What skills does a marine engineering technician need?

A marine engineering technician needs 14 essential skills including engineering principles, material mechanics, mechanics of vessels, mathematics, physics. Core competencies include .

Will AI replace marine engineering technician jobs?

The AI disruption score for marine engineering technician is 46/100 (moderate risk). Some tasks may be automated but the role will evolve rather than disappear entirely.

Engineering ServicesScience and engineering associate professionalsISCO 3115

marine engineering technician

Marine engineering technicians carry out technical functions to help marine engineers with the design, development, manufacturing and testing processes, installation and maintenance of all types of boats from pleasure crafts to naval vessels, including submarines. They also conduct experiments, collect and analyse data and report their findings.

About marine engineering technician

As a marine engineering technician, you will play a crucial role in supporting marine engineers in the design, development, manufacturing, testing, and maintenance of vessels ranging from small pleasure crafts to large naval ships and submarines. Your work combines practical technical expertise with analytical problem-solving, as you translate engineering designs into functional systems that operate safely and efficiently in harsh marine environments. You will conduct experiments, collect data, analyse technical specifications, and ensure that all vessel systems comply with international maritime regulations and safety standards.

Your daily responsibilities will involve reading and interpreting complex engineering drawings, performing calculations and simulations using CAE software, testing vessel components and systems, troubleshooting mechanical and hydraulic failures, and documenting your findings. You may work in shipyards, naval construction facilities, marine engineering offices, or onboard vessels, requiring hands-on technical skills alongside computer proficiency. Your attention to detail and understanding of materials, mechanics, and vessel dynamics are essential, as any oversight could impact operational safety and vessel performance.

Poland's maritime industry is strategic and growing, with increased demand for skilled marine engineering technicians in shipbuilding and naval sectors. This career path offers excellent prospects for those with strong technical aptitude, providing opportunities to work on cutting-edge vessel technologies and potentially advance to senior technical roles or project management positions. The combination of practical work, intellectual challenge, and real-world impact makes this a rewarding career for technically minded individuals.

Key Work Functions

Core areas of responsibility for a marine engineering technician.

Technical Design Support

Review and interpret detailed engineering drawings and vessel specifications
Perform engineering calculations related to vessel mechanics, materials, and structural integrity
Assist in adjusting and refining engineering designs based on technical analysis

Testing and Quality Assurance

Conduct technical tests and experiments on vessel components and systems
Collect, analyse, and document test data using appropriate measurement tools and software
Verify vessel compliance with international maritime regulations and safety standards

Manufacturing Support and Troubleshooting

Support manufacturing and assembly processes by providing technical guidance and problem-solving
Troubleshoot mechanical, hydraulic, and electrical failures in vessel systems
Perform maintenance tasks and recommend design modifications to improve vessel performance

CAE Software and Simulation

Use CAE software to perform simulations and modelling of vessel behaviour and systems
Execute analytical calculations and create technical visualisations for engineering review
Document simulation results and provide technical reports to engineers

Documentation and Reporting

Maintain comprehensive technical documentation of all vessel systems and modifications
Prepare detailed technical reports on test results, findings, and recommendations
Communicate technical findings to engineering teams and stakeholders

Regulation and Compliance

Ensure all work adheres to international maritime safety regulations and classification society rules
Conduct compliance checks and prepare documentation for regulatory audits

European Skills Framework

Skills and knowledge areas required for this occupation based on European classification.

Essential (14)

engineering principlesengineering principlesThe engineering elements like functionality, replicability, and costs in relation to the design and how they are applied in the completion of engineering projects.material mechanicsmaterial mechanicsThe behaviour of solid objects when subjected to stresses and strains, and the methods to calculate these stresses and strains.mechanics of vesselsmechanics of vesselsThe mechanical aspects and principles of vessels operations, and the technicalities and mechanical composition of boats and ships.mathematicsmathematicsMathematics is the study of topics such as quantity, structure, space, and change. It involves the identification of patterns and formulating new conjectures based on them. Mathematicians strive to pr...physicsphysicsThe natural science involving the study of matter, motion, energy, force and related notions.CAE softwareCAE softwareThe software to perform computer-aided engineering (CAE) analysis tasks such as Finite Element Analysis and Computional Fluid Dynamics.multimedia systemsmultimedia systemsThe methods, procedures and techniques pertaining to the operation of multimedia systems, usually a combination of software and hardware, presenting various types of media such as video and audio.mechanicsmechanicsTheoretical and practical applications of the science studying the action of displacements and forces on physical bodies to the development of machinery and mechanical devices.execute analytical mathematical calculationsexecute analytical mathematical calculationsApply mathematical methods and make use of calculation technologies in order to perform analyses and devise solutions to specific problems.troubleshoottroubleshootIdentify operating problems, decide what to do about it and report accordingly.adjust engineering designsadjust engineering designsAdjust designs of products or parts of products so that they meet requirements.ensure vessel compliance with regulationsensure vessel compliance with regulationsInspect vessels, vessel components, and equipment; ensure compliance with standards and specifications.read engineering drawingsread engineering drawingsRead the technical drawings of a product made by the engineer in order to suggest improvements, make models of the product or operate it.liaise with engineersliaise with engineersCollaborate with engineers to ensure common understanding and discuss product design, development and improvement.

