Captains, Mates, and Pilots of Water Vessels
Transportation and Material Moving · SOC 53-5021
AI exposure from the Anthropic Economic Index (2025); salary from BLS; skills from O*NET. See /sources.
Decision card
Career Evidence Passport
SOC 53-5021 evidence across exposure, wages, projections, postings, certified LCAs, skills, and transitions.
- SOC exposure
- 0.0%
- Low · Anthropic AEI
- Automation friction
- 47/100
- Moderate friction; broad SOC seed ORS job-requirements coverage.
- Wages
- $92,460
- No H-1B offered-wage row for this SOC.
- Projected openings
- 3,600
- BLS EP 2024–2034; employment change +0.5%.
- Observed/proxy demand
- 0
- FY2025 certified LCAs; 3,518 postings in 2025.
Skill evidence
Transition context
- H-1B values are certified Labor Condition Applications, not visa approvals.
- Job postings are seed-static / seed-derived; treat as provider-ready proxy coverage until observed provider data is wired in.
- Transition matches are directional skill-overlap context, not placement guarantees.
- This release is a FutureGrid broad-SOC seed derived from public BLS ORS requirement concepts and categories, not direct occupation-level ORS survey estimates. It describes job requirements, not worker ability, AI capability, or displacement probability. Automation friction is a FutureGrid derived score and should be read alongside exposure, demand, wage, and projection signals.
AI Exposure Analysis
Across AI measures
Multiple exposure lenses for this occupation.
AI could do ~26.4% of this role but only ~0% is currently done with AI — a large capability-vs-adoption gap.
Top Skills
H-1B Visa Sponsorship Demand
View full H-1B trends →Certified H-1B Labor Condition Applications naming this occupation, FY2016–FY2025. A descriptive high-skill labor-demand signal — employer filings, not visa approvals or individual outcomes. Note: one LCA can cover multiple worker positions.
O*NET occupation profile
What this work involves
Command or supervise operations of ships and water vessels, such as tugboats and ferryboats. Required to hold license issued by U.S. Coast Guard.
Common titles: Boat Captain, Captain, Ferry Boat Captain, First Mate, Harbor Pilot, Mate
Representative Tasks
- •Direct courses and speeds of ships, based on specialized knowledge of local winds, weather, water depths, tides, currents, and hazards.
- •Prevent ships under navigational control from engaging in unsafe operations.
- •Serve as a vessel's docking master upon arrival at a port or at a berth.
- •Consult maps, charts, weather reports, or navigation equipment to determine and direct ship movements.
- •Steer and operate vessels, using radios, depth finders, radars, lights, buoys, or lighthouses.
Detailed Work Activities
- •Choose optimal transportation routes or speeds.
- •Direct passenger or freight transport activities.
- •Read maps to determine routes.
- •Operate ships or other watercraft.
- •Operate communications equipment or systems.
Tools & Technologies
Employment Projections & AI Exposure
Employment & Wage Trend
BLS OEWS, 2019–2025
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS). See /sources.
Sector Comparison
| Metric | This Career | Sector Average |
|---|---|---|
| AI Exposure | 0.0% | 0.2% |
| Outlook | Average | 20% Bright |
| Median Salary | $92,460 | N/A |
| AI Resiliency | 100/100 | N/A |