Road and Waterway Transport Engineers and Technicians

How to become a Marine Surveyor

Official Chinese title (2022 occupational classification): 船舶检验工程技术人员

Reviews drawings and technical documents for, and inspects, ships, offshore facilities and shipping containers, as well as important marine equipment, parts and materials.

Main tasks

Reviewing drawings and technical documents for ships, offshore facilities, containers and important marine products
Surveying ships and offshore facilities and issuing statutory certificates or technical documents
Inspecting shipping containers and issuing approval and container certificates
Inspecting important marine equipment, parts and materials and issuing approval certificates, product certificates or other technical documents

Ways in

University: Engineering degrees, Offered by 105 universities in China Related undergraduate subject classes in the Ministry of Education catalogue (2025): Transportation (0818); Ocean Engineering (0819); Energy and Power Engineering (0805); Automation (0808); Electronic Information (0807); majors such as Naval Architecture and Ocean Engineering, Energy and Power Engineering, Ship Electronic and Electrical Engineering, Automation, Electronic Information Engineering, Communication Engineering. Matched to the occupation by Peernovo.
Vocational majors: Higher vocational college (高职专科) major: Marine Communication Equipment Technology (460507). Vocational major 460507 Marine Communication Equipment Technology (船舶通信装备技术), 3 years. The Ministry of Education's 2022 major profiles list this occupation among those the major prepares students for (职业面向).; Higher vocational college (高职专科) major: Marine Electrical Engineering Technology (460503). Vocational major 460503 Marine Electrical Engineering Technology (船舶电气工程技术), 3 years. The Ministry of Education's 2022 major profiles list this occupation among those the major prepares students for (职业面向). Example certificates: Intelligent Production Line Control and Maintenance; Programmable Controller System Application Programming.; Higher vocational college (高职专科) major: Marine Power Engineering Technology (460502). Vocational major 460502 Marine Power Engineering Technology (船舶动力工程技术), 3 years. The Ministry of Education's 2022 major profiles list this occupation among those the major prepares students for (职业面向). Example certificates: Computer Technology and Software Professional Qualification; Mechanical Digital Design and Manufacturing.; Higher vocational college (高职专科) major: Ship Engineering Technology (460501). Vocational major 460501 Ship Engineering Technology (船舶工程技术), 3 years. The Ministry of Education's 2022 major profiles list this occupation among those the major prepares students for (职业面向). Example certificates: Special Welding Technology; Intelligent Production Line Control and Maintenance.; Vocational bachelor (职业本科) major: Marine Electrical Engineering Technology (260503). Vocational major 260503 Marine Electrical Engineering Technology (船舶电气工程技术), 4 years. The Ministry of Education's 2022 major profiles list this occupation among those the major prepares students for (职业面向). Example certificates: Intelligent Production Line Control and Maintenance; Programmable Controller System Application Programming.
National qualification: Licence to practise: Registered Ship Surveyor. You need this qualification to work in the job. Listed in the national vocational qualifications catalogue (国家职业资格目录, 2021) as Registered Ship Surveyor (注册验船师), run by Ministry of Transport; Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security. Peernovo links it to this occupation.

Pay · AI and this job

Median pay in China: CN¥79,500 a year (2025).
Middle half: CN¥55,200 to CN¥123,700. One in ten earn less than CN¥42,000 and one in ten more than CN¥192,300.
This is the figure for the mid group Engineering and Technical Personnel, not for this job alone.
National figure: wage prices of enterprise employees from the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security (MOHRSS) enterprise pay survey. The public sector and the self-employed are not covered.
Guangzhou only: median CN¥83,791 a year (2025), middle half CN¥67,888 to CN¥144,624.
This is the figure for the minor group Road and Waterway Transport Engineers and Technicians, not for this job alone.
Generative AI can do relatively little of this work, by the ILO's global estimate.

Who does this work

The census group Engineering and Technical Personnel holds 2.35% of everyone employed in China; 17.1% of its workers are women (2020 Census).
48.9% are under 35, 45.1% are 35 to 54 and 6% are 55 or older. The middle age band is 35 to 39.
Census figures for the whole mid group (2020 long-form sample), not for this job alone.

Questions people ask

How do I become a Marine Surveyor?

Ways in include: Engineering degrees; Higher vocational college (高职专科) major: Marine Communication Equipment Technology (460507); Higher vocational college (高职专科) major: Marine Electrical Engineering Technology (460503).

How much does a Marine Surveyor earn in China?

Across China, the median pay of enterprise employees is CN¥79,500 a year (Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security (MOHRSS), 2025). The public sector and the self-employed are not covered. It is the figure for the mid group Engineering and Technical Personnel. In Guangzhou alone it is CN¥83,791 a year (2025).

Will AI change the work of a Marine Surveyor?

Generative AI can do relatively little of this work, by the ILO's global estimate.

Sources

Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security (MOHRSS): 2025 enterprise pay survey information: wage prices of enterprise employees by occupation mid group, and digital occupations (P10 to P90 annual CNY) (2025 (published 2026-07-08)), retrieved 5 October 2026
Guangzhou Human Resources and Social Security Bureau: Guangzhou 2025 labour market wage prices (P10 to P90 annual CNY by occupation) (2025 (enterprise pay survey)), retrieved 4 October 2026
National Bureau of Statistics of China: China Population Census Yearbook 2020, long-form tables 4-6 and 4-7 (employed by occupation mid group, sex, age) (2020 Census long form (10% sample)), retrieved 4 October 2026
International Labour Organization, Generative AI and Jobs: A Refined Global Index of Occupational Exposure (ILO Working Paper 140, Gmyrek et al.) (ILO Working Paper 140, May 2025, Annex Table A1), CC BY 4.0, retrieved 4 October 2026

Sources: Occupational Classification of the People's Republic of China (2022 edition, public consultation draft), Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security, State Administration for Market Regulation and National Bureau of Statistics; Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security, 2025 enterprise pay survey information; Guangzhou Human Resources and Social Security Bureau, 2025 labour market wage prices; National Bureau of Statistics of China (www.stats.gov.cn), 2020 Population Census yearbook; Ministry of Education, vocational education major profiles (2022 revision) and undergraduate major catalogue (2025); Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security, national vocational qualifications catalogue (2021); O*NET interest scores (CC BY 4.0); ILO global generative AI exposure index (CC BY 4.0). Figures processed by Peernovo. English text, translations and the matching of occupations to ISCO-08, majors, degree fields and qualifications by Peernovo.

Descriptions and tasks are Peernovo's own words, written from the facts in the Occupational Classification of the People's Republic of China (2022 edition). Job titles and work types are the classification's own.

Updated 5 October 2026