Third officer vs relief mate

The differences between third 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 third officer and a relief mate. Additionally, a third officer has an average salary of $121,038, which is higher than the $60,561 average annual salary of a relief mate.

The top three skills for a third officer include safety equipment, cargo operations and emergency equipment. The most important skills for a relief mate are engine room, safety drills, and .

Third officer vs relief mate overview

	Third Officer	Relief Mate
Yearly salary	$121,038	$60,561
Hourly rate	$58.19	$29.12
Growth rate	1%	1%
Number of jobs	55,887	1,084
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 78%	Bachelor's Degree, 52%
Average age	42	42
Years of experience	4	4

Third officer vs relief mate salary

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

	Third Officer	Relief Mate
Average salary	$121,038	$60,561
Salary range	Between $72,000 And $203,000	Between $22,000 And $165,000
Highest paying City	-	-
Highest paying state	-	-
Best paying company	-	-
Best paying industry	-	-

Differences between third officer and relief mate education

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

	Third Officer	Relief Mate
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 78%	Bachelor's Degree, 52%
Most common major	Marine Transportation	Marine Transportation
Most common college	-	-

Third officer vs relief mate demographics

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

	Third Officer	Relief Mate
Average age	42	42
Gender ratio	Male, 88.6% Female, 11.4%	Male, 89.0% Female, 11.0%
Race ratio	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%	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 third officer and relief mate duties and responsibilities

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.

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.

Third officer vs relief mate skills

Common third officer skills

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

Common relief mate skills

Engine Room, 58%
Safety Drills, 42%

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Updated January 8, 2025

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