Will ship engineers be replaced by AI?
Updated
Ship engineers score 23 of 100 for AI exposure. 57% of their task time still needs a person. AI can do 17% today and speed up another 26%.
- 17% AI can do it
- 26% AI helps
- 57% Needs a person
Low exposure
Lower than 75% of the 923 occupations we scored.
Task by task
We graded 17 tasks, listed here from most to least exposed. AI can do 3 of them today, speeds up 4 and leaves 10 to people.
| Task | AI exposure |
|---|---|
| Maintain complete records of engineering department activities, including machine operations. Logs and records are text based and highly automatable. | 78% AI can do it |
| 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. Transcribing orders and gauge readings into logs is automatable. | 72% AI can do it |
| Order and receive engine room stores, such as oil or spare parts, maintain inventories, and record usage of supplies. Inventory, ordering, and usage records suit software automation. | 62% AI can do it |
| 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. Liaison work is communication heavy; AI drafts, people decide. | 40% AI helps |
| Monitor engine, machinery, or equipment indicators when vessels are underway, and report abnormalities to appropriate shipboard staff. Sensor alarms help, but walking rounds and judgement stay physical. | 35% AI helps |
| Monitor and test operations of engines or other equipment so that malfunctions and their causes can be identified. AI aids fault diagnosis from data, but testing needs presence. | 30% AI helps |
| Monitor the availability, use, or condition of lifesaving equipment or pollution preventatives to ensure that international regulations are followed. Checklists and records assist, but physical inspection remains required. | 25% AI helps |
| Maintain electrical power, heating, ventilation, refrigeration, water, or sewerage systems. Upkeep is physical; AI helps with planning and diagnostics. | 15% Needs a person |
| Fabricate engine replacement parts, such as valves, stay rods, or bolts, using metalworking machinery. Machining parts needs skilled operators; CAM programming can assist. | 15% Needs a person |
| Start engines to propel ships, and regulate engines and power transmissions to control speeds of ships, according to directions from captains or bridge computers. Starting engines is physical; AI offers little beyond existing controls. | 12% Needs a person |
Show the other 7 tasks
| Task | AI exposure |
|---|---|
| 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. Supervising and inspecting technicians needs on site judgement and accountability. | 12% Needs a person |
| Maintain or repair engines, electric motors, pumps, winches, or other mechanical or electrical equipment, or assist other crew members with maintenance or repair duties. Machinery repair is physical; AI only aids troubleshooting guidance. | 10% Needs a person |
| Operate or maintain off-loading liquid pumps or valves. Operating pumps and valves requires physical handling on deck. | 8% Needs a person |
| Perform or participate in emergency drills, as required. Drills require live crew participation and physical presence. | 4% Needs a person |
| Perform general marine vessel maintenance or repair work, such as repairing leaks, finishing interiors, refueling, or maintaining decks. Leak repair, refueling, and deck work are physical tasks. | 4% Needs a person |
| Install engine controls, propeller shafts, or propellers. Installing shafts and propellers is heavy physical work. | 4% Needs a person |
| Clean engine parts and keep engine rooms clean. Cleaning engine parts and rooms is manual physical labor. | 3% Needs a person |
How ship engineers compare
All occupations (923)
Transportation and material moving (52)
Pay and outlook in the US
- Median pay
- $109,530 a year, May 2025
- People employed
- 8,400 in the US, May 2025
- Projected change in jobs
- +2.7% from 2024 to 2034
Skills to build
- Maintain or repair engines, motors, pumps and winches manually
- Walk engine room rounds and report abnormal machinery readings
- Lead emergency drills with live crew aboard the ship
- Draft shore liaison messages in Microsoft Outlook and Word
- Track engine room stores and spare parts in SAP software
- Check engine room stores and usage logs in Microsoft Excel
Safer roles nearby
5 related occupations with lower scores.
Questions about ship engineers and AI
Will AI replace ship engineers?
Partly. About 3 in 10 of a ship engineer's working hours go to tasks AI can already do, mostly maintaining engineering department records and logging gauge readings. Physical machinery repair, emergency drills and engine room rounds stay with the crew, because they need a person aboard the ship.
Which tasks is AI taking over for ship engineers?
Record keeping leads the list. Maintaining engineering department records scores 78 on exposure and is automatable, since logs are text based. Engine room stores tracking scores 62, because ordering, inventory and usage records suit software. Transcribing speed orders and gauge readings into bellbooks scores 72.
Which tasks stay human for ship engineers?
Cleaning engine parts and rooms scores 3 on exposure, since it is manual physical labor. Emergency drills score 4 because they need live crew in the room. Machinery repair scores 10 because the work is physical and AI only offers troubleshooting guidance.
How can ship engineers stay valuable?
Take on the shore liaison work between the captain and shore staff, where AI drafts messages and you decide what goes out. Keep walking engine rounds and report abnormal indicators in person, because sensor alarms only flag what the sensors measure. Lead emergency drills and maintain pumps and valves hands-on.
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