Skills it runs on
The capabilities O*NET rates most important for this occupation — the human ground the work is built on.
See all skills →Marine Engineers and Naval Architects
Occupation · SOC 17-2121.00
Design, develop, and evaluate the operation of marine vessels, ship machinery, and related equipment, such as power supply and propulsion systems.
Also called: Marine Engineer · Marine Surveyor · Naval Architect · Naval Architect Specialist · Marine Architect · Marine Design Engineer · Marine Engineering Consultant · Marine Structural Designer · Ship Equipment Engineer · Structural Engineer · Architect Specialist · Automation Engineer
Job family: Architecture and Engineering Occupations
Take this to your AI
A source-stamped Markdown brief of this occupation — paste it into an agent, or fetch
/roles/role-17-2121-00/context.md directly.
AI work map
A fast read on where AI already shows up in this occupation, where it stays a copilot, where humans remain in the loop, and what the labor market is doing. Built from observed Claude.ai conversations mapped to O*NET tasks and from published research — measures of usage and exposure, not advice or predictions that the job is going away.
Market signal
Independent published positions, read together — not a forecast.
- About average employment outlook (+5.8% by 2034)
- 600 openings/yr
- High AI exposure
- Median pay $105,670/yr
- Can largely be done remotely (teleworkable)
- A reversal from 2013 — rated low automation risk then (7th), high AI task-overlap now (62nd)
62nd-percentile task overlap — yet about 600 openings a year (+5.8% projected, BLS) . What exposure means →
AI & job outlook
What today's research says about this occupation's exposure to AI, how AI is actually being used in it, and where employment is headed. These are positions within published studies — measures of exposure and usage, not predictions that this job will disappear.
Exposure to current AI
Each study uses its own scale, so the raw scores are not comparable across rows — the percentile (this job's rank among all U.S. occupations with data) is the comparable figure, and sizes the bars.
| Measure | Rank vs all occupations | Percentile | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall AI exposure (Felten et al.) Moderate | 61st | 0.5 | |
| LLM task exposure, γ (OpenAI / Eloundou) Moderate | 59th | 0.7 | |
| AI assistant applicability (Microsoft) High | 68th | 0.2 |
OpenAI's exposure study scores tasks three ways: with a language model alone (α 0.1), with simple added tooling (β 0.4), and including AI-powered software (γ 0.7). Higher means more of the job's tasks could be done at least twice as fast — not that they will be automated away.
Most of this job's tasks can be done remotely (Dingel–Neiman), which tends to track with higher digital and AI exposure.
Historical automation estimate (2013)
A pre-LLM (2013) estimate of how automatable this job is by computerization and robotics. Shown for historical context only — it is not part of any current AI ranking.
Frey–Osborne probability 0.0 · 7th percentile among occupations · Low
How AI is actually used in this job
Among measured AI assistant conversations mapped to this occupation (Anthropic Economic Index, 2026-01-15), these task types came up most. These are shares of observed AI conversations — not shares of the job, of worker time, or of what could be automated.
| Prepare plans, estimates, design and construction schedules, and contract specifications, including any special provisions. | 1.1% | |
| Confer with research personnel to clarify or resolve problems and to develop or modify designs. | 0.7% | |
| Prepare, or direct the preparation of, product or system layouts and detailed drawings and schematics. | 0.4% | |
| Analyze data to determine feasibility of product proposals. | 0.3% | |
| Prepare technical reports for use by engineering, management, or sales personnel. | 0.3% |
Job outlook
Independent U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics employment projection for 2024–2034 — a labor-market forecast, not an AI-impact forecast.
| Outlook | About average · +5.8% by 2034 |
| Projected annual openings | 600 |
| Employment 2024 → 2034 | 8,500 → 9,000 |
“Annual openings” counts new jobs plus replacements for workers who leave the occupation, so it can be large even when growth is modest.
Where this work sits on the global GenAI gradient
The ILO's 2025 global study scores generative-AI exposure on the international ISCO-08 occupation system, not US SOC. Bridged through the published (and approximate, many-to-many) IBS O*NET-SOC ↔ ISCO-08 crosswalk, this US occupation corresponds to the international occupation below. Exposure here means how much of the work's tasks today's AI can attempt — task overlap, not automation, adoption, or jobs lost.
