Shipfitter. Pipefitter. Welder. On paper, the titles blur together — all three work the same deck, the same dry dock, sometimes the same 10-foot stretch of hull. But the actual work, the certifications you’ll need, and the kind of person who thrives in each role are pretty different.
Here’s the breakdown, trade by trade.
Shipfitter: Aligns the Frame
What they do: Before a single weld goes down, someone has to cut, position, and align the steel plates, bulkheads, and decking so everything lines up exactly to spec. Day-to-day, that means reading blueprints, measuring and marking steel, cutting and shaping plate with torches or plasma cutters, then using dogs, wedges, jacks, and turnbuckles to muscle heavy components into alignment before tack-welding them in place. It’s part math, part heavy labor.
Who fits: People who get a kick out of building big puzzles — figuring out how a 40-ton piece of steel needs to sit is more interesting to you than sitting at a desk. One minute you’re up on scaffolding checking that everything lines up, the next you’re on your knees inside a tank measuring down to the millimeter. If you’ve done construction or fabrication work before and don’t mind a physical day, this is an easy way in.
Certifications: Most shipyards want a welding or metals fabrication certificate to start, plus AWS structural welding credentials (like D1.1) as you advance. Expect shipyard-specific qualification standards on top of that, including a possible security clearance, along with OSHA and hot-work safety training, both of which Integrity Staffing Services provides. It’s worth noting, these certs overlap heavily with a welder’s — most shipfitters can and do weld. But their welds are typically tack welds, short, temporary joints that hold a piece in place until a certified welder makes the final, permanent weld. Many yards even cap tack-weld length by policy.
Tools of the trade: Tape measures, squares, levels, calipers and micrometers for precision fit-up; oxy-fuel torches and plasma cutters for cutting; grinders and hand tools for finishing; and rigging gear — chainfalls, come-alongs, jacks — plus overhead cranes to move plates into position.
Shift & Pay: Expect 10-12 hour shifts, rotating schedules, and heavy overtime as a vessel nears delivery or a repair deadline. Outdoor and dry-dock work means the schedule bends around weather too. On average, shipfitters make between $24/hour to $45/hour, depending on certification levels and experience.
Pipefitter: Maintains the Lifeline
What they do: If the hull is the skeleton, piping is the circulatory system — pipefitters install and maintain the systems that carry fuel, water, steam, and air throughout the vessel. Nothing on board runs without them. Day-to-day, that means reading piping and instrumentation diagrams (P&IDs), measuring and cutting pipe, threading and fitting joints, installing supports, and pressure-testing systems once they’re in..
Who fits: People who like knowing how things connect to the bigger picture — you want to understand how one part affects the whole system, not just the piece in front of you. Most pipefitters start out with some welding know-how, since a lot of the job happens in tight spaces where welding is harder than it looks. If you’re hands-on, patient, and like figuring out how systems fit together, this is a good fit.
Certifications: AWS welding certifications (D1.1, D1.2, D1.3, D1.6 depending on materials) are common requirements, along with NCCER pipefitting credentials. Marine-specific roles may also call for classification-society standards knowledge and confined-space or basic safety training (like STCW basics).
Tools of the trade: Pipefitter’s square, fitter grips, pipe wrenches, tubing cutters, threading equipment, and welder’s gauges for quality control, alongside hydraulic and pneumatic test equipment to verify systems hold pressure once installed.
Shift & Pay: Similar to shipfitting — long shifts tied to production milestones, plus overtime when systems need to be tested and signed off before a vessel goes back in the water. Pipefitters average around $31/hour, plus roughly $10,000/year in overtime. It can pay well, given the specialized certifications and precision the work demands.
Welder: Seals the Structure
What they do: Whatever the shipfitter positions or the pipefitter assembles, the welder fuses it — structural steel, pipe joints, repairs, all of it. Day-to-day, that means running SMAW, GMAW, GTAW, or FCAW processes depending on the material and joint; prepping surfaces; monitoring bead quality; and adapting technique to position — overhead, vertical, or inside a tank barely big enough to crouch in. Marine welders often work more positions and more metal types than welders in almost any other industry.
Who fits: Patient, steady-handed people who don’t mind heat or tight spaces, and who don’t get bored doing careful, repetitive work. Welding also travels well — once you’re certified, you can take that skill almost anywhere, not just shipyards. If you want to get really good at one hands-on skill and build a career on it, this is it.
Certifications: AWS welder certifications matched to process and position are the baseline (Certified Welder, sometimes Certified Welding Inspector for senior roles). Structural roles look for D1.1; pipe welding often requires D1.3 or higher. Nuclear and military vessel work carries its own certification track — and it pays a premium. This is where welders and shipfitters diverge even though the cert names look similar on paper: a welder’s certification qualifies them to make the final, code-compliant weld — the one that gets checked with X-ray or ultrasonic testing and actually holds the vessel together.
Tools of the trade: Welding machines for each process, plasma cutters and grinders for prep and cleanup, and — critical in shipyard work — respirators, flame-resistant gear, and confined-space safety equipment like gas monitors and ventilation fans.
Shift & Pay: Long, physically taxing shifts, often in heat, noise, and tight spaces. Overtime is standard, and specialty certifications (nuclear, underwater) can mean travel pay or per diem on top of base wage. Shipyard welders average roughly $22-26/hour; however, certifications matter a lot here, with top earners well past $34/hour.
How the Three Trades Work Together
A shipfitter positions the steel. A welder makes it permanent. A pipefitter runs the systems that thread through and around it all. None of the three work in isolation — a busy shipyard runs on handoffs between them, which is why job-site awareness and communication matter as much as technical skill.
You don’t need the whole career mapped out before you apply either. Plenty of skilled tradespeople start in one role and cross-train into another as they learn the yard. What matters is starting with the role that matches where your skills are today.
Interested in learning more or seeking opportunities for any of the roles above? Give our recruiters a call today or visit our job board.
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