Second officer vs relief mate

The differences between second officers and relief mates 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 officer and a relief mate. Additionally, a relief mate has an average salary of $60,561, which is higher than the $50,426 average annual salary of a second officer.

The top three skills for a second officer include safety equipment, vessel operations and chart corrections. The most important skills for a relief mate are engine room, safety drills, and .

Second officer vs relief mate overview

	Second Officer	Relief Mate
Yearly salary	$50,426	$60,561
Hourly rate	$24.24	$29.12
Growth rate	1%	1%
Number of jobs	55,822	1,084
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 70%	Bachelor's Degree, 52%
Average age	42	42
Years of experience	4	4

Second officer vs relief mate salary

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

	Second Officer	Relief Mate
Average salary	$50,426	$60,561
Salary range	Between $22,000 And $115,000	Between $22,000 And $165,000
Highest paying City	-	-
Highest paying state	-	-
Best paying company	-	-
Best paying industry	-	-

Differences between second officer and relief mate education

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

	Second Officer	Relief Mate
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 70%	Bachelor's Degree, 52%
Most common major	Marine Transportation	Marine Transportation
Most common college	-	-

Second officer vs relief mate demographics

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

	Second Officer	Relief Mate
Average age	42	42
Gender ratio	Male, 88.1% Female, 11.9%	Male, 89.0% Female, 11.0%
Race ratio	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%	Black or African American, 6.9% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 8.9% Asian, 3.1% White, 75.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.1%
LGBT Percentage	11%	11%

Differences between second officer and relief mate duties and responsibilities

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.

Relief mate example responsibilities.

Work closely with surveyors, clients and ROV supervisors to achieve safe and effective subsea operations.
Trained/Mentore multiple junior officers in dynamic positioning, ballast control, and seamanship.
Trained/Mentore multiple junior officers in dynamic positioning, ballast control, and seamanship.

Second officer vs relief mate skills

Common second officer skills

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

Common relief mate skills

Engine Room, 58%
Safety Drills, 42%

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Updated January 8, 2025

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