Optional (67)

information structureinformation structureThe type of infrastructure which defines the format of data: semi-structured, unstructured and structured.solar energysolar energyThe energy which originates from light and heat from the sun, and which can be harnessed and used as a renewable source of energy using different technologies, such as photovoltaics (PV) for electrici...battery fluidsbattery fluidsThe characteristics and properties of battery fluids.business intelligencebusiness intelligenceThe tools used to transform large amounts of raw data into relevant and helpful business information.visual presentation techniquesvisual presentation techniquesThe visual representation and interaction techniques, such as histograms, scatter plots, surface plots, tree maps and parallel coordinate plots, that can be used to present abstract numerical and non-...vessel fuelsvessel fuelsThe characteristics and properties of vessel fuels and lubricants, and the fuel loading specifications of various types of vessels.information extractioninformation extractionThe techniques and methods used for eliciting and extracting information from unstructured or semi-structured digital documents and sources.environmental legislationenvironmental legislationThe environmental policies and legislation applicable in a certain domain.composite materialscomposite materialsThe properties of different materials developped in a laboratory, their usage per type of products, and how to create them.stealth technologystealth technologyThe techniques used to make aircraft, ships, missiles and satellites less detectable to radars and sonars. This includes the design of particular shapes and the development of radar-absorbent material...fuel gasfuel gasThe various qualities, hazards and applications of gaseous fuels, such as oxy-acetylene, oxy-gasoline, oxy-hydrogen and others.energy efficiencyenergy efficiencyField of information concerning the reduction of the use of energy. It encompasses calculating the consumption of energy, providing certificates and support measures, saving energy by reducing the dem...battery chemistrybattery chemistryThe different battery types according to the representative chemical components used in the anode or the cathode such as zinc-carbon, nickel-metal hydride, lead-acid, or lithium-ion.fluid mechanicsfluid mechanicsThe characteristics and properties of fluids, including gases, liquids and plasmas, at rest and in motion, and the forces on them.battery componentsbattery componentsThe physical components, such as wiring, electronics and voltaic cells that can be found in batteries. The components vary according to size and type of battery.CAD softwareCAD softwareThe computer-aided design (CAD) software for creating, modifying, analysing or optimising a design.data storagedata storageThe physical and technical concepts of how digital data storage is organised in specific schemes both locally, such as hard-drives and random-access memories (RAM) and remotely, via network, internet ...statistical analysis system softwarestatistical analysis system softwareSpecific software system (SAS) used for advanced analytics, business intelligence, data management, and predictive analytics.guidance, navigation and controlguidance, navigation and controlThe engineering discipline that deals with the design and development of systems that can control the motion of automobiles, ships, space- and aircraft. It includes control over vehicle's trajectory f...naval architecturenaval architectureThe design of sea vessels, the form and stability of hulls. It also deals with the design of offshore structures of all kinds whether commercial or military.cloud technologiescloud technologiesThe technologies which enable access to hardware, software, data and services through remote servers and software networks irrespective of their location and architecture.unstructured dataunstructured dataThe information that is not arranged in a pre-defined manner or does not have a pre-defined data model and is difficult to understand and find patterns in without using techniques such as data mining.synthetic natural environmentsynthetic natural environmentThe simulation and representation of components of physical world such as climate, wheather and space where military systems exist in order to obtain information and perform tests.renewable energyrenewable energyThe different types of energy sources which cannot be depleted, such as wind, solar, water, biomass, and biofuel energy. The different technologies used to implement these types of energy to an increa...develop energy saving conceptsdevelop energy saving conceptsUse current research results and collaborate with experts to optimise or develop concepts, equipment, and production processes which require a lesser amount of energy such as new insulation practices ...guarantee customer satisfactionguarantee customer satisfactionHandle customer expectations in a professional manner, anticipating and addressing their needs and desires. Provide flexible customer service to ensure customer satisfaction and loyalty.manage suppliesmanage suppliesMonitor and control the flow of supplies that includes the purchase, storage and movement of the required quality of raw materials, and also work-in-progress inventory. Manage supply chain activities ...ensure compliance with environmental legislationensure compliance with environmental legislationMonitor activities and perform tasks ensuring compliance with standards involving environmental protection and sustainability, and amend activities in the case of changes in environmental legislation....conduct energy auditconduct energy auditAnalyse and evaluate the energy consumption in a systematic manner in order to improve the energy performance.develop waste management processesdevelop waste management processesDevelop equipment, methods, and procedures which can be applied in various types of waste treatment and disposal facilities in order to improve efficiency of waste management processes, reduce environ...promote sustainable energypromote sustainable energyPromote the use of renewable electricity and heat generation sources to organisations and individuals, in order to work towards a sustainable future and encourage sales of renewable energy equipment, ...order suppliesorder suppliesCommand products from relevant suppliers to get convenient and profitable products to purchase.disassemble equipmentdisassemble equipmentDisassembles equipment using hand tools in order to clean equipments and to perform regular operational maintenance.analyse energy consumptionanalyse energy consumptionEvaluate and analyse the total amount of energy used by a company or an institution by assessing the