How to become a Deckhand
Also called: Able seaman, Boatswain, Lighterman, Ordinary seaman, Quartermaster (ship), Sailor, Seaman, Taikong, Boatswain, Lighterman, Quartermaster (ship)
Deckhand serves as senior deck-hand on a seagoing vessel. He/she stands lookout, steers the vessel as directed, handles mooring lines on board, lowers and raises lifeboats, and takes charge of lifeboats and other small boats. He/she also maintains lifeboats, life-saving gear, deck equipment and makes minor repairs, scrapes and cleans painted surfaces of the vessel and repaints them. He/she washes decks and maintains cleanliness of the ship’s hull, fittings, superstructure and cargo spaces.
Main tasks
- Standing look-out watches at sea and when entering or leaving harbour or other narrow waters
- Steering ship according to instructions
- Handling ropes and wires and operating mooring equipment
- Maintaining and in some cases, operating the ship’s equipment, cargo gear, rigging, life-saving and fire-fighting appliances
- Performing deck and hull cleaning, scraping, painting and other maintenance duties as required
- Breaking out, rigging and stowing cargo-handling gear, stationary rigging and running gear
Pay · Outlook · AI and this job
- Median pay: $20,880 a year. The middle half earn $19,560 to $26,472 a year.
- Generative AI can do relatively little of this work, by the ILO's global estimate.
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Questions people ask
How much does a Deckhand earn in Singapore?
Median full-time pay is $20,880 a year (Ministry of Manpower (via data.gov.sg)). The middle half earn $19,560 to $26,472.
Will AI change the work of a Deckhand?
Generative AI can do relatively little of this work, by the ILO's global estimate.
Sources
- Ministry of Manpower (via data.gov.sg): Resident Occupational Wages (Occupational Wage Survey) (June 2024 (data.gov.sg update 2026-04-01)), Singapore Open Data Licence v1.0, 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
Updated 4 October 2026