Marine and waterways transport operatives: pay and what the work involves

Occupation 8232 · Process, plant and machine operatives

Marine and waterways transport operatives

Marine and waterways transport operatives supervise and carry out a variety of deck duties and operate and maintain engines, boilers and mechanical equipment on board ships, boats and other marine vessels.

How people enter it

There are no formal academic entry requirements, although some employers may expect entrants to possess GCSEs/S grades. Candidates are expected to pass a medical examination and have good eyesight. Training takes place at nautical college and lasts between 11-13 weeks.

What the work involves

ensures that necessary fuel supplies are on board and inspects engine, boilers and other mechanisms for correct functioning
removes and repairs or replaces damaged or worn parts of plant and machinery and ensures that engine and plant machinery are well lubricated
stows cargo, assists passengers to embark and disembark, watches for hazards and moors or casts off mooring ropes as required
steers ship, under the supervision of a duty officer, checks navigational aids and keeps bridge, wheel and chartroom clean and tidy
performs other deck duties, including servicing and maintaining deck gear and rigging, splicing wire and fibre ropes, greasing winches and derricks, opening up and battening down hatches, securing gangways and ladders and lowering and raising lifeboats

Also called

Deck hand (shipping) · Engine room attendant (shipping) · Engineer(nos: boat, barge) · Ferryman · Merchant seaman · Seaman (shipping)

What it pays

Measure	Hours	Basis	Period	Value	Source
8232 : Marine and waterways transport operatives	None	None	2026-03	5,400.00	ONS, Annual Population Survey - employment by occupation (SOC 2020)
8232 : Marine and waterways transport operatives	None	None	2026-03	5,900.00	ONS, Annual Population Survey - employment by occupation (SOC 2020)
8232 : Marine and waterways transport operatives	None	None	2026-03	6,700.00	ONS, Annual Population Survey - employment by occupation (SOC 2020)
8232 : Marine and waterways transport operatives	None	None	2026-03	—	ONS, Annual Population Survey - employment by occupation (SOC 2020) Not published: Estimate and confidence interval not available since the group sample size is zero or disclosive (0-2)
8232 : Marine and waterways transport operatives	None	None	2026-03	800.00	ONS, Annual Population Survey - employment by occupation (SOC 2020)
8232 : Marine and waterways transport operatives	None	None	2026-03	6,700.00	ONS, Annual Population Survey - employment by occupation (SOC 2020)
8232 : Marine and waterways transport operatives	None	None	2026-03	—	ONS, Annual Population Survey - employment by occupation (SOC 2020) Not published: Estimate is less than 500

Every regional figure

ONS does not publish occupational pay below region. Cells the survey could not support are shown as withheld, with its reason — adding a region split to a specific occupation leaves roughly a tenth of cells publishable.

Region	Measure	Hours	Value	Period
East	8232 : Marine and waterways transport operatives	None	2,200.00	2026-03
East Midlands	8232 : Marine and waterways transport operatives	None	withheld	2026-03
London	8232 : Marine and waterways transport operatives	None	withheld	2026-03
North East	8232 : Marine and waterways transport operatives	None	withheld	2026-03
North West	8232 : Marine and waterways transport operatives	None	withheld	2026-03
Northern Ireland	8232 : Marine and waterways transport operatives	None	withheld	2026-03
Scotland	8232 : Marine and waterways transport operatives	None	800.00	2026-03
South East	8232 : Marine and waterways transport operatives	None	900.00	2026-03
South West	8232 : Marine and waterways transport operatives	None	1,000.00	2026-03
Wales	8232 : Marine and waterways transport operatives	None	withheld	2026-03
West Midlands	8232 : Marine and waterways transport operatives	None	withheld	2026-03
Yorkshire and The Humber	8232 : Marine and waterways transport operatives	None	1,100.00	2026-03

Common questions

Does pay for marine and waterways transport operatives vary by region?

ONS publishes regional pay for this occupation where the survey sample supports it — 5 of 12 cells on this page. The rest are withheld by ONS, and are shown as withheld with the reason, rather than left out.

Where do these pay figures come from?

The Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings, published by the Office for National Statistics. Figures are shown exactly as ONS publishes them — we do not adjust, model or fill them in, and every number on this page carries the series and period it came from.

Classified alongside this

Air transport operatives · Other drivers and transport operatives n.e.c. · Rail transport operatives · Train and tram drivers