船舶機関士 船舶機関士
What 船舶機関士 do
An English description is being prepared. Japanese description:
航海中は、機関制御室で各種計測装置から状況や記録を監視し、航海に支障がないよう努める。定期的に機関室を見回って、主機関や発電機などの回転音、冷却水や潤滑油の温度・圧力をチェックして、音や数値に異常がないことを確認する。また、計画されている保守整備作業なども行う。
異状発生時には、直ちに応急処置をとるとともに、その原因を調べ、機関長に状況を報告する。荒天や非常事態の場合には、所定の位置について船長や機関長の指示に基づいて行動する。自らの判断で緊急に取った措置については、すぐに機関長に報告する。
停泊中は、主機関、発電機、ボイラーなどの整備を行い、燃料や備品・消耗品を補給して次の航海に備える。航海中の機器運転管理の他に、整備計画を立案し、その時々の状況に応じて必要な点検整備、故障箇所の修理を行う。
最も安全に気を使う出入港時は、所定の配置につき、主機関や関連する補助機械類が船長の指示に対し確実に対応するように機関室全域を点検する。
大型の船舶では機関長を含めて複数の機関士が同乗しており、機関長は機関部の最高責任者として責任を負い、他の機関士を指揮する。
◇ よく使う道具、機材、情報技術等
計測装置、作業中の保護具（ヘルメット、ゴーグル、グローブ、安全靴等）
Employment type of workers
船舶機関士 salary
The average annual pay for 船舶機関士 in Japan is ¥4.70M (≈ $29,896; Basic Survey on Wage Structure (2025), national). The estimated median is ¥4.37M, the typical range is ¥3.30M–¥7.85M and the top 10% earn about ¥6.80M.
How does your pay compare with people your age?
Your numbers are not sent or stored. The distribution is estimated from Japan's national wage statistics, including pay differences by age.
Pay by ageest.
Estimated from the average pay and average age (47.1) using the age-wage curve of the Basic Survey on Wage Structure.
Pay by experienceest.
Pay by employment typeest.
The average hourly wage of ¥2,153 is 1.8× Japan's national average minimum wage of ¥1,177 (fiscal 2026). Minimum wage by prefecture →
Japanese pay is shown in yen (¥5.57M = 5.57 million yen ≈ 557万円). Dollar figures use the current rate of 157.25 yen per dollar and are for reference only; purchasing power differs.
Pay over time
| Year | Average pay | Employment | Openings ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | ¥4.33M | — | — |
| 2022 | ¥4.54M | — | — |
| 2023 | ¥4.57M | — | 0.66x |
| 2024 | ¥4.67M | — | 0.64x |
| 2025 | ¥4.70M | — | 0.75x |
Projected pay for 船舶機関士 (3, 5 and 10 years)est.
Today ¥4.70M → in 3 years ¥5.00M → in 5 years ¥5.21M → in 10 years ¥5.78M (10-year range ¥4.97M–¥6.71M). The model assumes pay growth of +2.1% per year.
What drives the annual growth rate
Projected pay = current pay × (1 + annual growth)^years. The annual growth rate starts from a base wage-growth rate and adds or subtracts labor demand (the job-openings-to-applicants ratio), wage momentum and AI replacement risk for each occupation. Projections are not guarantees. How it is calculated →
Outlook score for 船舶機関士
Each component is a percentile rank among all occupations in the same country (0–100). Weights: labor demand 25, wage momentum / openings 15, pay level 15, AI resistance 25, aging workforce 10 (Japan only), entry barrier 10.
Will AI replace 船舶機関士? AI replacement risk
How AI is changing this job
A written analysis for this occupation is being prepared.
AI replacement risk compares the parts of a job that are easy to hand to AI or software (processing information, documentation, repetitive computer work) with the parts that are hard to automate (physical work, working closely with people, judgment in unpredictable settings), using the MHLW job tag survey on work activities, work context, skills and knowledge. The result is a relative position among all occupations in the country, scaled to 0–100%. Methodology →
Labor demand for 船舶機関士
A ratio above 1.0 means there are more job openings than applicants (a labor shortage). The 5- and 10-year figures are estimates from the openings ratio, wage momentum and AI replacement risk.
The same job in the United States
| 船舶機関士 Japan | Ship Engineers United States | |
|---|---|---|
| Median / average pay | ¥4.70M ≈ $29,896 | $109,530 |
| Pay in 10 years (est.) | ¥5.78M | $149,000 |
| Outlook score | 46 | 67 |
| AI replacement risk | 41% Moderate | 25% Low |
| Workers | — | 8,400 |
Matched by occupation (SOC code). Yen converted at 157.25 JPY/USD for reference; Japanese figures are averages, U.S. figures are medians, and the surveys define occupations differently.
Skills, education and requirements for 船舶機関士
Key skills
Skill levels from the MHLW job tag worker survey.
Key knowledge areas
What the work involves
Important abilities
Licenses and certifications (Japan)
- 海技士（機関）免許 National license
Related qualifications listed on job tag (names in Japanese). Some are mandatory, others recommended.
Education of workers
Training before entry
Related work experience
Difficulty of entry: ★★★☆☆ Moderate (from education, training, experience, licenses)
How to become 船舶機関士
The typical path in Japan is shown by the education, training and experience of current workers above and in the Japanese guidance below. A detailed English guide for this occupation is being prepared.
Guidance from job tag (Japanese)
一般的には、旧商船大学（現在は東京海洋大学と神戸大学）、商船高等専門学校、海上技術の学校等に進学し、各種の機関・機器に関する理論と実技両面について所定の修業年限を積んだ後、在学中又は卒業後に乗船実習を航海訓練所や学校所属の練習船で行う。大型の船舶に乗るには上級の免許が求められ、それに応じた乗船経験も必要となる。
船上では船長を中心とした秩序が大切であり、規律を守ることが求められる。また、機関員を指導し、チームワークを作り上げるリーダーシップも必要となる。騒音や気温の変化などの厳しい作業環境や不規則な勤務形態の他、時差がある場合もあり、このような環境での仕事に耐えられる体力と忍耐力が求められる。
Career path and how to earn more as 船舶機関士
Career-path guidance is being prepared. Pay by experience is shown in the Pay section.