How To Become A Vessel Master: What It Is and Career Path

What is a vessel master and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

2 min read

There is more than meets the eye when it comes to being a vessel master. For example, did you know that they make an average of $26.39 an hour? That's $54,895 a year! Between 2018 and 2028, the career is expected to grow 1% and produce 500 job opportunities across the U.S.

ScoreVessel MasterUS Average

Salary

4.3

Avg. Salary $54,895

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

9.5

Growth rate 1%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

8.5

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 1.08%

Asian 3.14%

Black or African American 6.86%

Hispanic or Latino 8.90%

Unknown 4.73%

White 75.29%

Gender

female 1.54%

male 98.46%

Age - 40.5

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 40.5

Stress level

9.5

Stress level is very high

7.1 - high

Complexity level

9.7

Complexity level is advanced

7 - challenging

Work life balance

2.6

Work life balance is poor

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a vessel master

Explore vessel master education requirements

Most common vessel master degrees

Bachelor's

54.5 %

Diploma

18.2 %

Master's

13.6 %

Start to develop specific vessel master skills

Skills	Percentages
TWIC	32.96%
USCG	28.12%
Coast Guard	17.78%
Safety Equipment	15.94%
Boats	4.31%

Complete relevant vessel master training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 1-3 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New vessel masters learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a vessel master based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real vessel master resumes.

Research vessel master duties and responsibilities

Manage records and assist customers with billing and reservations.organize and assist with running of events.
Perform basic maintenance and upkeep on trucks, boats, booms, pumps, and other equipment.
Operate two 40,000 DWT tankers off of east coast of Canada in ice congest waters (SLS - Quebec).

Apply for vessel master jobs

Now it's time to start searching for a vessel master job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:

Browse job boards for relevant postings
Consult your professional network
Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
Watch out for job scams

How do vessel masters rate their job?

-/5

5 stars

4 stars

3 stars

2 stars

1 star

Vessel master reviews

A zippia user wrote a review on Nov 2019

Cons

Inoperative barge