Don Pedro`s Advice for Newcomers to Ship Work

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Marine Educational System

The biggest difference between seamen's vocational education and many professions ashore is that actual work experience is compulsory. In this respect there are some similarities with the medical profession.

To find actual information on how to start a seaman's employment career in your own country, go to list of addresses in different countries. You can also visit the web site of the Ministry of Education in your country - go to "Vocational Schools"; there you should find schools offering "Basic Seafarer's Course".

You can choose between deck or engine department when you enrol for the Basic Seafarer's Course. Sometimes the deck department course is extended to include stewards. Note that if you choose deck department you cannot later sign on a ship for work in the engine room or vice versa.

If you want to change department you have to do at least part of the Basic Course in that department again. The reason is that safety procedures and work is different. I would also recommend you take a seaman's medical before you start the school, otherwise may be you waste your time and money - if you, for instance, later are found to be colour blind, see below.

There are some possibilities to start a seafarer's career as a ship cadet, for details and overview go to Ship Cadet Training. Most beginners have, however, to start their career with the basic seafarer course, which usually runs for 6-9 months. After this it's possible in many countries to proceed straight to the two year basic college and then officer's or engineer's exam.

To get the basic officer's or engineer's Certificate of Competence ( COC ), without which can work only as crew, you must have three years actual work experience onboard ("sea time") together with passing the exam. I recommend doing the required sea time before attending college of choice. See UK Marine Guidance Note MGN 92

.

After the basic officer's or engineer's Certificate of Competence ("Ticket") you must have a minimum of one year sea time as junior officer or junior engineer before continuing your education. Links to Maritime Colleges world-wide. This list provides contact details for colleges who run courses leading to a UK Certificates of Competency (CoC).

For Americans the procedure is somewhat different, partly because of different circumstances in USA. Partly it's because US Coast Guard works differently from UK Maritime and Coastguard Agency. Americans go to STCW Training.

Ashore college level work positions are usually referred to as "graduate positions". That's a term never used onboard. Even if the Captain's education and exam nowadays in many countries has been moved to the University level and is even called "Bachelor of Marine Science", may be with Navigation in parenthesis, it's still not onboard called a "graduate" position.

The Master is a highly educated Captain with a long work experience, he is really the "Old Man". "Master" is the name of the position onboard for "The Top Guy", Captain is his/her title, i.e. name of the exam, like "Doctor".

Of course the Master must always be a Captain, but on many big ships also the Chief Officer ( second in command ) is a Captain, because in case the Master dies the Chief Officer takes command. On very big ships even the Second Mate ( 2^nd Officer ) can be a Captain.

Crewing requirements for Cargo and Passenger ships ("Trading ships") and commercial Fishing Vessels. A very long list of ship owners and ship management companies. Mostly European but some North American and Asian companies are included. Many Scandinavian companies ( Danish, Finnish, Norwegian, and Swedish ) are included. On most Scandinavian ships you must speak and understand the local language ("flag language"). This list is different from most lists on the Net. The list shows from what country most companies are plus gives some basic information about each. It's also in many cases noted under what flags a company's ships are sailing.

Read a monthly column with articles about life at sea written by a seafarer.

Seamen's Medical Certificate

The rules for seamen's medical fitness certificate are basically same all over the word because the onboard safety requirements are the same. The certificate must be issued by a doctor who's approved by the Maritime Authority in the country where he/she is practising. For instance in UK it's MCA and in USA it's USCG.

The rules for the examination can be found in "Seafarer Medical Examination System"

[MSN 1765 (M)]. In Britain this certificate is commonly among seafarer's often called "ENG1", because that's the official name of the form on which the certificate is issued. The "Medical Examination" document includes a list of countries who's medical certificates are accepted by MCA.

The medical examination and the certificate are mandatory for everyone permanently working on a commercial vessel. Visitors, temporary workers ( for instance repair crew ), short-time entertainers ( on cruise ships ), etc. are excluded, because they do not take part neither in the navigation nor have any safety-critical roles onboard. Neither are these people included in the "Muster List" nor do they take part in the ship's emergency drills, except as spectators.

Trainees and volunteers on sail training ships, who are not carrying out any safety-critical roles are not required to pass this fitness examination. The most common reason for a young person to fail the examination is the colour-vision test (see below).

