Oversee operation of vessels used for carrying passengers, motor vehicles, or goods across rivers, harbors, lakes, and coastal waters.

“Oversee operation of vessels used for carrying passengers, motor vehicles, or goods across rivers, harbors, lakes, and coastal waters.” is a core task performed by Motorboat Operators. Among the occupation's 17 rated tasks, workers place it 10th by importance (#8 most important). About 87% of workers say it is relevant to their job.

This is a single occupation-specific task statement from O*NET. The figures below describe how central the task is to the job and what independent studies measure about AI and this kind of work — not a prediction that the task will be automated.

Work activities this task rolls up to

O*NET groups concrete tasks into broader work activities shared across many occupations.

• Direct organizational operations, activities, or procedures. in Guiding, Directing, and Motivating Subordinates

AI exposure

The OpenAI / Eloundou “GPTs are GPTs” study rates this task E0. No direct exposure — current language models give little or no time savings on this task.

Exposure measures whether a model could meaningfully speed the task up — it is an estimate of overlap with model capabilities, not a measure of whether the work will be done by software. The study's intermediate score (β) for this task is 0.00. Automation potential label: T0.

Other tasks in this occupation

• Operate engine throttles and steering mechanisms to guide boats on desired courses. · importance 4.8
• Direct safety operations in emergency situations. · importance 4.6
• Secure boats to docks with mooring lines, and cast off lines to enable departure. · importance 4.6
• Maintain desired courses, using compasses or electronic navigational aids. · importance 4.6
• Organize and direct the activities of crew members. · importance 4.5
• Follow safety procedures to ensure the protection of passengers, cargo, and vessels. · importance 4.5
• Maintain equipment such as range markers, fire extinguishers, boat fenders, lines, pumps, and fittings. · importance 4.4
• Report any observed navigational hazards to authorities. · importance 4.4
• Service motors by performing tasks such as changing oil and lubricating parts. · importance 4.3
• Arrange repairs, fuel, and supplies for vessels. · importance 4.2
• Issue directions for loading, unloading, and seating in boats. · importance 4.0
• Tow, push, or guide other boats, barges, logs, or rafts. · importance 3.9
• Clean boats and repair hulls and superstructures, using hand tools, paint, and brushes. · importance 3.7
• Take depth soundings in turning basins. · importance 3.6

See all tasks on the Motorboat Operators page.

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-task-14548,
  title  = {Oversee operation of vessels used for carrying passengers, motor vehicles, or goods across rivers, harbors, lakes, and coastal waters.},
  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/tasks/task-14548}
}