Vessel Repair and Maintenance Service Providers
(Input from industry/employers in 2012-2013)
OVERVIEW
Vessel maintenance and repair service providers were identified by seafood harvesters as
one of the primary needs to support the continued wellbeing of the commercial fishing
industry. Many ports are without sufficient highly trained vessel repair technicians leading
to more downtime for harvesters during the fishing season and lost income. This
occupational group is described in detail below in the Marine Occupations and Support
Industries section.
These specialists maintain and repair a wide range of engines and machinery. The following
skillsets were identified as needed by seafood harvesters:
 Diesel and outboard engine
 Marine refrigeration
mechanic
 Machinist
 Steel and aluminum welding and
 Other vessel and equipment
fabrication
specialties
 Fiberglass fabrication
 Marine electrical, hydraulics
Vessel repair and maintenance (VRM) service industry providers are often small business
owners or independent service providers (e.g. electronics, hydraulics, engine repair, etc.),
who are technicians available in a fishing port, frequently have higher skills than many
individual fishermen.
Many of these skill sets are similar to those in shipbuilding or vessel engineers, but may not
require certification. VRM specialists maintain and repair a wide range of engines and
machinery, mainly shoreside. Experience as a mechanic can lead to a career as a port or
vessel engineer with further training and experience. A port maintenance mechanic also
handles welding, electrical wiring, pile and dock repair, concrete repair, used oil handling,
boatlifting, and blocking. Marine mechanic is a high-priority occupation due to difficulty
recruiting qualified workers.
Current technicians are aging out of the workforce and new technicians with the required
skill sets are needed across sectors. A shortage of skilled support technicians to repair and
maintain vessels can reduce revenues to a wide range of mariners, including commercial
fishermen.
Fishermen are extremely dependent on vessels that are in good operating condition to ensure
they receive the maximum value from their harvests. Additionally, many fishermen or
crewmembers work in these occupations in the off-season, servicing their own vessels or
other vessels. Hence, availability of training in these skills can benefit more individuals than
just those in VRM positions.
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Education / Training / Licensure / Certification
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Certifications exist for diesel, gas and outboard engines, though not always required.
Certifications in welding, CDL, travelift operator, HAZOPER, ABYC standards may
also be required.
Skills required to operate a small business including finances and marketing are often
required for marine trade and technician businesses. This is in addition to skills for a
particular trade.
Job-specific Skills: Technical
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Skills encompass the full range of those related to maintaining and repairing engines
and related propulsion systems.
Most modern engines are electronically controlled and diagnostics are done with
computer diagnostic equipment.
Mechanics must know tools, engine metals and materials, lubrication and cooling
fluids, and fuels.
Port engineers/port mechanics need to know how to repair boat vessel
engine/propulsion power train and steering as well as vehicular units such as forklifts
and trucks.
Skills needed also include fiberglass, woodworking, plumbing, machine tool
operations, painting, wire rope splicing, and DC and AC electrical installation.
Job-specific Skills: Employability / Soft Skills
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Good work ethic
Reliable attendance
Basic math and communication skills
Job-specific Skills: Other Skills Needed
Increasing emphasis on electronic diagnostics and electronic engine component
maintenance and replacement.
Current Options to Acquire Needed Skills
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A few formal marine mechanic training options are offered in Alaska.
Many mechanics and boat maintenance specialists are trained on the job or selftaught.
Some engine manufacturers conduct mechanic training for their own products; some
mechanics collect multiple certifications.
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Occupation-specific Action Steps
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Form an implementation team to ensure collaboration and improve transferability,
which includes representatives from all interested Alaska training/education providers
and appropriate industry associations and/or organizations.
Connect with K-12 and job centers to increase awareness about shoreside technical
businesses as an occupation, create career pathways, and develop strategies to
effectively place students in Alaska jobs.
Offer training in technical skills at ascending levels to develop highly skilled
technicians.
Offer business skill development to self-employed marine trade service providers.
Partner with industry vendors for training.
Share curriculum across the state, and with out-of-state trainers.
Make job-training opportunities more available to the self-employed/entrepreneur.
Some state-supported training programs only provide training to individuals if they
identify an employer for whom they will work after training is completed. The reality
of living in rural Alaska is that many individuals are self-employed.
