How to become a Stevedore

Also called: Barge loader, Boat and ship loader, Boat loader, Docker, Longshoreman, Ship loader, Wharf labourer, Wharfman (docker), Ÿ Barge loader, Ÿ Docker, Ÿ Wharfman (docker)

Stevedore loads and unloads ships’ cargoes. He/she carries goods from the quayside into the ship’s hold, or vice versa, or places them in position for removal by mechanical means and stows cargo in position in the hold. He/she may load and unload trucks, count, weigh, measure goods, and mark information on them for identification.

Main tasks

• Carrying goods to be loaded on or unloaded from vans, trucks, wagons, ships, or aircraft
• Loading and unloading grain, coal, sand and similar goods by placing them on conveyor belts, pipes etc
• Connecting hoses between main shore installation pipes and tanks of barges, tankers and other ships to load and unload petroleum, liquefied gases and other liquids
• Sorting cargo prior to loading and unloading

Pay · Outlook · AI and this job

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

Related jobs

• Railway/Road vehicle loader
• Aircraft loader
• Warehouse worker
• Vehicle attendant
• Mover
• Lashing worker

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Questions people ask

Will AI change the work of a Stevedore?

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

Sources

• 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