How to become a port limit helmsman or steersman or engine driver or tugmaster
Official title: Port limit helmsman/steersman/engine driver/tugmaster
Also called: Boat operator, Helmsman, Kemudi, Port limit engine driver, Port limit helmsman, Port limit steersman, Port limit tug master, Steersman, Kemudi
Port limit helmsman/steersman/engine driver/tugmaster manoeuvres and handles boats or crafts ferrying ship agents and seafarers between ships and shore, ferrying harbour pilots to board commercial ships, and transporting and supplying ship stores and provisions to ships at anchorages. He/she maintains and services the ship’s engine while ensuring compliance with regulatory requirements and organisational procedures.
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
Ways in
- Apprenticeship: Work-study diploma. Related ITE work-study diplomas: Work-Study Diploma in Port Automation Technology; Work-Study Diploma in Aircraft Engine Maintenance. You are employed by a company and study at ITE at the same time. Peernovo matched these from course names.
Pay · Outlook · AI and this job
- Median pay: $32,196 a year. The middle half earn $28,008 to $39,408 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 port limit helmsman or steersman or engine driver or tugmaster?
Ways in include: Work-study diploma.
How much does a port limit helmsman or steersman or engine driver or tugmaster earn in Singapore?
Median full-time pay is $32,196 a year (Ministry of Manpower (via data.gov.sg)). The middle half earn $28,008 to $39,408.
Will AI change the work of a port limit helmsman or steersman or engine driver or tugmaster?
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