Marine Engineers and Naval Architects sits at the 61st percentile of 427
occupations on the global GenAI task-exposure gradient
— exposure rose from 2023 to 2025. Each dot is one occupation; the
ringed one is this work. Exposure is task overlap, not automation or jobs lost.
32% mean task exposure (2025)
61st percentile of 427 placed occupations
+2 pts shift 2023 → 2025
| International occupation (ISCO-08) | Task exposure (2025) | Most tasks fall in |
|---|---|---|
| Mechanical Engineers · 2144 | 32% | Not exposed |
Read the whole six-band gradient on the GenAI exposure gradient page. The crosswalk is approximate: a US occupation can map to several international ones, and the ILO scores describe the international occupation, not this exact US role.
Tasks
All 30 tasks O*NET lists for this occupation, ordered by importance. Each links to its own page with AI-exposure and observed-use detail.
- Perform monitoring activities to ensure that ships comply with international regulations and standards for life-saving equipment and pollution preventatives. Core · importance 4.1
- Design complete hull and superstructure according to specifications and test data, in conformity with standards of safety, efficiency, and economy. Core · importance 4.0
- Conduct analyses of ships, such as stability, structural, weight, and vibration analyses. · importance 3.9
- Study design proposals and specifications to establish basic characteristics of craft, such as size, weight, speed, propulsion, displacement, and draft. Core · importance 3.9
- Maintain contact with, and formulate reports for, contractors and clients to ensure completion of work at minimum cost. Core · importance 3.9
- Supervise other engineers and crew members and train them for routine and emergency duties. Core · importance 3.8
- Coordinate activities with regulatory bodies to ensure repairs and alterations are at minimum cost and consistent with safety. Core · importance 3.8
- Check, test, and maintain automatic controls and alarm systems. Core · importance 3.8
- Prepare technical reports for use by engineering, management, or sales personnel. Core · importance 3.7
- Design layout of craft interior, including cargo space, passenger compartments, ladder wells, and elevators. Core · importance 3.7
- Prepare, or direct the preparation of, product or system layouts and detailed drawings and schematics. Core · importance 3.7
- Evaluate performance of craft during dock and sea trials to determine design changes and conformance with national and international standards. Core · importance 3.6
- Act as liaisons between ships' captains and shore personnel to ensure that schedules and budgets are maintained, and that ships are operated safely and efficiently. Core · importance 3.6
- Maintain and coordinate repair of marine machinery and equipment for installation on vessels. Core · importance 3.6
- Maintain records of engineering department activities, including expense records and details of equipment maintenance and repairs. Core · importance 3.6
- Inspect marine equipment and machinery to draw up work requests and job specifications. Core · importance 3.6
- Oversee construction and testing of prototype in model basin and develop sectional and waterline curves of hull to establish center of gravity, ideal hull form, and buoyancy and stability data. Core · importance 3.5
- Evaluate operation of marine equipment during acceptance testing and shakedown cruises. Core · importance 3.5
- Conduct analytical, environmental, operational, or performance studies to develop designs for products, such as marine engines, equipment, and structures. Core · importance 3.5
- Procure materials needed to repair marine equipment and machinery. Core · importance 3.5
- Establish arrangement of boiler room equipment and propulsion machinery, heating and ventilating systems, refrigeration equipment, piping, and other functional equipment. · importance 3.5
- Investigate and observe tests on machinery and equipment for compliance with standards. Core · importance 3.4
- Schedule machine overhauls and the servicing of electrical, heating, ventilation, refrigeration, water, and sewage systems. Supplemental · importance 3.4
- Prepare plans, estimates, design and construction schedules, and contract specifications, including any special provisions. Core · importance 3.4
- Design and oversee testing, installation, and repair of marine apparatus and equipment. Core · importance 3.3
- Conduct environmental, operational, or performance tests on marine machinery and equipment. Core · importance 3.2
- Analyze data to determine feasibility of product proposals. Core · importance 3.1
- Determine conditions under which tests are to be conducted, as well as sequences and phases of test operations. Core · importance 3.1
- Confer with research personnel to clarify or resolve problems and to develop or modify designs. Core · importance 3.0
- Review work requests and compare them with previous work completed on ships to ensure that costs are economically sound. Core · importance 3.0
Emerging tasks
Newer responsibilities O*NET has flagged as growing for this occupation.
- Develop plans for safely drydocking vessels, including structural integrity, block loading, and stability.