Colour Blindness

The color vision test for seamen is concerned about being able to make difference between red and green, so it's mainly a concern for deck crew. That's so because a ship's sidelights are green on one side and red on the other. To be able at night time to immediately see in what direction an other ship is steering you must see either the red or the green sidelight.

For the catering department, it doesn't matter at all, it's not a navigational hazard if the cook uses red peppers instead of green ones.

For the engine department, there are some concerns, because valves and pipelines in the engine room are colour coded. Red is the fireline ( sea water ) and green is the fresh water ( potable drinking water ). The main concern is, however, for electrical engineers, because the cables are also colour coded.

I know one Chief Engineer, who's slightly colour blind, and he was working onboard at least in 2007. He got a comment in his medical certificate: "Slightly colour blind. Fit for duty as engineer".

Even with a comment by the authorized doctor that you are "fit for duty in engine room", there can be some problems. Many companies accept this but there are employers who don't employ even slightly colour blind people in the engine room. One cannot know in advance whether it's accepted or not, you have to find out by trial and error.

The best thing is to point out to the prospective employer you are slightly colour blind ...etc. That way you cannot be later accused of having tried to hide it and that way giving the employer a good reason to dismiss you from his employment.

There is an article with a discussion on whether one should be honest in one's CV. It is written from an US legal point of view.

There are many different "colour blindness" tests. The one generally used for seamen is called the "Ishihara test". You can take the "Ishihara test" free on-line. I recommend you do it before you apply for the basic seafarer's course, then you don't waste money and time for nothing.

For some medical information on colour blindness see Choose your Website Colours - Colour Blindness.

Entry Level Job Descriptions

The names of the positions depend on which department you choose to work in.

If you choose Cadet training you get your job training mostly onboard a ship. Contact the companies / organisations listed on the Ship Cadet Training page for detailed information.
When you choose the vocational school's Basic Seafarer's Course, there are three departments to choose from:
- Deck department work training
  Deck Department:, some 30-40 years ago positions like "deck boy" and "Ordinary Seaman, O/S" were still in use. Nowadays it's mostly only AB (= Able Bodied seaman), either junior or senior. Depending on the ship's size, either all or only part of the ABs are assigned watch duties together with the Duty Officers when the ship is at sea.
  
  Daytime, however, is normally spent washing, cleaning, chipping rust, and painting ( depending on the weather ). Newcomers are usually not allowed to paint the first couple of months. When in port there is mostly work related to cargo operations.
- Engine department work training
  Engine Department:, Junior Oilers, Motormen or Wipers / Oilers do their watch duties and normal simple "maintenance" work, which mostly consists of painting or cleaning in engine room or cleaning some engine parts.
- Catering department work training
  Catering Department:, In the 1950s there were still "mess boys", as it was possible to sign on a ship as young as 14 years of age (I did it). Nowadays ITF rules state a person over 18 years old cannot be called a "boy". He would be a messman or messroom steward; i.e. dining room attendant - washing the dishes and doing general cleaning of the messroom.
  
  On many big ships the meals are now enjoyed cafeteria style and may be the messman works partly also as Assistant Cook (who's peeling the potatoes). Often the Messman is cleaning the Officers' cabins as well.
  
  For catering department you choose a basic course for deck department including steward

The number of crew you can expect to find onboard a ship varies with ship's size. Furthermore older ships ( no automation ) generally have bigger crew than new ones. Big luxury cruise liners can have a crew of 1.500 persons but on cargo ships a "normal" number would be between twenty and fifteen. Small ships may be just ten to twelve persons only. For cargo ships it's mainly the number of crew required during arrival and departure from port ( mooring and un-mooring ) that gives the minimum number.

The number of the crew rises with ships size (GRT = Gross Register Tonnage) - ABs from only 2 up to 8 and motormen and/or oilers from 2 up to maybe 4 persons. The other ranks you would expect to find only one of each rank; except very big ships can have for instance two 2^nd officers and no 3^rd officer.

The biggest container ship in the world, MS "Emma Maersk" with a capacity of 11.000 to 13.000 teu (20 feet equivalent units), which commenced trading late 2006, have a total crew of only 13. The ship is 400 metres long (LOA = Length Over All), so the crew is barely enough to handle watch keeping duties while at sea. This is an extreme exception - at least at this moment - and may be an experiment.

Read a career story from ship cadet to Development Manager.

At the end of 2008 there was worldwide shortage of about 30.000 ship officers. This is expected to grow to over 90.000 by 2012 [ source Maritime Reporter 11/2008 ].

