The Complete Guide to Becoming A Sailor and Marine Oiler

Chapter 1: What Does a Sailor and Marine Oiler Actually Do?

Let's start with what no brochure will tell you, right up front. The job title "Sailor and Marine Oiler" actually refers to two closely related but distinct roles on a vessel, and many people start in one and learn the other over time. The "Sailor" part is the deck side. Sailors, also called deckhands or able-bodied seamen depending on their license level, handle the physical work of the ship: mooring lines, cargo gear, paint, chipping rust, and standing lookout watches. The "Marine Oiler" part is the engine room side. Oilers work below the waterline, lubricating the moving parts of the main engine and auxiliary machinery, checking temperatures and pressures, and cleaning filters. If you enter this career, you will likely pick one side to start on, but you will have to understand both to advance. On any vessel that is more than a small recreational boat, the deck and the engine room are the two halves of a living organism, and the crew is what keeps it breathing.

So what does a typical day actually look like? Let's start with the deck side, because that is where most entry-level people begin. Suppose you are an ordinary seaman on a U.S.-flagged cargo vessel carrying containers between West Coast ports. Your watch is the 4-to-8, which means you are on duty from four in the morning until eight, and then again from four in the afternoon until eight at night. The