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Navy NEC · Logistics

824A Maritime Cargo Handling Specialist: Supervisory

Current service use not established

This code is listed in the directory. Inclusion alone does not confirm current service use.

A Navy Enlisted Classification: a skill designation sailors hold in addition to their rating.

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Overview

A supervisory Maritime Cargo Handling Specialist trains personnel in the technical skills required to handle shipboard cargo aboard Maritime Prepositioning Ships and merchant vessels. The specialist oversees or performs loading and discharge duties that include hatch tending, hold stowing, winch and crane operations, material handling equipment operation, lashing, cargo rigging, and safety procedures.

Core Skills

  • Shipboard cargo rigging and lashing
  • Hatch tending and hold stowage
  • Shipboard winch and crane operations
  • Personnel training in cargo handling procedures

Civilian Career Paths

Career associations are editorial assessments of the cited evidence, not an official crosswalk unless the evidence explicitly says so. O*NET supplies civilian occupation information, not proof of a military match. Related experience does not confer civilian qualifications. Tasks and tools below describe civilian work, not military training.

Hoist and Winch Operators

Operating winches and cranes during ship loading and discharge directly overlaps with civilian hoist and winch operation.

How to prepare: Arrange an equipment-specific practical assessment with a shoreside employer or training provider to identify differences between your shipboard equipment and its hoists or winches.

What the civilian work involves
  • Start engines of hoists or winches and use levers and pedals to wind or unwind cable on drums.
  • Observe equipment gauges and indicators and hand signals of other workers to verify load positions or depths.
  • Move or reposition hoists, winches, loads and materials, manually or using equipment and machines such as trucks, cars, and hand trucks.

First-Line Supervisors of Material-Moving Machine and Vehicle Operators

Training cargo handlers while operating shipboard material-handling equipment provides a practical foundation for supervising cargo-moving crews.

How to prepare: Build a work sample for a shoreside cargo operation showing equipment assignments and safety briefings for a loading or unloading shift.

What the civilian work involves
  • Enforce safety rules and regulations.
  • Interpret transportation or tariff regulations, shipping orders, safety regulations, or company policies and procedures for workers.
  • Plan work assignments and equipment allocations to meet transportation, operations or production goals.

Sailors and Marine Oilers

Shipboard cargo stowage, lashing, and rigging provide a foundation for deck-crew work rather than engine-room duties.

How to prepare: Ask the National Maritime Center to identify the credential and endorsement route for an entry-level deck position. Deck and unlicensed crew typically need a Merchant Mariner Credential, a TSA Transportation Worker Identification Credential, applicable USCG-approved training, and related examinations; open-ocean service requires USCG-verified STCW training.

What the civilian work involves
  • Handle lines to moor vessels to wharfs, to tie up vessels to other vessels, or to rig towing lines.
  • Stand watch in ships' bows or bridge wings to look for obstructions in a ship's path or to locate navigational aids, such as buoys or lighthouses.

Notes & Sources

  • For merchant-mariner sea-time credit, submit an official transcript of sea service or history of assignments, not a DD-214, with vessel particulars and assigned duties for Coast Guard evaluation; military time aboard is not automatically credited one-for-one.
  • Beyond entry-level sailor and oiler positions, water-transportation occupations typically require several years of sea time.
Evidence for this guidance (6 documents)
  1. NAVPERS 18068F Vol II (NEOCS, Jul 2026 edition): NEC 824A

    [1] NEC entry "824A - Maritime Cargo Handling Specialist: Supervisory"; cached text line 21502; NAVPERS 18068F Vol II, 2026-07 edition

    Supports: Shipboard cargo rigging and lashing, Hatch tending and hold stowage, Shipboard winch and crane operations, Personnel training in cargo handling procedures, Hoist and Winch Operators (O*NET 53-7041.00), First-Line Supervisors of Material-Moving Machine and Vehicle Operators (O*NET 53-1043.00), Sailors and Marine Oilers (O*NET 53-5011.00)

  2. O*NET: Hoist and Winch Operators

    [2] O*NET 30.3 occupational data

    Supports: Hoist and Winch Operators (O*NET 53-7041.00)

  3. O*NET: First-Line Supervisors of Material-Moving Machine and Vehicle Operators

    [3] O*NET 30.3 occupational data

    Supports: First-Line Supervisors of Material-Moving Machine and Vehicle Operators (O*NET 53-1043.00)

  4. O*NET: Sailors and Marine Oilers

    [4] O*NET 30.3 occupational data

    Supports: Sailors and Marine Oilers (O*NET 53-5011.00)

  5. Bureau of Labor Statistics: Water Transportation Workers

    [5] How to Become; training, licenses and related experience; updated August 27, 2026, checked September 23, 2026

    Supports: Sailors and Marine Oilers (O*NET 53-5011.00)

  6. USCG: 46 CFR 10.232 military sea-service evidence and credit

    [6] Paragraphs (a) and (d)(1), official eCFR snapshot September 21, 2026; retrieved September 24

    Supports: Sailors and Marine Oilers (O*NET 53-5011.00)

Defense contractor jobs for 824A

Descriptions may be summarized for clarity. Verify all information with your branch career counselor or official military documentation before making career decisions.

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