What the work involves, what it pays, and grounded tasks, skills, tools, and experience you can choose from.
Also called marine oiler, oiler, refrigerating oiler and ab seaman.
Real figures for this work, and lines you can use in your own resume. Where they come from is at the foot of this page.
An example
Common skills that can help you remember what you used on the job.
Every line comes from the same public record as the rest of this page. The greyed parts are the ones only you can answer.
Sailor and Marine Oiler
Sailor and marine oiler standing watch for obstacles, measuring water depth, and operating pumps to move liquids. Tying up vessels, maintaining ship engines, and performing various maintenance tasks to keep the ship in good condition
Where you worked
Yours will not say this. You choose what matches your experience, and every line remains yours to confirm or change.
Nothing to write from scratch
Real duties for this job, already written the way a resume reads. Inside Rung you choose the ones that were yours.
becomes
On your resume
These are written the way a resume line reads. Rung asks which ones are actually yours, keeps your own words, and never claims work you did not do.
Then it asks for one more thing
Make it stronger
A few lines could show more. Each one is asked, and answered by choosing.
The line
Tied barges together into tow units for tugboats several times each shift, ensuring safe and efficient transport
Add how often you tied barges together during your shifts.
Pick one that fits
Adding it to the line…
The line
Moor vessels to docks and each other, maintaining stability and security during operations.
Show what improved once the vessels were moored.
Pick one that fits
Adding it to the line…
Every ready answer is in plain words, never a figure. Nothing is invented to fill a gap.
The work itself
The public record of what this job is, in one paragraph.
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.
What it pays
Annual pay across the United States. The middle figure is the median: half earn less than that, and half earn more.
| 25th percentile | $41,430 |
|---|---|
| Median | $51,520 |
| 75th percentile | $67,590 |
| State | 25th percentile | Median | 75th percentile |
|---|---|---|---|
| AK | $49,390 | $63,130 | $73,840 |
| AL | $38,370 | $43,000 | $60,980 |
| AR | $22,880 | $23,960 | $48,740 |
| CA | $43,540 | $55,180 | $68,780 |
| CT | $37,600 | $45,280 | $61,120 |
| DE | $58,960 | $60,040 | $63,860 |
| FL | $43,520 | $57,930 | $73,760 |
| GA | $36,120 | $37,500 | $47,040 |
| HI | $50,500 | $76,140 | $99,700 |
| IA | $44,530 | $48,100 | $51,720 |
| IL | $38,260 | $49,090 | $56,140 |
| IN | $39,980 | $56,570 | $62,650 |
| KY | $39,220 | $47,460 | $60,620 |
| LA | $37,570 | $46,610 | $61,700 |
| MA | $38,570 | $44,070 | $57,890 |
| ME | $44,860 | $46,800 | $58,760 |
| MI | $43,900 | $51,310 | $56,580 |
| MN | $38,010 | $56,680 | $79,780 |
| MO | $45,090 | $51,940 | $62,460 |
| MS | $47,260 | $50,390 | $59,690 |
| NC | $39,700 | $44,770 | $50,630 |
| NJ | $49,400 | $71,880 | $75,070 |
| NY | $38,670 | $54,210 | $62,780 |
| OH | $44,910 | $53,520 | $57,250 |
| OR | $52,120 | $70,410 | $87,950 |
| PA | $37,750 | $38,810 | $54,730 |
| PR | $29,570 | $30,700 | $30,710 |
| RI | $34,280 | $48,860 | $66,180 |
| SC | $42,000 | $50,500 | $78,580 |
| TN | $50,750 | $60,580 | $73,580 |
| TX | $46,190 | $55,610 | $76,700 |
| VA | $40,210 | $49,120 | $57,930 |
| WA | $56,680 | $66,700 | $79,870 |
| WI | $35,600 | $48,880 | $59,840 |
| WV | $35,420 | $47,370 | $64,380 |
Other names
marine oiler, oiler, refrigerating oiler, ab seaman, ab watchman, able bodied seaman, able bodied watchman, able seaman, aerographer's mate, barge hand, barge worker, bargeman.
boat crew deck hand, boat deckhand, boat hand, boat laborer, boat person, boatman, boatswain's mate, bosun, buoy tender, cabin worker, cadet, captain's assistant, crew member, crewman, deck cadet, deck hand, deck mate, deckhand, deckhand engineer, ferry hand, ferryman, float tender, floater, floatman, handyman, lighterman, lookout, marine firefighter, marine fireman, marine technician, marine water tender, mariner, master at arms, merchant marine, merchant mariner, merchant seaman, ordinary seaman, pleasure craft sailor, quartermaster, river transportation worker, riverman, roustabout, sailor, scaler, scow hand, scowman, seaman, ship laborer.
If you served
From the crosswalk the US Department of Labor publishes itself. If one of these was your job, this page is about the civilian work it maps to.
What you can already claim
Below are the tasks a Sailor and Marine Oiler job is made of. Choose the ones you have really done. There is no wrong answer here, and you can change any of it later.
Which of these tasks have you actually done?
4 chosen. Rung never adds a task you did not choose.
Already yours: Maintaining watercraft engines, Monitoring surroundings, Loading materials
4 of the 11 tasks this job is made of
| Median pay | $51,520 a year |
|---|
What you have not done yet. Cleaning vessels or marine equipment, Securing watercraft, Operating ships or watercraft
Great news! Your skills can open up even more doors.
The tasks for Sailor and Marine Oiler also qualify you for the jobs below. Creating a resume for one of these could help you land even more interviews.
Choose a job below that you would like to target next:
Already yours: Loading materials, Maintaining material moving equipment
2 of the 12 tasks this job is made of
| Median pay | $68,080 a year |
|---|
What you have not done yet. Inspecting material-moving equipment, Weighing materials, Reviewing work orders
Read about Crane and Tower OperatorBuild a Crane and Tower Operator resume
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Sailor and Marine Oiler
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Nearby work
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Other work in Transportation
This page is about the occupation Sailors and Marine Oilers. What this job involves and what it is made of come from O*NET 30.3, the US Department of Labor's occupation database, refreshed July 2026; Rung writes those records into the plain sentences you see. Pay comes from the Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS release for 2025. How Rung handles accuracy is on the accuracy page, and the full data credits are on the credits page.