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Marine Engineer

Engineering

Design, develop, and evaluate the operation of marine vessels, ship machinery, and related equipment, such as power supply and propulsion systems.

Mechanical Engineering

What you'd do all day

The tasks that matter most in this job, most important first.

  1. 1Perform monitoring activities to ensure that ships comply with international regulations and standards for life-saving equipment and pollution preventatives.
  2. 2Design complete hull and superstructure according to specifications and test data, in conformity with standards of safety, efficiency, and economy.
  3. 3Conduct analyses of ships, such as stability, structural, weight, and vibration analyses.
  4. 4Study design proposals and specifications to establish basic characteristics of craft, such as size, weight, speed, propulsion, displacement, and draft.
  5. 5Maintain contact with, and formulate reports for, contractors and clients to ensure completion of work at minimum cost.
  6. 6Supervise other engineers and crew members and train them for routine and emergency duties.
  7. 7Coordinate activities with regulatory bodies to ensure repairs and alterations are at minimum cost and consistent with safety.
  8. 8Check, test, and maintain automatic controls and alarm systems.
  9. 9Prepare technical reports for use by engineering, management, or sales personnel.
  10. 10Design layout of craft interior, including cargo space, passenger compartments, ladder wells, and elevators.
  11. 11Prepare, or direct the preparation of, product or system layouts and detailed drawings and schematics.
  12. 12Evaluate performance of craft during dock and sea trials to determine design changes and conformance with national and international standards.
  13. 13Act as liaisons between ships' captains and shore personnel to ensure that schedules and budgets are maintained, and that ships are operated safely and efficiently.
  14. 14Maintain records of engineering department activities, including expense records and details of equipment maintenance and repairs.
  15. 15Maintain and coordinate repair of marine machinery and equipment for installation on vessels.
  16. 16Inspect marine equipment and machinery to draw up work requests and job specifications.
  17. 17Oversee 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.
  18. 18Evaluate operation of marine equipment during acceptance testing and shakedown cruises.
  19. 19Procure materials needed to repair marine equipment and machinery.
  20. 20Conduct analytical, environmental, operational, or performance studies to develop designs for products, such as marine engines, equipment, and structures.
  21. 21Establish arrangement of boiler room equipment and propulsion machinery, heating and ventilating systems, refrigeration equipment, piping, and other functional equipment.
  22. 22Investigate and observe tests on machinery and equipment for compliance with standards.
  23. 23Schedule machine overhauls and the servicing of electrical, heating, ventilation, refrigeration, water, and sewage systems.
  24. 24Prepare plans, estimates, design and construction schedules, and contract specifications, including any special provisions.
  25. 25Design and oversee testing, installation, and repair of marine apparatus and equipment.
  26. 26Conduct environmental, operational, or performance tests on marine machinery and equipment.
  27. 27Analyze data to determine feasibility of product proposals.
  28. 28Determine conditions under which tests are to be conducted, as well as sequences and phases of test operations.
  29. 29Confer with research personnel to clarify or resolve problems and to develop or modify designs.
  30. 30Review work requests and compare them with previous work completed on ships to ensure that costs are economically sound.

Also known as

What this job is called on JobStreet, LinkedIn and in job ads. Search these too.

  • Engineer
  • Boat Designer
  • Ship Surveyor
  • Naval Engineer
  • Marine Engineer
  • Marine Surveyor
  • Naval Architect
  • Piping Designer
  • Marine Architect
  • Project Engineer

How far is this from you?

Roughly how much preparation this job usually takes. In Malaysia your UPU route and the programme's syarat still decide entry, so treat this as a guide, not a gate.

  1. 1

    Entry straight after SPM

  2. 2

    SPM + sijil / short TVET course

  3. 3

    Diploma / TVET (sijil–diploma)

  4. Typical entry

    Degree (ijazah sarjana muda)

  5. 5

    Postgrad (sarjana / PhD) or professional route

Typical educationBachelor's degree

Subjects that matter here

The SPM subjects worth your effort for this career, with the reason for each.

PhysicsDraws directly on Engineering and Technology — a top knowledge area for this role (O*NET).
Additional MathematicsDraws directly on Engineering and Technology — a top knowledge area for this role (O*NET).
Design & Technology (RBT)Draws directly on Engineering and Technology — a top knowledge area for this role (O*NET).
InventionDraws directly on Engineering and Technology — a top knowledge area for this role (O*NET).
Mechanical Engineering StudiesDraws directly on Mechanical — a top knowledge area for this role (O*NET).

What you'd need to know

The subject areas this job leans on most, and the SPM subjects that build them.

  • Engineering and Technology86%

    PhysicsAdditional MathematicsDesign & Technology (RBT)

  • Mechanical83%

    Mechanical Engineering StudiesPhysicsDesign & Technology (RBT)

  • Design81%

    Visual Art (PSV)Technical Comm. GraphicsEngineering Drawing

  • English Language80%

    English

  • Transportation73%
  • Physics72%

    Physics

Tools you'd use

Software and equipment that show up in this job, worth learning early.

Where to learn these, free

Scholarships & funding

What the work feels like

Day-to-day working conditions, so you can tell whether the job suits how you like to work.

  • Face-to-face discussionsEvery day
  • Contact with other peopleContact most of the time
  • Dealing with customers or the publicHigh
  • Leading or coordinating othersHigh
  • Handling conflict situationsRarely
  • Indoors, air-conditionedEvery day
  • Outdoors, in all weatherOften
  • Time spent standingA little

Where this job is heading

Newer tasks O*NET has flagged for this occupation, a hint at how the role is changing.

  • Develop plans for safely drydocking vessels, including structural integrity, block loading, and stability.

AI and demand for this job

A few real, dated data points — not a single score. AI making some tasks faster usually means a job changes, not that it disappears.

26%

Share of everyday tasks today's AI can already help with (2023)

This estimate is from 2023 — already out of date, since AI moves fast. Treat it as a rough, aging starting point, not the current picture.

Growing role in the US

US Bureau of Labor Statistics data, not Malaysian. Shown because it's the only forward-looking demand estimate we have for this job.

On Malaysia's official shortage list

TalentCorp and ILMIA's Critical Occupations List — evidence of a real hiring shortage in Malaysia right now.

Ship Engineers · Shortage indicators met: INSUFFICIENT DATA

Pay in Malaysia

We don't have a sourced Malaysian salary range for this job yet, and we'd rather show nothing than a number we can't stand behind.

Where to check:

  • JobStreet and Hiredly job ads for this title
  • DOSM Salaries & Wages Survey
  • SSPA scheme tables, if you're aiming for a government post
See pay for a related career: Mechanical Engineer

Check what you may qualify for

Enter your SPM grades and see which routes and programmes you may qualify for. An estimate to plan with, not an offer.

Check my eligibility Not sure yet? Take the quiz

How to get here

Post-SPM pathways with programmes in this career's fields. Tap one to see real programmes and entry requirements.

Matriculation

One or two years, heavily subsidised with allowance. Competitive, quota-based entry.

12–24 months

Related careers

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About this information

This describes what the job involves. Pay, demand and entry routes differ in Malaysia, so check the Pathways and Programmes pages for local requirements.

O*NET occupation: Marine Engineers and Naval Architects

Job responsibilities, knowledge areas and work context from O*NET 30.3, US Department of Labor, used under CC BY 4.0. onetcenter.org

Programmes that lead here

Programmes from the official UPU (KPT) and MQA catalogues whose field of study typically leads to this career. Matched by field, not a job guarantee.

Public universities (UPU)

Private institutions (MQA-accredited)

Search the programme catalogue