UK AI Exposure · Process, plant and machine operatives
Marine and waterways transport operatives
Marine and waterways transport operatives supervise and carry out a variety of deck duties and operate and maintain engines, boilers and mechanical equipment on board ships, boats and other marine vessels.
- Employees (UK)
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- Median annual pay
- -
- Exposure score ?
- 0.2/10 Minimal 0.4/10 Minimal strict reading · with tools is 0.4/10 with-tools reading · strict is 0.2/10
- Wage exposure
- - -
Higher exposure than 15% of the 379 UK occupations we scored.
What this score means
Most of this role's work is still genuinely hard for AI to do. Physical presence, bodily skill, high-context judgment, direct human care - the things that don't translate to text.
If you're in this role, here's what to do now
You're not in the firing line today. But the frontier moves. Build enough AI fluency now that you can direct it for the parts of your work that could benefit. People in unexposed roles who understand AI become unusually valuable inside their organisations.
Most of this role's work is still genuinely hard for AI to do. Physical presence, bodily skill, high-context judgment, direct human care - the things that don't translate to text.
If you're in this role, here's what to do now
You're not in the firing line today. But the frontier moves. Build enough AI fluency now that you can direct it for the parts of your work that could benefit. People in unexposed roles who understand AI become unusually valuable inside their organisations.
Where a project with Alex usually starts for this role
This role's strict reading is low because its top tasks are judgment, not drafting. The three highest-stakes tasks below are still usually where we start — flip the toggle to 'With tools' to see what AI plus the right context can compress.
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Tie barges together into tow units for tugboats to handle, inspecting barges periodically during voyages and disconnecting them when destinations are reached.
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Attach hoses and operate pumps to transfer substances to and from liquid cargo tanks.
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Handle lines to moor vessels to wharfs, to tie up vessels to other vessels, or to rig towing lines.
Most roles have at least three wedges where AI plus the right tools removes real time. For this role the labelling doesn't surface obvious ones, so we'd start with the highest-stakes tasks below and figure out the AI angle in conversation.
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Tie barges together into tow units for tugboats to handle, inspecting barges periodically during voyages and disconnecting them when destinations are reached.
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Attach hoses and operate pumps to transfer substances to and from liquid cargo tanks.
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Handle lines to moor vessels to wharfs, to tie up vessels to other vessels, or to rig towing lines.
Every role has three or four wedges like these. Finding them takes an hour. Turning them into a workflow your team actually uses takes a few days. Talk to Alex about a project →
The full task breakdown
Every O*NET task for this occupation, split by what AI can already do unaided versus what still needs a human. Importance is O*NET's 1–5 rating of how central each task is to the role.
Tasks via O*NET "Sailors and Marine Oilers" (53-5011.00).
What AI can already do
1 of 28 tasks · unaided
Record data in ships' logs, such as weather conditions or distances traveled.
Where humans still hold the line
27 of 28 tasks
Tie barges together into tow units for tugboats to handle, inspecting barges periodically during voyages and disconnecting them when destinations are reached.
Attach hoses and operate pumps to transfer substances to and from liquid cargo tanks.
Handle lines to moor vessels to wharfs, to tie up vessels to other vessels, or to rig towing lines.
Read pressure and temperature gauges or displays and record data in engineering logs.
Stand watch in ships' bows or bridge wings to look for obstructions in a ship's path or to locate navigational aids, such as buoys or lighthouses.
Maintain government-issued certifications, as required.
Examine machinery to verify specified pressures or lubricant flows.
Maintain a ship's engines under the direction of the ship's engineering officers.
Break out, rig, and stow cargo-handling gear, stationary rigging, or running gear.
Lubricate machinery, equipment, or engine parts, such as gears, shafts, or bearings.
Stand by wheels when ships are on automatic pilot, and verify accuracy of courses, using magnetic compasses.
Steer ships under the direction of commanders or navigating officers or direct helmsmen to steer, following designated courses.
Lower and man lifeboats when emergencies occur.
