How to become a Ship Navigation Officer

Also called: Cargo Ship Officer, Maritime Pilot, Passenger Ship Officer

Assists the captain, who is in overall charge of the ship, leads the deck crew and handles navigation and cargo work according to the voyage plan.

Main tasks

• Checking the weather, sea conditions, route and destination port before departure, and preparing cargo and voyage plans for the captain
• Giving instructions for loading fuel and food
• Checking the amount of fuel loaded and that instruments are working, and getting ready to sail
• Going to the bridge at set times during the voyage and sailing the ship safely
• Finding the ship's position using satellite signals and marking it on the chart
• Steering to correct the course if the ship drifts off its planned route
• Making navigation decisions based on weather and sea conditions
• Keeping watch by radar and binoculars to prevent collisions with other ships
• Checking that the ship's position is correct
• Going to set positions such as the bow or stern when entering port and reporting distances to the quay to the captain by radio
• Instructing deck crew to haul in mooring lines and operate the anchor
• Preparing and arranging dunnage and helping operate valves when loading cargo
• Maintaining the hull
• Keeping cargo safe and managing it
• Managing stocks of medical supplies and medicines on board
• Measuring how much fresh water is left on board
• Calculating cargo loads and the ship's stability
• Updating nautical charts
• Exchanging ballast water and keeping records
• Standing in for the captain when they are away
• Guiding the crew on ship security and keeping records
• Preparing and submitting the documents needed

Workers in this job say high school is common. From job tag's survey of people in each job, who could give several answers. It shows what workers see as common, not how many workers hold each level.

How to become one

To become a navigation officer you must pass the national mariner exam and get a deck officer (navigation) licence. There are several ways to get the licence, but people usually go to one of the former merchant marine universities (now the Tokyo University of Marine Science and Technology and Kobe University), a national college of maritime technology (a kosen, or college of technology) or a maritime technical school. After the set period of study, students do sea training, during their course or after graduating, on training ships of the National Institute for Sea Training or their school. Serving on bigger ships requires higher-grade licences and matching sea experience. At the large shipping companies, graduates of the former merchant marine universities are the largest group, followed by graduates of the maritime kosen. At coastal shipping companies, many come from seafarers' schools or fisheries high schools. Order on board, centred on the captain, is important, so you need strict self-discipline and must follow the rules. You also need the leadership to guide the deck crew and build teamwork, and the fitness and endurance to cope with changes in temperature, vibration and irregular hours.

Ways in

• Vocational college, junior college, kosen and trade skills tests: College of technology (高等専門学校, kosen). 21% of workers surveyed by job tag say college of technology graduates are common in this job. In March 2025, 158 kosen graduates started work in transport and machine operation jobs (School Basic Survey 2025, table 109).; Junior college (短期大学) programme. 18% of workers surveyed by job tag say junior college graduates are common in this job. In March 2025, 33 junior college graduates started work in transport and machine operation jobs (59% 社会) (School Basic Survey 2025, table 103).
• National licence or qualification: Listed by job tag as a qualification related to this job (関連資格): 海技士（航海）免許. Needed to do this job (Peernovo, from job tag's entry description). English name and classification by Peernovo.

Pay · Job openings · AI and this job

• 0.76 job openings per applicant at Hello Work (2025). A current demand signal, not a projection. It counts only the jobs and job seekers registered at Hello Work, Japan's public employment offices, and many graduate and professional hires never pass through it.
• Generative AI can do relatively little of this work, by the ILO's global estimate.

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Questions people ask

How do I become a Ship Navigation Officer?

To become a navigation officer you must pass the national mariner exam and get a deck officer (navigation) licence. There are several ways to get the licence, but people usually go to one of the former merchant marine universities (now the Tokyo University of Marine Science and Technology and Kobe University), a national college of maritime technology (a kosen, or college of technology) or a maritime technical school. After the set period of study, students do sea training, during their course or after graduating, on training ships of the National Institute for Sea Training or their school. Serving on bigger ships requires higher-grade licences and matching sea experience. At the large shipping companies, graduates of the former merchant marine universities are the largest group, followed by graduates of the maritime kosen. At coastal shipping companies, many come from seafarers' schools or fisheries high schools. Order on board, centred on the captain, is important, so you need strict self-discipline and must follow the rules. You also need the leadership to guide the deck crew and build teamwork, and the fitness and endurance to cope with changes in temperature, vibration and irregular hours.

Do you need a degree to become a Ship Navigation Officer?

Usually not. In this job's census occupation group, only 18% of workers are university graduates. Ways in include: College of technology (高等専門学校, kosen); Junior college (短期大学) programme.

Will AI change the work of a Ship Navigation Officer?

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

Sources

• Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare: Employment Referrals for General Workers (一般職業紹介状況): Hello Work job-openings-to-applicants ratio by occupation (2025 annual (release of 2026-10-02)), Government Standard Terms of Use 2.0, retrieved 4 October 2026
• Statistics Bureau of Japan (MIC): 2020 Population Census (令和2年国勢調査) detailed sample tabulation: employed by occupation, sex, age and education (2020 Census (tables 9-1 and 15-1, published 2022-12-27)), Government Standard Terms of Use 2.0, retrieved 4 October 2026
• JILPT (職業情報データベース) via MHLW job tag: job tag download data: 解説系 (descriptions, how to become, related qualifications) and 簡易版数値系 (interests, tasks, education) (解説系 ver.7.01 (2026-06-04); 簡易版数値系 ver.7.00 (2026-03-17)), 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

独立行政法人労働政策研究・研修機構（JILPT）作成 職業情報データベース 解説系ダウンロードデータ（IPD_DL_description_7_01.xlsx）ver.7.01 職業情報提供サイト（job tag）より2026年10月4日にダウンロード（https://shigoto.mhlw.go.jp/User/download）を加工して作成

独立行政法人労働政策研究・研修機構（JILPT）作成 職業情報データベース 簡易版数値系ダウンロードデータ（IPD_DL_numeric_7_00.xlsx）ver.7.00 職業情報提供サイト（job tag）より2026年10月4日にダウンロード（https://shigoto.mhlw.go.jp/User/download）を加工して作成

Sources: JILPT Occupational Information Database download data via job tag (解説系 ver.7.01 and 簡易版数値系 ver.7.00, downloaded 4 October 2026), processed by Peernovo; MHLW, Basic Survey on Wage Structure 2025; Statistics Bureau of Japan, 2020 Population Census; MEXT, School Basic Survey 2025; MHLW, Employment Referrals for General Workers (Hello Work statistics). Figures processed by Peernovo. English job names, translations and the matching of jobs to statistical groups, schools and degree fields by Peernovo.

Updated 4 October 2026