Architecture and Engineering
Marine Engineers and Naval Architects
Design, develop, and evaluate the operation of marine vessels, ship machinery, and related equipment, such as power supply and propulsion systems.
MAY 2025 · OCCUPATIONAL WAGES
A wage reference for United States.
Published wage percentiles describe a distribution within the source occupation group. They provide context for a career decision; employer packages and job offers have their own terms.
Source wage group: Marine Engineers and Naval Architects
This wage group may include multiple detailed occupations. The figures are for the source group, which may be broader than Marine Engineers and Naval Architects. They are not an exact-title, employer, experience or seniority match.
May 2025 · USD · United States. Annual and hourly figures are shown only when the source publishes them; neither is calculated from the other.
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics occupational wage data, distributed through the O*NET® OnLine service.
Median annual wage$112,230USD per year · Published 50th percentile
Median hourly wage$53.96USD per hour · Published 50th percentile
Annual wage thresholds
USD per year
Hourly wage thresholds
USD per hour
| Percentile | Annual wage (USD/year) | Hourly wage (USD/hour) |
|---|---|---|
| 10th | $83,010 | $39.91 |
| 25th | $99,250 | $47.71 |
| 50th · Median | $112,230 | $53.96 |
| 75th | $137,690 | $66.20 |
| 90th | $173,330 | $83.33 |
“≥” means at least the published amount; “≤” means at most that amount. These are bounds, not exact values. “Not published” means the source did not provide that figure. Occupational wages follow the source definition and do not establish an employer’s base salary, equity or total compensation.
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THE WORK BEHIND THE TITLE
What this career involves.
Occupation definitions describe common work. Responsibilities and requirements vary by employer and specific job.
Selected title examples
Architect SpecialistAutomation EngineerBoat DesignerConsulting Marine EngineerEngineerEngineering SpecialistMarine ArchitectMarine Civil EngineerMarine ConsultantMarine Design EngineerMarine EngineerMarine Engineering Consultant
Expand more title examples (19)
Marine Equipment Design EngineerMarine Equipment EngineerMarine Equipment Research EngineerMarine Equipment Test EngineerMarine Service EngineerMarine Structural DesignerMarine SurveyorNaval ArchitectNaval Architect SpecialistNaval EngineerNaval Marine EngineerNavigation EngineerPiping DesignerProject EngineerPropulsion Machinery Service EngineerShip Equipment EngineerShip SurveyorStructural DesignerStructural Engineer
Typical tasks
- Perform monitoring activities to ensure that ships comply with international regulations and standards for life-saving equipment and pollution preventatives.
- Design complete hull and superstructure according to specifications and test data, in conformity with standards of safety, efficiency, and economy.
- Conduct analyses of ships, such as stability, structural, weight, and vibration analyses.
- Study design proposals and specifications to establish basic characteristics of craft, such as size, weight, speed, propulsion, displacement, and draft.
- Maintain contact with, and formulate reports for, contractors and clients to ensure completion of work at minimum cost.
- Coordinate activities with regulatory bodies to ensure repairs and alterations are at minimum cost and consistent with safety.
Expand more tasks (24)
- Check, test, and maintain automatic controls and alarm systems.
- Prepare technical reports for use by engineering, management, or sales personnel.
- Design layout of craft interior, including cargo space, passenger compartments, ladder wells, and elevators.
- Prepare, or direct the preparation of, product or system layouts and detailed drawings and schematics.
- Evaluate performance of craft during dock and sea trials to determine design changes and conformance with national and international standards.
- Inspect marine equipment and machinery to draw up work requests and job specifications.
- Evaluate operation of marine equipment during acceptance testing and shakedown cruises.
- Conduct analytical, environmental, operational, or performance studies to develop designs for products, such as marine engines, equipment, and structures.
- Establish arrangement of boiler room equipment and propulsion machinery, heating and ventilating systems, refrigeration equipment, piping, and other functional equipment.
- Investigate and observe tests on machinery and equipment for compliance with standards.
- Prepare plans, estimates, design and construction schedules, and contract specifications, including any special provisions.
- Design and oversee testing, installation, and repair of marine apparatus and equipment.
- Conduct environmental, operational, or performance tests on marine machinery and equipment.
- Analyze data to determine feasibility of product proposals.
- Determine conditions under which tests are to be conducted, as well as sequences and phases of test operations.
- Confer with research personnel to clarify or resolve problems and to develop or modify designs.
- Review work requests and compare them with previous work completed on ships to ensure that costs are economically sound.
- Supervise other engineers and crew members and train them for routine and emergency duties.
- 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.
- Maintain records of engineering department activities, including expense records and details of equipment maintenance and repairs.
- Maintain and coordinate repair of marine machinery and equipment for installation on vessels.
- 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.
- Procure materials needed to repair marine equipment and machinery.
- Schedule machine overhauls and the servicing of electrical, heating, ventilation, refrigeration, water, and sewage systems.
Skills used in this work
- Complex Problem Solving
- Identifying complex problems and reviewing related information to develop and evaluate options and implement solutions.
- Critical Thinking
- Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions, or approaches to problems.
- Reading Comprehension
- Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work-related documents.
- Active Listening
- Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
- Judgment and Decision Making
- Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.
- Speaking
- Talking to others to convey information effectively.
Expand more skills (29)
- Writing
- Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.
- Mathematics
- Using mathematics to solve problems.
- Active Learning
- Understanding the implications of new information for both current and future problem-solving and decision-making.
- Operations Monitoring
- Watching gauges, dials, or other indicators to make sure a machine is working properly.
- Science
- Using scientific rules and methods to solve problems.
- Time Management
- Managing one's own time and the time of others.
- Coordination
- Adjusting actions in relation to others' actions.
- Monitoring
- Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
- Quality Control Analysis
- Conducting tests and inspections of products, services, or processes to evaluate quality or performance.
- Systems Analysis
- Determining how a system should work and how changes in conditions, operations, and the environment will affect outcomes.
- Systems Evaluation
- Identifying measures or indicators of system performance and the actions needed to improve or correct performance, relative to the goals of the system.
- Management of Personnel Resources
- Motivating, developing, and directing people as they work, identifying the best people for the job.
- Operation and Control
- Controlling operations of equipment or systems.
- Operations Analysis
- Analyzing needs and product requirements to create a design.
- Social Perceptiveness
- Being aware of others' reactions and understanding why they react as they do.
- Instructing
- Teaching others how to do something.
- Learning Strategies
- Selecting and using training/instructional methods and procedures appropriate for the situation when learning or teaching new things.
- Service Orientation
- Actively looking for ways to help people.
- Troubleshooting
- Determining causes of operating errors and deciding what to do about it.
- Persuasion
- Persuading others to change their minds or behavior.
- Equipment Maintenance
- Performing routine maintenance on equipment and determining when and what kind of maintenance is needed.
- Management of Material Resources
- Obtaining and seeing to the appropriate use of equipment, facilities, and materials needed to do certain work.
- Negotiation
- Bringing others together and trying to reconcile differences.
- Management of Financial Resources
- Determining how money will be spent to get the work done, and accounting for these expenditures.
- Repairing
- Repairing machines or systems using the needed tools.
- Technology Design
- Generating or adapting equipment and technology to serve user needs.
- Equipment Selection
- Determining the kind of tools and equipment needed to do a job.
- Programming
- Writing computer programs for various purposes.
- Installation
- Installing equipment, machines, wiring, or programs to meet specifications.
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