72602 Deck officers, water transport

What this occupation covers

Deck officers, water transport, operate and command ships or self-propelled vessels to transport passengers and cargo on oceans and coastal and inland waters, and supervise and coordinate the activities of deck crews. This unit group also includes Canadian Coast Guard deck officers. They are employed by marine transportation companies and federal government departments. Apprentices are also included in this unit group.

Official main duties

The NOC profile lists 10 main duties for this code.

• Command and operate ships or other self-propelled vessels, such as barges or oil rigs, to transport passengers and cargo
• Command and operate coast guard vessels to provide ice-breaking and search and rescue services, and to maintain control over ships operating in Canadian waters
• Board vessels at berth or from pilot boats to advise ships' captains on the course to steer for safe passage into and out of ports, seaways or other waterways under pilotage authority
• Plan and execute safe navigational passage using navigational aids
• Determine geographical position using navigational instruments, maps and charts
• Guide vessels in rivers, canals, and other confined or hazardous waters and waterways
• Maintain vessels' navigational instruments and equipment
• Direct and oversee the loading and unloading of cargo
• Supervise and coordinate the activities of deck crews
• Record vessel progress, crew activities, weather and sea conditions in the ship's log.

Do not copy these lines into your reference letter. The letter has to describe what you actually did, in your employer’s words. DUTYPROOF flags wording lifted from the NOC as something to review, and an officer reading a letter that mirrors the NOC reads it the same way.

What DUTYPROOF screens for

This is DUTYPROOF’s screening threshold, not IRCC’s decision. For this NOC, screening requires at least 2 of its 10 official duties to be evidenced in your own words, plus the required letter elements. IRCC asks that you performed the actions in the occupation’s lead statement and a substantial number of its main duties — so treat the duty coverage as the number that matters, not the badge.

Codes this one is confused with

The NOC profile names these itself. Choosing the wrong code of a look-alike pair is the most common way genuine work experience fails to establish eligibility.

• 72603 Engineer officers, water transport
• 83120 Fishing masters and officers
• 70020 Managers in transportation
• 74201 Water transport deck and engine room crew

Excluded from this code

• Engineer officers, water transport (See 72603 Engineer officers, water transport)
• Fishing masters and officers (See 83120 Fishing masters and officers)
• Shore captain - water transport (See 70020 Managers in transportation)
• Water transport deck and engine room crew (See 74201 Water transport deck and engine room crew)

Job titles filed under this code

A title on this list does not by itself put your experience in this code — the duties in your letter decide that.

apprentice master - minor waters · captain - water transport · Coast Guard vessel chief officer · Coast Guard vessel commanding officer · Coast Guard vessel first watchkeeping officer · Coast Guard vessel navigation officer · Coast Guard vessel second officer · Coast Guard vessel second watchkeeping officer · Coast Guard vessel third officer · Coast Guard vessel third watchkeeping officer · Coast Guard vessel watchkeeping officer · commanding officer - water transport · deck officer - cadet · deck officer - water transport · dredge captain · dredge commanding officer · dredge mate · ferryboat captain · ferryboat first mate · ferryboat master · ferryboat operator · first mate - inland waters · foreign-going first mate · foreign-going second mate

Employment requirements

• Completion of secondary school is required.
• Completion of deck officer cadet program from an approved nautical institute or One to three years of experience as a member of a deck crew is required.
• A deck officer certificate of competency, issued by Transport Canada, is required.
• For ship pilots, a ship pilot licence and a master certificate of competency are required.