How to become a marine engineer
Official title: Marine engineer
Also called: Marine engineer (shore-based), Marine equipment design engineer, Marine repair engineer (shore-based), Mechanical engineer (marine), Design Engineer, Lead Plan Approval Engineer, Plan Approval Engineer, Senior Design Engineer, Senior Plan Approval Engineer, Marine engineer (shore-based)
Marine engineer studies, designs and advises on ships’ propulsion systems, power plants, heating and ventilating systems, steering gear, pumps and other mechanical and electrical equipment, and plans and supervises their development, construction, installation, maintenance and repair.
Main tasks
- Advising on and designing machinery for transport purposes
- Advising on and designing hulls, superstructures and propulsion systems of ships and transport equipment for the release, control and utilisation of energy, heating, ventilation and refrigeration systems, steering gear, pumps, and other mechanical equipment
Ways in
- University: Engineering degrees, Offered by 4 universities in Singapore
- University: Agriculture & Environment degrees
Pay · Outlook · AI and this job
- Median pay: $55,236 a year. The middle half earn $49,560 to $68,400 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 do I become a marine engineer?
Ways in include: Engineering degrees; Agriculture & Environment degrees.
How much does a marine engineer earn in Singapore?
Median full-time pay is $55,236 a year (Ministry of Manpower (via data.gov.sg)). The middle half earn $49,560 to $68,400.
Will AI change the work of a marine engineer?
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