Work activities
- Design structures or facilities.
- Supervise engineering or other technical personnel.
- Review technical documents to plan work.
- Monitor processes for compliance with standards.
- Direct construction activities.
- Evaluate characteristics of equipment or systems.
- Schedule operational activities.
- Prepare detailed work plans.
- Prepare contracts, disclosures, or applications.
- Test performance of electrical, electronic, mechanical, or integrated systems or equipment.
- Maintain electronic equipment.
- Create graphical representations of structures or landscapes.
- Communicate with others to coordinate vehicle movement.
- Inspect equipment or systems.
- Maintain operational records or records systems.
- Coordinate safety or regulatory compliance activities.
- Devise research or testing protocols.
- Direct installation activities.
- Direct equipment maintenance or repair activities.
- Prepare technical reports for internal use.
- Purchase materials, equipment, or other resources.
- Communicate technical information to suppliers, contractors, or regulatory agencies.
- Maintain mechanical equipment.
- Confer with technical personnel to prepare designs or operational plans.
- Confer with other personnel to resolve design or operational problems.
- Research advanced engineering designs or applications.
- Analyze design or requirements information for mechanical equipment or systems.
- Design electromechanical equipment or systems.
Knowledge, skills & abilities
O*NET importance rating, from 1 (not important) to 5 (extremely important).
Knowledge
| Engineering and Technology | 4.3 | |
| Mechanical | 4.2 | |
| Design | 4.0 | |
| English Language | 4.0 | |
| Transportation | 3.7 | |
| Mathematics | 3.6 | |
| Physics | 3.6 | |
| Building and Construction | 3.6 | |
| Computers and Electronics | 3.5 |
Abilities
| Deductive Reasoning | 4.3 | |
| Oral Comprehension | 4.0 | |
| Written Comprehension | 4.0 | |
| Oral Expression | 4.0 | |
| Written Expression | 4.0 | |
| Problem Sensitivity | 4.0 | |
| Inductive Reasoning | 4.0 | |
| Information Ordering | 4.0 | |
| Category Flexibility | 3.8 | |
| Mathematical Reasoning | 3.8 | |
| Visualization | 3.8 | |
| Originality | 3.6 | |
| Near Vision | 3.6 | |
| Speech Clarity | 3.6 | |
| Fluency of Ideas | 3.5 | |
| Flexibility of Closure | 3.5 |
Essential skills
| Critical Thinking | 4.1 | |
| Reading Comprehension | 3.9 | |
| Active Listening | 3.8 | |
| Writing | 3.8 | |
| Speaking | 3.8 | |
| Mathematics | 3.6 | |
| Science | 3.5 | |
| Active Learning | 3.5 | |
| Monitoring | 3.4 |
Transferable skills
| Complex Problem Solving | 4.1 | |
| Judgment and Decision Making | 3.8 | |
| Operations Monitoring | 3.5 | |
| Time Management | 3.5 | |
| Coordination | 3.4 | |
| Quality Control Analysis | 3.4 |
Skills in demand
Skills employers ask for in job postings for this occupation (Lightcast), with whether each is a common or specialized skill.
Showing the top 40 of 42.
Tools & technology
Work context
How characteristic each condition is of the job, on O*NET's 1–5 context scale (higher = more present in day-to-day work). Each condition links to how it varies across all occupations.
How to get in
- Job zone
- Zone 4 — Job Zone Four: Considerable Preparation Needed
- Education
- Most of these occupations require a four-year bachelor's degree, but some do not.
- Typical entry-level education
- Bachelor's degree · BLS, the typical path — not a requirement
- Related experience
- A considerable amount of work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is needed for these occupations. For example, an accountant must complete four years of college and work for several years in accounting to be considered qualified.
- Preparation level
- SVP (7.0 to < 8.0) — total schooling plus on-the-job experience.
What to study: Engineering . Fields of study crosswalked to this occupation (NCES CIP–SOC), not a requirement.
Education of current workers
Share of people in this occupation at each level of education.
| Bachelor's Degree | 52.6% | |
| Post-Secondary Certificate | 15.8% | |
| Some College Courses | 10.5% | |
| First Professional Degree | 10.5% | |
| High School Diploma | 5.3% | |
| Associate's Degree (or other 2-year degree) | 5.3% |
Interests & work styles
The interests and personal qualities O*NET associates with people who do this work.
