Shipfitter Jobs in Lake Charles, LA
Lay out, cut, fit, and align steel plate and structure for the welders.
Shipfitters in the Lake Charles market
Lake Charles is a heavy pipe-and-module fabrication market driven by the region's LNG buildout, alongside marine-support and tug work on the Calcasieu ship channel — a real pool of pipe welders and fitters that AMS recruits from.
The shipfitter's job around Lake Charles is blueprint layout, cutting & fit-up, bracing & tacking — the layout that has to be right before a welder ever strikes an arc on work staged through yards like Port of Lake Charles marine terminals. Get the fit wrong and the weld cannot save it.
- Port of Lake Charles marine terminals
- LNG module & pipe fabrication
Named as public-record market activity — where marine work happens in this area, not a statement of AMS contracts.
- City population
- 81,679
- Median household income
- $56,864
- Average commute
- 18 min
- Cost of living (US = 100)
- 89.543
Source: U.S. Census ACS 5-year · BEA Regional Price Parities. Figures are for Lake Charles city, Louisiana, not the wider metro area.
What a shipfitter does in Lake Charles
Shipfitters turn plans into steel — reading blueprints, laying out and cutting plate and structural members, then fitting, bracing, and tacking them into alignment so the welders can finish the joint. It's the layout and fit-up craft at the front of every structural job, on new construction and repair alike, and it demands a sharp eye for tolerance and a feel for how a hull goes together.
Why Lake Charles needs shipfitters right now
Lake Charles doesn't post many jobs titled shipfitter, and that's the point — the skill lives here under other names. Module fabrication runs the same front-of-the-job sequence a shipyard does: blueprint layout, cutting plate and structural shapes, then fitting, bracing, and tacking so the welders can close out. A fitter who has held tolerance on an LNG module frame — steel that has to mate with sections built somewhere else — already thinks the way hull assembly demands. The difference is the shape of the steel: a hull curves, a rack doesn't, and marine work adds the repair side.
Here's the honest pay math. Louisiana's statewide median for structural metal fabricators and fitters — the closest benchmark to shipfitting — is $49,120 a year (BLS OEWS, May 2025), before overtime. AMS pays $35–$40/hr plus overtime opportunities, a different bracket altogether over a full year of hours. The catch is travel: AMS has no crew in Lake Charles and recruits from this market, with per-diem road work the norm and active crews in Houma, Mobile, Pascagoula, and Jacksonville. For a fitter ready to trade the fab pad for hulls, this is the on-ramp.
If you've laid out and cut plate from fab drawings, tacked module structure square against a tolerance stack-up, or fit steel that had to marry sections built in another yard, you can make the jump to shipfitting — and the industry needs you to. Experienced fitters who keep rework off structural joints are among shipbuilding's hardest hires; that eye takes years, not a training course. AMS pays $35–$40/hr plus overtime for it and starts you where your experience actually puts you.
Bring your experience to AMSShipfitter jobs in Lake Charles — FAQ
Does AMS hire shipfitters in Lake Charles?
AMS recruits shipfitters across the Gulf Coast, including the Lake Charles market, for marine fabrication and repair work. Apply and tell us your trade, your experience, and whether you can travel.
What do I need to get hired as a shipfitter in Lake Charles?
For shipfitters, AMS looks first at blueprint layout and cutting & fit-up. Every role also requires passing a shipyard safety orientation and a drug screen, and a TWIC card is usually needed for yard access at Port of Lake Charles marine terminals and similar facilities. Bring your certifications — apply and an AMS representative will go over the specifics.
What is the commute like for Lake Charles yard work?
Workers in Lake Charles city, Louisiana report an average commute of about 18 minutes (U.S. Census ACS). Yard start times are early, so most crews plan the drive around shift change rather than rush hour. If you would rather travel to the work than commute to it, AMS runs per-diem assignments across the Gulf Coast.
Ready to work as a shipfitter in Lake Charles?
Tell us your trade and experience — an AMS representative will follow up. Résumé optional.