Day in the life
A Day in the Life of a Marine Engineer
What marine engineers actually do from the start of a shift to the end: the tasks, tools, schedule and realities of the job.
What is a typical day like for a marine engineer?
Review stability calculations. From there, the day usually includes design hulls, calculate stability, and design propulsion systems. Full time, with some travel and sea trials.
Hour by hour: a typical shift
No two days are identical, but this timeline reflects a realistic day for a marine engineer working full time.
- Review stability calculations.
- Meet the shipyard team.
- Update a 3D ship model.
- Inspect a hull section.
- Size a pump system.
- Review class society comments.
- Write a design report.
Where marine engineers work
Marine engineers work in offices, shipyards and at sea.
Hours and schedule
Full time, with some travel and sea trials.
Tasks you’ll do most often
- Design hulls
- Calculate stability
- Design propulsion systems
- Design onboard systems
- Oversee construction
- Run tests
- Support repairs
Tools you’ll use every day
- Rhino and Orca3D
- ShipConstructor
- MATLAB
- ANSYS
- AutoCAD
- Excel
The best and hardest parts of the job
What people like
- Faster-than-average growth
- High pay
- Unique projects
- Navy and offshore demand
What’s hard
- Travel to shipyards
- Small field
- Strict class rules
- Long projects
You’ll likely thrive if…
- I love ships
- I like physics and math
- I like big projects
- I can travel
- I want high pay
- I like teamwork
Not sure? Take the free Marine Engineer fit quiz or the Career Match Quiz.
Staying safe on the job
- Follow shipyard safety
- Design to class rules
- Plan for fire and flooding
- Wear PPE at sea trials