Work styles
| Dependability | 7.0 | |
| Attention to Detail | 6.0 | |
| Integrity | 5.0 | |
| Cautiousness | 4.0 | |
| Intellectual Curiosity | 3.0 |
Interest areas
| Engineering | 6.6 | |
| Mechanics/Electronics | 4.6 | |
| Mathematics/Statistics | 4.5 | |
| Physical Science | 3.5 | |
| Management/Administration | 2.9 | |
| Transportation/Machine Operation | 2.4 |
Career interests (Holland / RIASEC)
| Realistic | 5.7 | |
| Investigative | 5.7 | |
| Conventional | 4.3 | |
| Enterprising | 3.3 | |
| Artistic | 2.6 |
Wages & employment
U.S. · annual wages (BLS OEWS)
| 10th percentile | $79,700 |
| 25th percentile | $88,480 |
| Median (50th) | $105,670 |
| 75th percentile | $133,780 |
| 90th percentile | $167,660 |
| People employed | 8,440 |
Industries that employ this occupation
Where these workers are employed, by number of jobs (national, BLS OEWS). Pay shown is the occupation's national median, not industry-specific.
| Industry | Workers | National median pay |
|---|---|---|
| Manufacturing · Sector | 4,430 | $101,820 |
| Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services · Sector | 2,290 | $110,680 |
| Engineering Services · National industry | 1,660 | $110,800 |
| Transportation and Warehousing · Sector | 380 | $106,500 |
| Management of Companies and Enterprises · Sector | 90 | $126,780 |
| Educational Services · Sector | 40 | $89,390 |
| Construction · Sector | — | $100,810 |
| Wholesale Trade · Sector | — | $143,170 |
Where this work is most concentrated
Industries where this occupation is far more common than in the economy as a whole. The location quotient is how many times more concentrated it is here (a value of 5 means five times its economy-wide share).
| Industry | Concentration | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Engineering Services · National industry | 26.23× | 1,660 |
| Manufacturing · Sector | 6.34× | 4,430 |
| Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services · Sector | 3.88× | 2,290 |
| Transportation and Warehousing · Sector | 0.94× | 380 |
Related occupations
Part of the Supply Chain & Transportation career cluster.
- Ship Engineers · 53-5031.00 Compare →
- Aerospace Engineering and Operations Technologists and Technicians · 17-3021.00 Compare →
- Aerospace Engineers · 17-2011.00 Compare →
- Mechanical Engineering Technologists and Technicians · 17-3027.00 Compare →
- Mechanical Engineers · 17-2141.00 Compare →
- Industrial Engineers · 17-2112.00 Compare →
- Civil Engineering Technologists and Technicians · 17-3022.00 Compare →
- Electrical and Electronic Engineering Technologists and Technicians · 17-3023.00 Compare →
- Civil Engineers · 17-2051.00 Compare →
- Electrical Engineers · 17-2071.00 Compare →
- Motorboat Mechanics and Service Technicians · 49-3051.00 Compare →
- Avionics Technicians · 49-2091.00 Compare →
Side-by-side comparisons place two occupations’ pay, preparation, skills, and AI exposure on the same page — same data, same scale, no forecast.
What you can do with this
Options the data surfaces for Marine Engineers and Naval Architects — not advice or a forecast. Each is a real cross-link you can follow into the evidence.
Skills that travel
Capabilities this work builds that are used across many other occupations.
Adjacent roles
Occupations O*NET rates as related — the nearby moves on the map.
Paths in
How people typically prepare for this work.
- Bachelor's degree · typical entry level
- Job zone 4 — Job Zone Four: Considerable Preparation Needed · preparation tier
- Engineering · field of study
Zoom out
On the global GenAI exposure gradient this work sits around the 61st percentile of 427 international occupations.
