Third mate vs third officer

The differences between third mates and third 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 third mate and a third officer. Additionally, a third officer has an average salary of $121,038, which is higher than the $61,803 average annual salary of a third mate.

The top three skills for a third mate include safety equipment, USCG and hazardous materials. The most important skills for a third officer are safety equipment, cargo operations, and emergency equipment.

Third mate vs third officer overview

	Third Mate	Third Officer
Yearly salary	$61,803	$121,038
Hourly rate	$29.71	$58.19
Growth rate	1%	1%
Number of jobs	383	55,887
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 74%	Bachelor's Degree, 78%
Average age	42	42
Years of experience	4	4

Third mate vs third officer salary

Third mates and third officers have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Third Mate	Third Officer
Average salary	$61,803	$121,038
Salary range	Between $22,000 And $171,000	Between $72,000 And $203,000
Highest paying City	-	-
Highest paying state	-	-
Best paying company	-	-
Best paying industry	-	-

Differences between third mate and third officer education

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

	Third Mate	Third Officer
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 74%	Bachelor's Degree, 78%
Most common major	Marine Transportation	Marine Transportation
Most common college	-	-

Third mate vs third officer demographics

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

	Third Mate	Third Officer
Average age	42	42
Gender ratio	Male, 81.0% Female, 19.0%	Male, 88.6% Female, 11.4%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 6.6% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 8.7% Asian, 3.1% White, 75.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.1%	Black or African American, 7.0% Unknown, 4.8% Hispanic or Latino, 9.1% Asian, 3.2% White, 74.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.1%
LGBT Percentage	11%	11%

Differences between third mate and third officer duties and responsibilities

Third mate example responsibilities.

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

Third officer example responsibilities.

Work closely with surveyors, clients and ROV supervisors to achieve safe and effective subsea operations.
Provide support and leadership to businesses and capabilities for security and safety requirements.
Perform voyage planning, chart up keep and ECDIS maintenance.
Operate at various levels including supervising and safety maintenance.
Administer the company/client relationship particularly in the areas of safety and budget expectations.

Third mate vs third officer skills

Common third mate skills

Safety Equipment, 29%
USCG, 8%
Hazardous Materials, 7%
Mooring Lines, 7%
PIC, 7%
Coast Guard, 6%

Common third officer skills

Safety Equipment, 47%
Cargo Operations, 23%
Emergency Equipment, 7%
USCG, 6%
Safety Drills, 4%
Safety Inspections, 4%

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Updated January 8, 2025

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