Will AI replace Sailors and Marine Oilers?
Transportation and Material Moving · O*NET 53-5011.00
Task exposure index for this occupation
Averaged across the week, this work sits at the low end of the exposure scale — most of it is not the kind current systems do well. O*NET breaks Sailors and Marine Oilers into 23 distinct work activities. Weighted by how much of the week each one takes, 12% of the job sits at or above the threshold where current systems can do the task end to end. The single largest contributor is "Monitor surroundings to detect potential hazards", which scores 46 and takes roughly 7% of the week. That is the average for the job title. It is not a measurement of any particular person’s week, and the difference between the two is usually larger than the difference between job titles.
Model v1.2 · activity indices last updated 18 August 2026
What this occupation does
Stand watch to look for obstructions in path of vessel, measure water depth, turn wheel on bridge, or use emergency equipment as directed by captain, mate, or pilot. Break out, rig, overhaul, and store cargo-handling gear, stationary rigging, and running gear. Perform a variety of maintenance tasks to preserve the painted surface of the ship and to maintain line and ship equipment. Must hold government-issued certification and tankerman certification when working aboard liquid-carrying vessels. Includes able seamen and ordinary seamen.
The most exposed parts of the job
Scored 0–100 on how completely a current system could perform the activity.
- Record operational details of travel.95
About 2% of a typical week
- Record operational or production data.95
About 2% of a typical week
- Verify information or specifications.82
About 1% of a typical week
- Maintain professional knowledge or certifications.56
About 5% of a typical week
- Measure the level or depth of water or other liquids.55
About 2% of a typical week
The least exposed parts
The same scale. These are the activities current systems handle worst.
- Paint surfaces or equipment.5
About 4% of a typical week
- Load shipments, belongings, or materials.5
About 6% of a typical week
- Clean vessels or marine equipment.5
About 11% of a typical week
- Operate cranes, hoists, or other moving or lifting equipment.10
About 1% of a typical week
- Assist others during emergencies.12
About 4% of a typical week
How far off the rest is
Of those 23 activities, 3 can be performed by systems available today and 15 are outside what current approaches do at all. The remaining 5 sit in between — demonstrated in research or in narrow products, but not something you can hand over whole. We do not put dates on that middle group, because nobody can.
Compared with similar occupations
The nearest scoring roles in Transportation and Material Moving.
- Sailors and Marine Oilers (this page)26
- Motorboat Operators26
- Dredge Operators27
- Wellhead Pumpers28
Why your own number is different
Two people with the title "Sailors and Marine Oilers" can spend their weeks on almost entirely different parts of this list, and the parts they choose move the number far more than the title does. Who signs off when the work is wrong, whether the job needs you physically present, and how fast you have picked up the tools all change it again — and none of that is in an occupation average.
The assessment asks you to divide your own week across these activities and answer fourteen questions about the parts of the job an occupation average cannot see. It takes six to nine minutes.
Score my own roleFree to take. The full report is a paid subscription — the price and its terms are on the pricing section, before you start.
Questions
Will AI replace Sailors and Marine Oilers?
We do not answer that, because nobody can. What is measurable is how much of the work is already doable by machine: for Sailors and Marine Oilers, about 12% of a typical week, across 23 activities. The other 88% is not, and what happens to the job depends on things this index does not contain — cost, regulation, who carries the liability, and what the people doing it decide to do next.
What part of this job is most exposed?
"Record operational details of travel" — it scores 95 out of 100 on task automatability and takes roughly 2% of the week.
What part is least exposed?
"Paint surfaces or equipment", at 5 out of 100. Work like that is where the hours you protect tend to be worth the most.
Where do these numbers come from?
The activity list and the time weights come from O*NET 30.3, the US Department of Labor's occupational database. The exposure score for each activity is ours, from a published model — the weights, the priors and the limitations are all on the methodology page. No language model is involved in the arithmetic.
Does this apply to my job?
Only roughly. This is the average for the title, and the number that matters is the one for the week you actually work. The assessment asks you to divide your own time across these activities and answer fourteen questions about accountability, the parts of the job that need you specifically, and how fast you have adapted. That produces a different number, and usually a more useful one.
The full model — the weights, the priors and what it cannot see — is on the methodology page.