needs linked to the operative processes and by identifying the causes of superfluous consumption.record test datarecord test dataRecord data which has been identified specifically during preceding tests in order to verify that outputs of the test produce specific results or to review the reaction of the subject under exceptiona...perform physical stress tests on modelsperform physical stress tests on modelsPerform tests on products' models to analyse the ability of products to endure temperature, loads, motion, vibration and other factors.perform data miningperform data miningExplore large datasets to reveal patterns using statistics, database systems or artificial intelligence and present the information in a comprehensible way.operate precision measuring equipmentoperate precision measuring equipmentMeasure the size of a processed part when checking and marking it to check if it is up to standard by use of two and three dimensional precision measuring equipment such as a caliper, a micrometer, an...manage health and safety standardsmanage health and safety standardsOversee all personnel and processes to comply with health, safety and hygiene standards. Communicate and support alignment of these requirements with the company's health and safety programmes.perform test runperform test runPerform tests putting a system, machine, tool or other equipment through a series of actions under actual operating conditions in order to assess its reliability and suitability to realise its tasks, ...analyse big dataanalyse big dataCollect and evaluate numerical data in large quantities, especially for the purpose of identifying patterns between the data.manage quantitative datamanage quantitative dataGather, process and present quantitative data. Use the appropriate programs and methods for validating, organising and interpreting data.oversee quality controloversee quality controlMonitor and assure the quality of the provided goods or services by overseeing that all the factors of the production meet quality requirements. Supervise product inspection and testing.analyse stress resistance of productsanalyse stress resistance of productsAnalyse the ability of products to endure stress imposed by temperature, loads, motion, vibration and other factors, by using mathematical formulas and computer simulations.use testing equipmentuse testing equipmentUse equipment to test performance and operation of machinery.operate battery test equipmentoperate battery test equipmentOperate equipment used for battery testing, such as a soldering iron, a battery tester, or a multimeter. Detect flaws affecting the battery's performance, test the battery's capacity for accumulating ...plan manufacturing processesplan manufacturing processesDetermine and schedule production and assembly steps. Plan manpower and equipment needs taking ergonomic considerations into account.analyse test dataanalyse test dataInterpret and analyse data collected during testing in order to formulate conclusions, new insights or solutions.utilise machine learningutilise machine learningUse techniques and algorithms that are able to extract mastery out of data, learn from it and make predictions, to be used for program optimisation, application adaptation, pattern recognition, filter...calibrate electronic instrumentscalibrate electronic instrumentsCorrect and adjust the reliability of an electronic instrument by measuring output and comparing results with the data of a reference device or a set of standardised results. This is done in regular i...re-assemble enginesre-assemble enginesRe-assemble transport equipment engines after overhaul, inspection, repair, maintenace or cleaning according to blueprints and technical plans.identify energy needsidentify energy needsIdentify the type and amount of energy supply necessary in a building or facility, in order to provide the most beneficial, sustainable, and cost-effective energy services for a consumer.manage datamanage dataAdminister all types of data resources through their lifecycle by performing data profiling, parsing, standardisation, identity resolution, cleansing, enhancement and auditing. Ensure the data is fit ...write stress-strain analysis reportswrite stress-strain analysis reportsWrite down a report with all your findings encountered during the stress analysis. Write down performances, failures and other conclusions.use CAD softwareuse CAD softwareUse computer-aided design (CAD) systems to assist in the creation, modification, analysis, or optimisation of a design.follow production schedulefollow production scheduleFollow production schedule taking into account all requirements, times and needs. This schedule outlines what individual commodities must be produced in each time period and encapsulates various conce...use specific data analysis softwareuse specific data analysis softwareUse specific software for data analysis, including statistics, spreadsheets, and databases. Explore possibilities in order to make reports to managers, superiors, or clients.write inspection reportswrite inspection reportsWrite the results and conclusions of the inspection in a clear and intelligible way. Log the inspection's processes such as contact, outcome, and steps taken.assess operating costassess operating costEstimate the operating cost in terms of manpower, consumables and maintenance.disassemble enginesdisassemble enginesDisassemble internal combustion engines, generators, pumps, transmissions and other components of mechanical equipment.assess environmental impactassess environmental impactMonitor environmental impacts and carry out assessments in order to identify and to reduce the organisation's environmental risks while taking costs into account.position engine on test standposition engine on test standPosition the engine on a stand or in a cell, ready for testing, by using a hoist or overhead crane.analyse production processes for improvementanalyse production processes for improvementAnalyse production processes leading toward improvement. Analyse in order to reduce production losses and overall manufacturing costs.product data managementproduct data managementThe use of software to track all information concerning a product such as technical specifications, drawings, design specifications, and production costs.chemical productschemical productsThe offered chemical products, their functionalities, properties and legal and regulatory requirements.ensure equipment availabilityensure equipment availabilityEnsure that the necessary equipment is provided, ready and available for use before start of procedures.data miningdata miningThe methods of artificial intelligence, machine learning, statistics and databases used to extract content from a dataset.