seaman

The differences between sailors and merchant seamen can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a merchant seaman has an average salary of $53,140, which is higher than the $47,746 average annual salary of a sailor.

The top three skills for a sailor include sailors, flight deck and logistics. The most important skills for a merchant seaman are cargo operations, cranes, and general maintenance.

Sailor vs merchant seaman overview

SailorMerchant Seaman
Yearly salary$47,746$53,140
Hourly rate$22.95$25.55
Growth rate1%1%
Number of jobs10627
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 38%High School Diploma, 50%
Average age3333
Years of experience--

Sailor vs merchant seaman salary

Sailors and merchant seamen have different pay scales, as shown below.

SailorMerchant Seaman
Average salary$47,746$53,140
Salary rangeBetween $22,000 And $99,000Between $23,000 And $122,000
Highest paying City--
Highest paying state--
Best paying company--
Best paying industry--

Differences between sailor and merchant seaman education

There are a few differences between a sailor and a merchant seaman in terms of educational background:

SailorMerchant Seaman
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 38%High School Diploma, 50%
Most common majorBusinessCriminal Justice
Most common college--

Sailor vs merchant seaman demographics

Here are the differences between sailors' and merchant seamen' demographics:

SailorMerchant Seaman
Average age3333
Gender ratioMale, 81.1% Female, 18.9%Male, 94.3% Female, 5.7%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 15.0% Unknown, 9.5% Hispanic or Latino, 13.9% Asian, 5.0% White, 54.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.7%Black or African American, 17.3% Unknown, 9.3% Hispanic or Latino, 13.2% Asian, 4.9% White, 53.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.7%
LGBT Percentage3%3%

Differences between sailor and merchant seaman duties and responsibilities

Sailor example responsibilities.

  • Implement logistics support and material plan to manage advance shipment of hazardous goods to area of responsibility.
  • Supervise and train junior sailors at the helm and lee helm (controlling the steering and speed of the ship).
  • Provide valuable expertise experience and leadership.
  • Provide training for personnel in basic firefighting procedures.
  • Train junior sailors on maintenance procedures for defective fire-fighting equipment.
  • Supervise operation and maintenance of shipboard firefighting supplies and specialize equipment.
  • Show more

Merchant seaman example responsibilities.

  • Conduct daily JSA's, occasionally lead weekly fire and boat drills.
  • Train in/for basic damage control teams during general quarters and general emergency; shipboard firefighting, controlling compartment flooding.
  • Serve with responsibility for protecting the environment by ensuring the safe transfer of petrochemicals to vessel, dock, or barge.

Sailor vs merchant seaman skills

Common sailor skills
  • Sailors, 25%
  • Flight Deck, 15%
  • Logistics, 9%
  • Firefighting, 9%
  • CPR, 7%
  • USS, 6%
Common merchant seaman skills
  • Cargo Operations, 43%
  • Cranes, 40%
  • General Maintenance, 17%

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