Deck Hand

A deck hand performs manual labour on commercial vessels, fishing boats, or maritime support vessels operating in Australian waters. They handle cargo, maintain deck equipment, and assist with vessel operations under the direction of senior crew members. The role requires physical fitness, safety awareness, and familiarity with maritime procedures and equipment.

Secure and release cargo using ropes, chains, and securing devices on deck. Perform routine maintenance on deck equipment including winches, pulleys, and rigging. Swab and clean deck areas, holds, and external surfaces to maintain vessel cleanliness and safety. Assist with anchoring procedures by handling anchor chains and monitoring anchor deployment. Operate or assist with operation of deck cranes and lifting equipment under supervision. Monitor vessel mooring lines and adjust tensions to maintain stability in port or at anchorage. Perform lookout duties and report hazards, weather changes, or other vessels to the bridge. Assist with launching and retrieval of lifeboats and conduct lifeboat maintenance checks.

The standard entry pathway requires a Certificate II or III (ABS skill level 4). Specific qualification requirements vary by employer and state. Some employers may accept equivalent experience. Check yourcareer.gov.au for available courses and dewr.gov.au/skills-reform/free-tafe for subsidised training options.

You'll be doing physically demanding manual labour in harsh conditions: wet, cold, and dangerous. The work is repetitive, the pay ceiling is low even with experience, and you're stuck on a boat for weeks at a time away from family. Automation is starting to replace some deck roles, so job security isn't guaranteed.

Remote work isn't possible in this role.

Published for ANZSCO unit group 8992, the wider group this job sits in, not for this job on its own.

This is the median for full-time employees who are not managers and are paid at the adult rate, before tax and salary sacrifice. It is a guide to what the work pays, not a wage rate.

Source: ABS Survey of Employee Earnings and Hours, May 2025, customised report.

• Active Listeningcore
• Adaptability and Flexibilitycore
• Attention to Detailcore
• Clean parts of vesselscore
• Clean shipscore
• Incident Reportingcore
• Multitaskingcore
• Policy and Procedure Adherencecore
• Problem Solvingcore
• Regulatory and Legislative Awarenesscore
• Risk Identificationcore
• Team Collaborationcore
• Time Management and Prioritisationcore
• Verbal Communicationcore
• Act reliably
• Basic Arithmetic and Numerical Accuracy
• Continuous Learning and Upskilling
• Cultural Awareness and Sensitivity
• Dispatch Documentation
• Freight Coordination
• Inventory Tracking
• Workload Self-Management

• ABS OSCA 2024, occupation definition and task statements
• ABS Survey of Employee Earnings and Hours, May 2025, customised report.
• ABS, 2021 Census of Population and Housing based on usual place of residence (Custom Report). OSCA Experimental Estimates.

Role data is drawn from official Australian Government sources, and each figure names where it comes from. Where a role is not in the ABS classification, the page shows no government figures for it. Data may not reflect every local variation.

Where our numbers come from.

What Deck Hand workers move into, from ten years of tax records.

Last updated: 30 October 2026