Create and offer continuing education workshops that are short, mobile, and target
priority topics. Examples include vessel repair and maintenance, financial
management, and professional development training for self-employed. These
workshops need to be well advertised.
Establish internship/apprenticeship programs with employers.
Job Descriptions
600.280-022 MACHINIST (machine shop) alternate titles: machinist, first-class;
machinist, general
Sets up and operates conventional, special-purpose, and numerical control (NC) machines
and machining centers to fabricate metallic and nonmetallic parts, and fits and assembles
machined parts into complete units, applying knowledge of machine shop theory and
procedures, shop mathematics, machinability of materials, and layout techniques: Studies
blueprints, sketches, drawings, manuals, specifications, or sample part to determine
dimensions and tolerances of finished workpiece, sequence of operations, and setup
requirements. Measures, marks, and scribes dimensions and reference points on material or
workpiece as guides for subsequent machining.
600.281-018 LAY-OUT WORKER (machine shop)
Selects, aligns, and secures holding fixtures, cutting tools, attachments, accessories, and
materials on machines, such as mills, lathes, jig borers, grinders, and shapers. Calculates and
sets controls to regulate machining factors, such as speed, feed, coolant flow, and depth and
angle of cut, or enters commands to retrieve, input, or edit computerized machine control
media. Starts and observes machine operation to detect malfunctions or out-of-tolerance
machining, and adjusts machine controls or control media as required. Verifies conformance
of finished workpiece to specifications, using precision measuring instruments. Sets up and
operates machine on trial run to verify accuracy of machine settings or programmed control
data. Fits and assembles parts into complete assembly, using jigs, fixtures, surface plate,
surface table, handtools, and power tools.
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Verifies dimensions and alignment of assembly, using measuring instruments, such as
micrometers, height gauges, and gauge blocks. May install machined replacement parts in
mechanisms, machines, and equipment, and test operation of unit to ensure functionality and
performance. May operate welding equipment to cut or weld parts. May develop
specifications from general description and draw sketch of part or product to be fabricated.
May confer with engineers, production personnel, programmers, or others to resolve
machining or assembly problems. May specialize in setting up and operating NC machines
and machining centers and be designated Numerical Control Machine Machinist (machine
shop); or set up and operate NC machines linked to automated storage, retrieval, and moving
devices and be designated Flexible Machining System Machinist (machine shop).
625.281-010 DIESEL MECHANIC (any industry)
Repairs and maintains diesel engines used to power machines, such as buses, ships, trucks,
railroad trains, electric generators, and construction machinery, using handtools, precision
measuring instruments, and machine tools: Diagnoses trouble, disassembles engines, and
examines parts for defects and excessive wear. Reconditions and replaces parts, such as
pistons, bearings, gears, valves, and bushings, using engine lathes, boring machines,
handtools, and precision measuring instruments. May weld and cut parts, using arc-welding
and flame cutting equipment. May be designated according to type of diesel engine or
equipment repaired as Diesel-Engine Mechanic, Automobile (automotive ser.); DieselEngine Mechanic, Bus (automotive ser.); Diesel-Engine Mechanic, Marine (ship-boat mfg.);
Diesel-Engine Mechanic, Truck (automotive ser.); Diesel-Mechanic, Construction
(construction); Diesel-Mechanic, Farm (agric. equip.); Locomotive Repairer, Diesel (railroad
equip.).
Summary excerpt from the FSM Training Gap Analysis
Companies that build, repair, or sell boats employed nearly 700 people in Alaska during
2010, not including self-employed workers. Workers earned an average of $9,868 per quarter
and slightly more than 75% were Alaska residents.
An executive interviewed for this gap analysis expressed difficulty finding top-level project
managers with knowledge of advanced manufacturing processes and supervisory/leadership
skills. Hiring journeyman-level trade workers with substantial experience in key subject
matters is also challenging. This executive suggested a common curriculum be adopted for
educational and training programs related to vessel construction. He stressed three elements:
1) a strong employability sequence from entry level (through the equivalent of a two-year
degree), 2) work place learning with supervisory training as employees progress, and 3)
mentoring by subject-matter experts to ensure institutional knowledge is passed on.
Similar to other production-oriented segments of the FSM sector, vocational training is most
needed for refrigeration, marine construction techniques, DC electrical systems, marine
boilers, diesel engines, stainless/fiberglass fabrication, and processing equipment.
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