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Job Description

Overview

As a Pipe Welder at Colonna’s Shipyard, Inc., you will play a crucial role in the maintenance and construction of marine vessels, performing high-quality welding tasks on pipes used in ship construction and repair. This role requires advanced welding skills and the ability to work with various pipe materials, ensuring that piping systems meet stringent safety and performance standards.

Responsibilities

  • Perform welding on pipes in various positions using different welding techniques such as TIG, MIG, stick, and flux core.
  • Weld pipes made from different materials including carbon steel, stainless steel, copper-nickel, and other alloys.
  • Accurately read and interpret blueprints, schematics, and isometric drawings to plan and execute pipe welding tasks.
  • Prepare pipes for welding by cutting, fitting, grinding, and beveling.
  • Inspect completed welds to ensure they meet industry standards and project specifications.
  • Repair or replace damaged sections of pipes by cutting out and welding new segments.
  • Collaborate with other tradespeople and departments to complete projects within specified timelines.
  • Effectively perform work on multiple projects concurrently.
  • Mentor department employees and other assigned crew members.

Requirements

  • Must have at least 5 years of experience working as a pipe welder, preferably in a shipyard or marine environment.
  • Must have relevant welding certifications (e.g., 6G, ASME, AWS) for specific welding processes.
  • Advanced skills in pipe welding and cutting, with a strong understanding of shipbuilding and repair practices.
  • Ability to lift heavy materials, work in confined spaces, and perform physically demanding tasks.
  • Must be able to read and interpret technical drawings, blueprints, and specifications.

Benefits

  • 401k
  • PTO

Additional Information

  • Position is located onsite in Norfolk, VA.
  • Will often require hours beyond a standard work week with flexible schedule availability.
  • Position may require limited travel.

Benefits

401k
PTO
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How this job compares in Norfolk, VA

Pay in context

At roughly $32/hr, this posting lands within a few percent of the $30/hr median for welding jobs in Norfolk, VA, whose middle half runs $24–$32/hr across 14 postings with published pay. Put another way, it pays more than about 79% of the comparable postings we have wage data for. In other words it is a market-rate offer, so benefits, overtime, and shift schedule are where the real difference between this and the next posting on the list shows up.

The local market in Norfolk, VA

We're tracking 31 other active welding openings in Norfolk, VA right now, from 14 different employers. 4 of them were added in the last week. Across Virginia as a whole we're tracking 146 other active welding openings from 76 employers. A metro this active generally means you have real leverage — employers here are competing for the same welders. Browse every welding job in Norfolk, or widen the search to Virginia.

Colonna's Shipyard currently has 2 other openings live in Virginia, which is usually a sign of either steady growth or steady turnover — worth asking which in the interview.

The most active employers in Virginia at the moment, by number of open welding reqs, are Innovative Refrigeration Systems, Inc. (15), General Dynamics NASSCO (10), and Atlantic Constructors, Inc. (8). Volume like that usually means either a genuine expansion or a staffing agency working several client sites — worth knowing which before you apply.

Within Virginia, the best-paying metros we track by median hourly rate are Newport News at $40/hr, Norfolk at $30/hr, and Chesapeake at $28/hr. Norfolk is among them.

What you'll be running

This posting calls for MIG, TIG, and Flux-Core work. MIG (GMAW) feeds a continuous wire electrode through a shielding-gas nozzle. It lays down metal fast and is forgiving on clean material, which is why it dominates production and light fabrication work. TIG (GTAW) uses a non-consumable tungsten electrode with filler added by hand, giving the operator the most control of any process. It is slow, demanding, and the standard for stainless, aluminum, and anything where the bead has to look as good as it holds.

See all pipe welder openings if you want to compare this against similar roles.

Certifications this posting mentions

  • 6G — a pipe test welded on a joint fixed at a 45-degree incline. Because the torch has to travel through flat, vertical, and overhead angles in a single pass, passing 6G qualifies you for every position on pipe — which is why it is the ticket that separates pipe welders from plate welders on pay.
  • ASME Section IX — the ASME Boiler and Pressure Vessel Code qualification. It covers welding on pressure-retaining equipment — boilers, vessels, and process piping — where a failed weld is a safety incident rather than a rework ticket.

Read straight from this posting's text. Confirm the exact qualification the employer wants before you test — requirements vary by shop even under the same code.

Similar openings near Norfolk, VA

Pay figures are medians computed from live postings in the Welding Pros index, not from survey data, and they move as employers post. 1st Class Pipe Welder (Job ID: 1562) figures were last recalculated when this page was built.