Second mate vs second officer

The differences between second mates and second officers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both a second mate and a second officer. Additionally, a second mate has an average salary of $51,304, which is higher than the $50,426 average annual salary of a second officer.

The top three skills for a second mate include safety equipment, USCG and cargo operations. The most important skills for a second officer are safety equipment, vessel operations, and chart corrections.

Second mate vs second officer overview

	Second Mate	Second Officer
Yearly salary	$51,304	$50,426
Hourly rate	$24.67	$24.24
Growth rate	1%	1%
Number of jobs	454	55,822
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 67%	Bachelor's Degree, 70%
Average age	42	42
Years of experience	4	4

Second mate vs second officer salary

Second mates and second officers have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Second Mate	Second Officer
Average salary	$51,304	$50,426
Salary range	Between $19,000 And $134,000	Between $22,000 And $115,000
Highest paying City	-	-
Highest paying state	-	-
Best paying company	-	-
Best paying industry	-	-

Differences between second mate and second officer education

There are a few differences between a second mate and a second officer in terms of educational background:

	Second Mate	Second Officer
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 67%	Bachelor's Degree, 70%
Most common major	Marine Transportation	Marine Transportation
Most common college	-	-

Second mate vs second officer demographics

Here are the differences between second mates' and second officers' demographics:

	Second Mate	Second Officer
Average age	42	42
Gender ratio	Male, 89.5% Female, 10.5%	Male, 88.1% Female, 11.9%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 6.8% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 8.8% Asian, 3.1% White, 75.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.1%	Black or African American, 6.9% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 9.0% Asian, 3.1% White, 75.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.1%
LGBT Percentage	11%	11%

Differences between second mate and second officer duties and responsibilities

Second mate example responsibilities.

Work closely with surveyors, clients and ROV supervisors to achieve safe and effective subsea operations.
Plan and execute engineering missions, both combat and construction.
Inspect and maintain the vessel s safety, firefighting, and medical equipment.
Conduct all safety, firefighting, and lifesaving equipment inspections.
Supervise intermediate and depot level electrical maintenance of F-18F aircraft as well as maintained HAZMAT and tool inventory including ordering and labeling
Provide daily maintenance and electronics repair of mission critical navigational, and avionics communication systems; troubleshooting and analysis.

Second officer example responsibilities.

Comply with stringent local, federal, USCG and international regulations.
Train, direct and supervise ship operators in proper and effective use of GPS, radar and radio equipment while underway.
Operate flight instruments, navigation systems and radar equipment on C-130E aircraft.
Conform and build training requirements that meets or exceeds OSHA and CFR guidelines.
Trained/Mentore multiple junior officers in dynamic positioning, ballast control, and seamanship.
Develop and implement procedures for LNG cargo transfer and ballast operations.

Second mate vs second officer skills

Common second mate skills

Safety Equipment, 23%
USCG, 11%
Cargo Operations, 9%
Radar, 5%
Electrical Systems, 5%
Diesel Generators, 4%

Common second officer skills

Safety Equipment, 37%
Vessel Operations, 24%
Chart Corrections, 5%
USCG, 5%
Emergency Equipment, 5%
GPS, 5%

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Second Mate
Second Mate vs Second Officer

Updated January 8, 2025

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