Maritime Industry Segments

The maritime industry includes a number of types of jobs on workboats, so if you’re interested in a career on the high seas, choosing an industry segment is your first step.

From there you can make sure that you have the training an experience you need for a successful career.

Cruises and Ferries

This industry segment is centered on shipping people. There are a number of special considerations one must make when human beings are your cargo, so cruise ships and ferries fall into their own category. There are also a variety of jobs found on these ships that are found nowhere else in the maritime industry, since employees are needed to ensure the comfort of the people on board.

Offshore Work

Platforms are created in the middle of the sea in order to do things like drill for oil, and the ships and workers making this possible create a second industry segment. Not only go you need to actually run the site as you would an on-land factory, but ships are also needed to supply the operation, lay cables and pipes, and consider safety. You can learn more about oil rig jobs in the oifield employment section of JobMonkey.

Ports

When a boat docks, the gap between sea work and land work is bridged. At ports, you’ll need those on land help with loading and unloading ships, as well as supervisors to maintain schedules. Ports also employ tugboats, which help to guide larger ships into and out of the docking area.

Cargo Shipping

The bulk of the work on ships is on cargo ships like oil tankers and container ships. These ships allow goods to travel from place to place and usually don’t need any special crewmembers to take care of thinks like the comfort of passengers.

In some cases, there are employees hired for special cargo, like to care for livestock or to ensure the safety of compressed gas cargo.

Naval Ships

Most countries have a Navy, and these fleets help to patrol the waters around their countries, as well as police ports. Lumped in with these protector ships are rescue services and water police, like the coast guard, how help victims in emergencies and help to stop crime on the sea.

Fishing and Ecology

If you’ve ever enjoyed lobster, shrimp, or haddock (or any other type of seafood for that matter), you probably have workboat employees to thank! While some fish farming is possible, much of the seafood we eat comes from fishermen (and women) and their ships. There are also scientific ships that help to preserve the environment by allowing ecologists to study the ocean, so that fishing can continue to be possible.