Ships evolved to require a combination of expertise from highly specialized disciplines. If you want a modern vessel, expect a modern team of experts. So let’s meet all the different roles and learn who it takes to create a modern ship.
How many engineers does it take to build a ship? It may sound like the beginning of a bad
joke, but in reality, ships require extensive engineering from a range of
disciplines. For example, a modern
cruise ship incorporates all the demands of a floating city, jumbo jet, and
skyscraper. That is too much knowledge
for any one person. Ships evolved to
require a combination of expertise from highly specialized disciplines. We can’t just assume one person meets all
requirements. If you want a modern
vessel, expect a modern team of experts.
So let’s meet all the different roles and learn who it takes to
create a modern ship.
The design team starts with the foggy notion of a ship,
defined by the owner, and etches that into a clear vision. If you wanted a custom house, you would first
ask an architect to convert your napkin sketches into something a contractor
could build. Similarly, the design team
develops your ideas into a buildable ship plan.
The naval architect handles everything on the outside of the
ship: structures and how the ship
interacts with the ocean. In some ways,
they are the engineering twin to a deck officer. The naval architect ensures that the ship
will keep you safe and handle in the ocean correctly. A naval architect handles many aspects of
your ship design:
If a naval architect designs the exterior of the ship, a
marine engineer focuses on everything that goes inside the ship. They handle all the machinery design, systems
design, and safety systems for the ship.
The modern ship requires a combination of power distribution
equivalent to a city, a computer network to support a modern office building,
plus the control systems of an industrial plant. These wires form the nervous system for your
ship, and they don’t come together on their own. You need someone to size all
the wiring, specify breakers to protect the equipment, plan out circuits, and a
host of other safety checks. You need an
electrical engineer.
Designers and drafters share the same role; they primarily
generate drawings. But that sells a
designer short. The designer is detail
oriented, capable of working systematically and rigorously checking all items
until completed. If a ship needs 500
doors checked, you can rely on a designer to check every single door, ensuring it
complies with code. Engineers and
designers complement each other. I like
to say that engineers define the rules for a project, but designers ensure the
ship follows those rules.
The ship crew and owner form a critical part of the
team. We rely on them to state
preferences, but also to provide the intimate knowledge from working daily with
this equipment.
The crew know their ship.
They know which brands of equipment have the best track records for
maintenance. They know their preferences
for bridge layouts, accommodations, and 1000 other little details from working
daily on the ship. A ship’s crew are the
best resource for practical design knowledge.
The owner ultimately understands the mission of the vessel. (In larger fleets, each ship gets a port
engineer, who takes on the role of the owner.)
They know the economics for their service region. They have the final say over everything that
goes into the vessel. The engineering
team follows the owner’s decision.
You can’t fight the government. A large part of ship design focuses on
compliance with regulations. These
regulations grew to become so extensive and complicated, that any new vessel
design faces an entire review team checking the design team. We need to work with that review team.
In the USA, this review team is the US Coast Guard. They are the government authority who sets
minimum requirements for vessel safety.
Their name may change from one country to another, but the purpose is
always the same. They are the government
authority, and you can’t fight the government.
But the Coast Guard only checks minimum standards for
safety. That does not cover all the
requirements for a good vessel design.
Beyond the Coast Guard, we also contend with the class societies.
Originally, the class societies were created by insurance
companies. They were tasked to evaluate
vessels and decide which ones were safe to insure. Over the decades, class societies have grown
into semi-governmental, semi-private organizations that compete for your
business. They evaluate the ship with a
more comprehensive eye, focused on the durability and quality of the vessel,
going beyond minimum standards.
Class societies have the resources to compare across
hundreds of different ships, conduct extensive research, and develop a
scientific rationale for best design practices.
Think of them like the quality control department for your design
team. They provide an independent design
review.
A ship on paper does nothing. To forge those ideas into steel, you need a
shipyard, and they add a new level to the design, focusing on details for
production. The design team designed
every corridor on the ship, but the shipyard now needs to design every floor
plate and welded connection. The details
just jumped by an order of magnitude.
Shipyards also understand the easy way to build a ship. Easier construction details mean faster
construction, less material wastage, and lower costs overall. Just like any master craftsman learns little
tricks for their trade, a shipyard knows how to piece a ship together for the
best quality and fastest production.
The marine surveyor works for the owner, but their office is
a shipyard. Marine surveyors work from a
wealth of practical observation. Your
engineers may focus on drawings and double checking calculations. Surveyors focus on the physical ship during
construction and double check that details match the designs.
During construction, problems will arise, and the surveyor
works with the shipyard to develop the simplest practical solution. The shipyard will naturally choose the
fastest solution; they have a schedule to maintain. The surveyor acts as the owner’s representative
to argue for solution with the best quality.
They guard your interests to maintain quality during construction.
Avoid the trap of over-specialization. So far, I noted all the different roles. But don’t assume that a person is limited to
their job title. Most people cross-train
to serve in multiple roles. For example,
the naval architect and marine engineer work together equally in system integration
and structural design. Or marine
surveyors can be trained naval architects.
