AI exposure by occupation, O*NET 53-5031.00
Will AI replace Ship Engineers?
Ship Engineers: AI does not yet handle any of the role's 17 tasks; the work mostly needs an efficient-tier model.
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Every task, scored
The 17 tasks O*NET 30.3 lists for Ship Engineers, from most to least exposed. None reaches 60, the level at which AI already handles a task.
| Task | AI exposure | Evidence | Model tier |
|---|---|---|---|
| Perform general marine vessel maintenance or repair work, such as repairing leaks, finishing interiors, refueling, or maintaining decks. | Estimated | Efficient | |
| Maintain or repair engines, electric motors, pumps, winches, or other mechanical or electrical equipment, or assist other crew members with maintenance or repair duties. | Estimated | Efficient | |
| Maintain complete records of engineering department activities, including machine operations. | Estimated | Efficient | |
| Operate or maintain off-loading liquid pumps or valves. | Estimated | Efficient | |
| Maintain electrical power, heating, ventilation, refrigeration, water, or sewerage systems. | Estimated | Efficient | |
| Install engine controls, propeller shafts, or propellers. | Estimated | Efficient | |
| Order and receive engine room stores, such as oil or spare parts, maintain inventories, and record usage of supplies. | Estimated | Efficient | |
| Act as a liaison between a ship's captain and shore personnel to ensure that schedules and budgets are maintained and that the ship is operated safely and efficiently. | Estimated | Efficient | |
| Supervise marine engine technicians engaged in the maintenance or repair of mechanical or electrical marine vessels, and inspect their work to ensure that it is performed properly. | Estimated | Standard | |
| Monitor engine, machinery, or equipment indicators when vessels are underway, and report abnormalities to appropriate shipboard staff. | Estimated | No tier | |
| Monitor the availability, use, or condition of lifesaving equipment or pollution preventatives to ensure that international regulations are followed. | Estimated | No tier | |
| Monitor and test operations of engines or other equipment so that malfunctions and their causes can be identified. | Estimated | No tier | |
| Start engines to propel ships, and regulate engines and power transmissions to control speeds of ships, according to directions from captains or bridge computers. | Estimated | No tier | |
| Perform or participate in emergency drills, as required. | Estimated | No tier | |
| Clean engine parts and keep engine rooms clean. | Estimated | No tier | |
| Record orders for changes in ship speed or direction, and note gauge readings or test data, such as revolutions per minute or voltage output, in engineering logs or bellbooks. | Estimated | No tier | |
| Fabricate engine replacement parts, such as valves, stay rods, or bolts, using metalworking machinery. | Estimated | No tier |
Observed: scored from AI use recorded in the Anthropic Economic Index (June 2026 release), 0 of 17 tasks. Estimated: scored from the task's O*NET 30.3 work activity, 17 of 17. Importance is O*NET's 1 to 5 rating of how central the task is. Model tier is the lowest tier that can do the task under the published rubric; "No tier" marks hands-on work.
The model tier this role needs
An efficient-tier model or lower covers 47% of the role's importance-weighted task work. 52% of the work is something AI can address at some tier, and 48% is hands-on.
Efficient, standard and frontier tiers come from the JobRoute model tier reference. The recommended tier is the lowest one that covers 80% of the work AI can address. How the method works.
Wages, employment and outlook
- US employment
- 8,400
- Median annual wage
- $109,530
- Middle half of earners
- $82,130 to $135,760
- Projected change, 2024 to 2034
- +1.6%
Employment and wages: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, national. Projection: BLS Employment Projections 2024 to 2034.
Adjacent roles
The occupations that reuse the most of this role's skills, with the usual time to move. These are the first places to look when you plan to redeploy or retrain people in this role.
- Marine Engineers and Naval Architects 79% skill overlap, about 8 months to move Exposure47
- Sailors and Marine Oilers 71% skill overlap, about 11 months to move Exposure23
- Captains, Mates, and Pilots of Water Vessels 68% skill overlap, about 11 months to move Exposure24
- Stationary Engineers and Boiler Operators 66% skill overlap, about 12 months to move Exposure24
- Locomotive Engineers 63% skill overlap, about 13 months to move Exposure36
Skill overlap and transition time from the JobRoute role adjacency graph on O*NET 30.3 skills.
Questions about Ship Engineers and AI
Will AI replace Ship Engineers?
Not on current evidence. None of the 17 tasks O*NET lists for this occupation reaches a task exposure of 60, the level at which JobRoute counts a task as handled by AI, and the role's importance-weighted exposure is 18 out of 100. JobRoute scores tasks, not whole jobs, so the score shows how much of the work changes rather than whether the job disappears.
What is the AI exposure of Ship Engineers?
18 out of 100 on JobRoute's task exposure measure, the importance-weighted average of the role's O*NET task scores. Higher means more of the work is AI-doable today. 0 of the 17 task scores are observed in the Anthropic Economic Index (June 2026 release), and the other 17 are estimated from each task's O*NET work activity.
Which Ship Engineers tasks can AI already do?
None reaches 60 yet. The most exposed task is: Perform general marine vessel maintenance or repair work, such as repairing leaks, finishing interiors, refueling, or maintaining decks, at 20 out of 100.
What AI model tier does this role need?
An efficient-tier model or lower covers 47% of the role's importance-weighted task work, and 48% is hands-on work that no model tier covers. JobRoute assigns each task the lowest tier that can do it under a published rubric and recommends the lowest tier that covers 80% of the work AI can address.
How many people work as Ship Engineers, and what do they earn?
8,400 people in the United States, with a median annual wage of $109,530 (BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025). BLS Employment Projections expect a change of +1.6% from 2024 to 2034.
How to cite
Data version 2026-11-02, JobRoute method v1.0.0. Download all occupations or this occupation as JSON. Methodology.
JobRoute (2026). AI exposure: Ship Engineers. Data version 2026-11-02, method v1.0.0. Built on O*NET 30.3, BLS OEWS May 2025 and the Anthropic Economic Index (June 2026). CC BY 4.0. https://www.jobroute.ai/jobs/ship-engineers
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