Operate ships or other watercraft.

Operate ships or other watercraft. is a detailed work activity in O*NET — a concrete unit of work shared across 5 occupations and seen in 10 occupation-specific tasks. It rolls up into the broader work activity Operate transportation equipment or vehicles. in Operating Vehicles, Mechanized Devices, or Equipment .

Detailed work activities are the most granular shared layer in O*NET's work-activity hierarchy (Generalized → Intermediate → Detailed → occupation-specific task). The figures below describe how this activity shows up across the economy and what independent studies measure about AI and this kind of work — not a prediction that the work will be automated.

AI exposure

Of the 10 tasks under this activity that the OpenAI / Eloundou “GPTs are GPTs” study rated, 0 (0%) are flagged as directly exposed to language models (E1) or exposed via model-powered tools (E2).

Exposure estimates overlap with model capabilities — whether a model could speed the task up — not whether the work will be done by software. Observed AI use is augmentation and assistance today, not jobs replaced.

Member tasks

Occupation-specific tasks O*NET maps to this detailed work activity, most important first.

• Operate engine throttles and steering mechanisms to guide boats on desired courses. · Motorboat Operators · importance 4.8 · no direct exposure
• Steer and operate vessels, using radios, depth finders, radars, lights, buoys, or lighthouses. · Captains, Mates, and Pilots of Water Vessels · importance 4.8 · no direct exposure
• Dock or undock vessels, sometimes maneuvering through narrow spaces, such as locks. · Captains, Mates, and Pilots of Water Vessels · importance 4.7 · no direct exposure
• Start engines to propel ships, and regulate engines and power transmissions to control speeds of ships, according to directions from captains or bridge computers. · Ship Engineers · importance 4.7 · no direct exposure
• Tow and maneuver barges or signal tugboats to tow barges to destinations. · Captains, Mates, and Pilots of Water Vessels · importance 4.5 · no direct exposure
• Follow safety procedures to ensure the protection of passengers, cargo, and vessels. · Motorboat Operators · importance 4.5 · no direct exposure
• Operate underwater recovery units. · Lifeguards, Ski Patrol, and Other Recreational Protective Service Workers · importance 4.1 · no direct exposure
• Stand by wheels when ships are on automatic pilot, and verify accuracy of courses, using magnetic compasses. · Sailors and Marine Oilers · importance 4.0 · no direct exposure
• Steer ships under the direction of commanders or navigating officers or direct helmsmen to steer, following designated courses. · Sailors and Marine Oilers · importance 4.0 · no direct exposure
• Tow, push, or guide other boats, barges, logs, or rafts. · Motorboat Operators · importance 3.9 · no direct exposure

Occupations that perform this

• Motorboat Operators
• Captains, Mates, and Pilots of Water Vessels
• Ship Engineers
• Lifeguards, Ski Patrol, and Other Recreational Protective Service Workers
• Sailors and Marine Oilers

Sources for this page

Every figure above traces to a named public dataset and the exact release below — not hand-written opinion. See the full methodology for what each measure does and does not mean.

• O*NET 30.3 U.S. Department of Labor / National Center for O*NET Development
• “GPTs are GPTs” (Eloundou et al.) arXiv 2303.10130 OpenAI / academic

Data compiled June 2, 2026. Figures are estimates, not advice.

@misc{singulariki-operate-ships-or-other-watercraft,
  title  = {Operate ships or other watercraft.},
  author = {{Singulariki}},
  year   = {2026},
  note   = {O*NET 30.3; “GPTs are GPTs” (Eloundou et al.) arXiv 2303.10130. Accessed June 7, 2026},
  url    = {https://singulariki.com/detailed-activities/operate-ships-or-other-watercraft}
}