Your team depends less on the job title than on the expertise required
in each skill set.
Depending on the size of your project, one person can easily
fill multiple skill sets. I only list
out the disciplines as a checklist to ensure you cover each element. A ship requires many different roles for a
successful delivery, but the skills of people are not limited by their roles.
Successful projects start
with picking the right people. Modern
ships require expertise from multiple skill sets. A successful ship project needs to cover all
the major skill sets. Or your next ship
project may suffer from unexpected surprises.
| [1] |
R. Smith, “Liberty Ship Model (engine room detail),” Wikimedia Commons, 1 Mar 2019. . Available: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Liberty_Ship_Model_(engine_room_detail).jpg. . |
| [2] |
Wikipedia Authors, “Norwegian Jade, Ship’s Bridge,” Wikimedia Commons, 09 Oct 2012. . Available: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Norwegian_Jade,_Ship%27s_Bridge.jpg. . |
| [3] |
Wikipedia Authors, “Coast Guard Cutter Tarpon (WPB 87310) -b,” Wikimedia Commons, 08 Sep 2016. . Available: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Coast_Guard_Cutter_Tarpon_(WPB_87310)_-b.jpg. . |
| [4] |
G. Leggett, “SOCIBER floating drydock, VALPARAISO III with tugboat, PEQUEN – IMO 9253650 in the cradle being worked on, at Valparaiso, Chile on March 19, 2019,” Wikimedia Commons, 19 Mar 2019. . Available: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:2019-03-19_SOCIBER_VALPARAISO_III_floating_drydock.jpg. . |
| [5] |
Petty Officer 1st Class Henry G. Dunphy, “U.S. Coast Guard Chief Warrant Officer Chris Bosley, foreground, a marine inspector with Coast Guard Sector San Diego, checks a weld for watertight integrity aboard the Bay Breeze, a ferry from Alameda, in Chula 130801-G-JY570-040,” Wikimedia Commons, 1 Aug 2013. . Available: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:U.S._Coast_Guard_Chief_Warrant_Officer_Chris_Bosley,_foreground,_a_marine_inspector_with_Coast_Guard_Sector_San_Diego,_checks_a_weld_for_watertight_integrity_aboard_the_Bay_Breeze,_a_ferry_from_Alameda,_in_Chula_130. . |
https://dmsonline.us/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/Large-Ship-and-Work-Boat-Going-Onto-Water.jpg
1250
2000
Abstrakt Marketing
/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/DMS-logo.svg
Abstrakt Marketing2026-03-29 20:39:102026-06-01 10:09:15How Climate Change is Impacting Seabed Mapping and Marine Dredging
https://dmsonline.us/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/Clickbait-1.jpg
720
1280
Nicholas Barczak
/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/DMS-logo.svg
Nicholas Barczak2025-12-02 07:07:002026-06-01 10:09:17What to Buy for a Towing Tank: Shopping List for Components
https://dmsonline.us/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/FacePalm.jpg
2048
2048
Nicholas Barczak
/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/DMS-logo.svg
Nicholas Barczak2025-09-16 07:00:002026-06-01 10:09:20Pitfalls of a COI: Mistakes to Avoid when Getting a COI
https://dmsonline.us/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/USCg-Inspector.jpg
2048
2048
Nicholas Barczak
/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/DMS-logo.svg
Nicholas Barczak2025-09-09 07:00:002026-06-01 10:09:20How to Get a COI: USCG Certificate of Inspection
https://dmsonline.us/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/How-Naval-Architecture-Support-Helps-You-Navigate-Coast-Guard-Compliance.jpg
1250
2000
Abstrakt Marketing
/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/DMS-logo.svg
Abstrakt Marketing2025-08-22 14:57:542026-06-01 10:09:20How Naval Architecture Support Helps You Navigate Coast Guard Compliance
https://dmsonline.us/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/Large-Oil-Barge-in-a-River.jpg
1250
2000
Nicholas Barczak
/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/DMS-logo.svg
Nicholas Barczak2025-08-22 14:44:512026-06-01 10:09:21Marine Highways: Short Sea Shipping
https://dmsonline.us/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/USCGC_Healy_WAGB-20_north_of_Alaska-scaled-1.jpg
633
1200
Nate Riggins
/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/DMS-logo.svg
Nate Riggins2024-05-14 09:00:002026-06-01 10:09:22Surviving the Arctic: Polar Class Icebreakers
https://dmsonline.us/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/Clickbait_2.66.3.jpg
1080
1920
Nate Riggins
/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/DMS-logo.svg
Nate Riggins2022-08-08 06:00:002025-07-23 09:49:36Lying with Numbers
https://dmsonline.us/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/Clickbait_2.63.1.jpg
1080
1920
Nate Riggins
/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/DMS-logo.svg
Nate Riggins2022-07-11 06:00:002025-08-15 10:45:34The Value of Life