Write a report on thisheadline · factoids · citation
Marine Engineers and Naval Architects show 62nd-percentile AI task overlap — and about 600 annual U.S. openings
- Marine Engineers and Naval Architects rank in the 62nd percentile (Moderate band) for AI task overlap across U.S. occupations — a measure of how much of the work today's AI can attempt, not how much is automated.Eloundou et al. (GPTs are GPTs) + Felten AIOE
- The occupation is projected to see about 600 U.S. job openings per year (2024–34), counting growth and replacement — a labor-demand projection made independently of AI.BLS Employment Projections 2024–34
- BLS projects employment to be about average (+5.8%) from 2024 to 2034.BLS Employment Projections 2024–34
- Median annual pay is $105,670, across about 8,440 U.S. workers.BLS OEWS (May 2024)
Copy the whole kit
Marine Engineers and Naval Architects show 62nd-percentile AI task overlap — and about 600 annual U.S. openings • Marine Engineers and Naval Architects rank in the 62nd percentile (Moderate band) for AI task overlap across U.S. occupations — a measure of how much of the work today's AI can attempt, not how much is automated. (Eloundou et al. (GPTs are GPTs) + Felten AIOE) • The occupation is projected to see about 600 U.S. job openings per year (2024–34), counting growth and replacement — a labor-demand projection made independently of AI. (BLS Employment Projections 2024–34) • BLS projects employment to be about average (+5.8%) from 2024 to 2034. (BLS Employment Projections 2024–34) • Median annual pay is $105,670, across about 8,440 U.S. workers. (BLS OEWS (May 2024)) Source: Singulariki — "Marine Engineers and Naval Architects". https://singulariki.com/roles/role-17-2121-00 Note: AI task overlap measures what today's AI can attempt, not automation, job loss, or a forecast.
AssetsShare imageMethodology & sourcesPress & newsroomThe newsroom
Every line is built only from figures this page already shows and cites. AI task overlap means what today's AI can attempt — not automation, job loss, or a forecast.
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
- BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) May 2024 U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
- BLS Employment Projections 2024–2034 U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
- Anthropic Economic Index v4 (2026-01-15) + v2 (2025-03-27) Anthropic
- Microsoft “Working with AI” working-with-ai Microsoft Research
- “GPTs are GPTs” (Eloundou et al.) arXiv 2303.10130 OpenAI / academic
- AI Occupational Exposure (AIOE) Felten, Raj & Seamans academic
- ILO / Gmyrek et al. GenAI exposure gradient 2025 International Labour Organization
- IBS O*NET-SOC ↔ ISCO-08 occupation crosswalk 2022 Institute for Structural Research (IBS)
- Frey & Osborne (2013) frey-osborne-automation academic
- Dingel & Neiman (2020) dingel-neiman-workathome academic
Data compiled June 2, 2026. Figures are estimates, not advice.
Cite this page
Plain
Singulariki. "Marine Engineers and Naval Architects." Singulariki: a source-backed encyclopedia of work. Built from O*NET 30.3; BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) May 2024; BLS Employment Projections 2024–2034; Anthropic Economic Index v4 (2026-01-15) + v2 (2025-03-27); Microsoft “Working with AI” working-with-ai; “GPTs are GPTs” (Eloundou et al.) arXiv 2303.10130; AI Occupational Exposure (AIOE) Felten, Raj & Seamans; ILO / Gmyrek et al. GenAI exposure gradient 2025; IBS O*NET-SOC ↔ ISCO-08 occupation crosswalk 2022; Frey & Osborne (2013) frey-osborne-automation; Dingel & Neiman (2020) dingel-neiman-workathome. Accessed June 7, 2026. https://singulariki.com/roles/role-17-2121-00
APA
Singulariki. (2026). Marine Engineers and Naval Architects. Singulariki: a source-backed encyclopedia of work. Retrieved June 7, 2026, from https://singulariki.com/roles/role-17-2121-00
BibTeX
@misc{singulariki-role-17-2121-00,
title = {Marine Engineers and Naval Architects},
author = {{Singulariki}},
year = {2026},
note = {O*NET 30.3; BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) May 2024; BLS Employment Projections 2024–2034; Anthropic Economic Index v4 (2026-01-15) + v2 (2025-03-27); Microsoft “Working with AI” working-with-ai; “GPTs are GPTs” (Eloundou et al.) arXiv 2303.10130; AI Occupational Exposure (AIOE) Felten, Raj & Seamans; ILO / Gmyrek et al. GenAI exposure gradient 2025; IBS O*NET-SOC ↔ ISCO-08 occupation crosswalk 2022; Frey & Osborne (2013) frey-osborne-automation; Dingel & Neiman (2020) dingel-neiman-workathome. Accessed June 7, 2026},
url = {https://singulariki.com/roles/role-17-2121-00}
} Citations name the underlying public dataset releases — they reflect what this page is built from, not just the URL.