Ship's Officer
Navigates and controls the safe operation of a ship and supervises and coordinates the activities of deck crew. Registration or licensing is required.
ANZSCO 2013, the edition the department applies to the points tested visas (189, 190 and 491).
Job titles this occupation covers
If your job title is one of these, this is usually the code it belongs to, whatever your employer calls the role.
- Deck Officer
Specialisations within it
- Navigating Officer (Ship's)
- Seaman Officer (Navy)
Duties
Published for unit group 2312 Marine Transport Professionals
- directing fishing operations by using knowledge about the species sought, fishing areas, seasons and the capabilities of the vessel and crew
- directing crew in catching fish, molluscs and crustacea at varying depths using nets, lines, poles, pots and traps
- planning, controlling and coordinating the operational and maintenance requirements of a ship's propulsion and domestic plant and equipment
- operating plant and equipment and performing routine maintenance on ship's systems including mechanical, electrical, hydraulic, pneumatic, steam generating, and fire prevention and control systems
- controlling and directing shipping operations to ensure the safe and efficient loading and transport of cargo and passengers
- ensuring compliance with regulations pertaining to safety at sea and protection of the marine environment
- directing the activities of the deck crew for navigational support tasks, berthing and unberthing, maintenance, cleaning and painting of superstructures, and repair and replacement of defective deck gear and equipment
- navigating a ship by supervising the ship's course and speed according to predetermined passage plans and safety procedures
- examining and approving design plans of hulls and equipment such as main propulsion engines, auxiliary boilers and turbines, electrical power generating plant, refrigeration and airconditioning plant and pumping systems
- conducting periodic surveys throughout a ship's life to ensure standards are maintained
This is what the occupation is, not what a skills assessment requires. The assessing body applies its own criteria on top of this, and those criteria are not published here. Check them with the body itself.
Who assesses this occupation
Last confirmed against the department's list on 30 July 2026.
Where Ship's Officer stands right now
There is no expression of interest queue for this occupation: it is not on the points tested lists, so the route runs through an employer instead. Vizard maps that route step by step.
See where you standWhere this comes from
Definition and duties: Australian Bureau of Statistics, ANZSCO
Assessing authorities and skilled lists: Department of Home Affairs skilled occupation list
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