Relay specified signals to other ships, using visual signaling devices, such as blinker lights or semaphores.
Sweep, mop, and wash down decks to remove oil, dirt, and debris, using brooms, mops, brushes, and hoses.
Overhaul lifeboats or lifeboat gear and lower or raise lifeboats with winches or falls.
Splice and repair ropes, wire cables, or cordage, using marlinespikes, wire cutters, twine, and hand tools.
Load or unload materials, vehicles, or passengers from vessels.
Stand gangway watches to prevent unauthorized persons from boarding ships while in port.
Chip and clean rust spots on decks, superstructures, or sides of ships, using wire brushes and hand or air chipping machines.
Provide engineers with assistance in repairing or adjusting machinery.
Operate, maintain, or repair ship equipment, such as winches, cranes, derricks, or weapons system.
Paint or varnish decks, superstructures, lifeboats, or sides of ships.
Give directions to crew members engaged in cleaning wheelhouses or quarterdecks.
Measure depth of water in shallow or unfamiliar waters, using leadlines, and telephone or shout depth information to vessel bridges.
Clean and polish wood trim, brass, or other metal parts.
Participate in shore patrols.
Tasks via O*NET "Sailors and Marine Oilers" (53-5011.00).
What AI can already do
2 of 28 tasks · with tools
Read pressure and temperature gauges or displays and record data in engineering logs.
Record data in ships' logs, such as weather conditions or distances traveled.
Where humans still hold the line
26 of 28 tasks
Tie barges together into tow units for tugboats to handle, inspecting barges periodically during voyages and disconnecting them when destinations are reached.
Attach hoses and operate pumps to transfer substances to and from liquid cargo tanks.
Handle lines to moor vessels to wharfs, to tie up vessels to other vessels, or to rig towing lines.
Stand watch in ships' bows or bridge wings to look for obstructions in a ship's path or to locate navigational aids, such as buoys or lighthouses.
Maintain government-issued certifications, as required.
Examine machinery to verify specified pressures or lubricant flows.
Maintain a ship's engines under the direction of the ship's engineering officers.
Break out, rig, and stow cargo-handling gear, stationary rigging, or running gear.
Lubricate machinery, equipment, or engine parts, such as gears, shafts, or bearings.
Stand by wheels when ships are on automatic pilot, and verify accuracy of courses, using magnetic compasses.
Steer ships under the direction of commanders or navigating officers or direct helmsmen to steer, following designated courses.
Lower and man lifeboats when emergencies occur.
Relay specified signals to other ships, using visual signaling devices, such as blinker lights or semaphores.
Sweep, mop, and wash down decks to remove oil, dirt, and debris, using brooms, mops, brushes, and hoses.
Overhaul lifeboats or lifeboat gear and lower or raise lifeboats with winches or falls.
Splice and repair ropes, wire cables, or cordage, using marlinespikes, wire cutters, twine, and hand tools.
Load or unload materials, vehicles, or passengers from vessels.
Stand gangway watches to prevent unauthorized persons from boarding ships while in port.
Chip and clean rust spots on decks, superstructures, or sides of ships, using wire brushes and hand or air chipping machines.
Provide engineers with assistance in repairing or adjusting machinery.
Operate, maintain, or repair ship equipment, such as winches, cranes, derricks, or weapons system.
Paint or varnish decks, superstructures, lifeboats, or sides of ships.
Give directions to crew members engaged in cleaning wheelhouses or quarterdecks.
Measure depth of water in shallow or unfamiliar waters, using leadlines, and telephone or shout depth information to vessel bridges.
Clean and polish wood trim, brass, or other metal parts.
Participate in shore patrols.
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Methodology
This role's exposure score comes from Eloundou et al's 2023 GPT task labels, aggregated by O*NET importance within each O*NET-SOC code, then bridged to UK SOC 2020 via ISCO-08 (ONS Vol 2 coding index) and US SOC 2010 (BLS crosswalk). Employment and median pay come from ONS ASHE Table 14.7a, 2025 provisional. ASHE covers employees only, so self-employed workers are not counted.
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