STCW-95

All jobs on ships in international trade are regulated by the International Convention on Standards of Training, Certification and Watch keeping (STCW-95). Everybody starting an employment career on board MUST fulfil the STCW-95 requirements, regardless of passport. See also what is stated at ITF web-site [Deutsch, Español, English, Français,

, Pycckий, Svenska] or STCW-95 FAQ ["Frequently Answered Questions"] by US standards.

To be allowed to work on an international ship you must have a "Seaman's Book", also called "Seaman's Identification Book" ( Continuous Discharge Certificate = CDC ). To get this you have to enrol at a seamen's vocational school and do the seafarer's course (usually 6-9 months). Usually this course includes necessary basic instruction in personal safety and fire fighting, which are compulsory. Fire fighting course is valid for 5 years.

If you don't know where to find this school you can ask the Coast Guard or the Maritime Administration in your country. You can also ask from the Harbour Master's Office at your nearest port. In most British Commonwealth countries ( including Britain ) the Maritime Coast Guard Agency issues the Seamen's books and other certificates.

After passing the Basic Seafarer's Course the Maritime Authority in the same country issues your Seaman's Book
You need also an international passport valid for more than one year, better if 5-10 years.
A Seamen's Medical Certificate by a doctor who is approved by the Maritime Administration in the country where you live. The school can give names and addresses for doctors. For Deck and Engine work you may not be colour blind ( green / red ). Usually valid for 5 years.
I suggest you start your inquiries at your nearest seamen's vocational school.
When you have the necessary documents the school can often help you with the first job.

There are 4 courses / modules included in the Basic Course, that are mandatory:

Personal Survival Techniques (STCW A-VI/1-1)
Fire Fighting and Fire Prevention (STCW A-VI/1-2)
Elementary First Aid (STCW A-VI/1-3)
Personal Safety and Social Responsibilities (STCW A-VI/1-4)

The first and last are one time courses, the other two are valid for 5 years only, before which they have to be renewed. These four are mandatory for every seaman / "seawoman", also catering personnel.

For more details on what documents are needed and advice on up-dating them, see ITF's STCW-95 Guide for Seafarers,

0.9 MB.

You can check STCW-95 competence requirements for any position, ship type and size, trade area for any Flag state (i.e. country of ship's registration = "Flag").

The international STCW-95 convention gives minimum requirements for foreign-going ships, each country is allowed to apply more strict requirements for their own ships. And some countries do. For domestic trade ( coastal and inland or inter-island waters ) every country can have completely own regulations, although many copy the convention, either all of it or only certain parts.

MCA Guidance and Regulations - Training and Certification requirements according to STCW-95
- Deck Department
- Engine Department

Australian certification requirements - World document as ZIP.

USCG mariners' information Home page with links to continuously up-dated detailed information on: Mariners' Credentials, Examinations, Approved Courses ( US ), FAQ, Regulations & Codes, STCW, etc.

Minimum Seaman Salary

This is a minimum salary schedule for seamen on international foreign-going ships (2008). In this connection an "international" ship is any ship owner who accepts foreign seafarers onboard. All countries do not accept foreigners, i.e. American, Australian, Chinese, Russian etc. Sometimes the government says no, sometimes it is the Seamen's Union who accepts only own citizens (or people with special work permit).

Below are given the salaries for cargo ship crews, just below ITF Standard Collective Agreement, 01.01.2008, for foreign going ships

, in USD per month. ITF hasn't published any salary scale for 2009 ?

Minimum Seamen Salaries Onboard Cargo Ships (2008)

Ranks / Positions onboard

Salary (USD) /Month

AB / Motorman / Wiper ( inexperienced )
2nd Cook / Messroom Steward ( Messman )
AB / Motorman / Oiler / Steward
Bosun / Fitter / Pumpman / Ch. Cook
Electrician
3rd Officer / 3rd Engineer
Electrical Engineer / Ch. Steward / 2nd Officer / 2nd Engineer
Chief Officer / 1st Engineer
Chief Engineer
Master

978+
1.120+
1.315+
1.469+
1.970+
2.208+
2.291+
2.860+
4.027+
4.430+

The salaries above are minimum basic salaries on cargo ships. For Offshore Oil Rigs and for Cruise Liners there are different salary schedules. Most employers pay more and in addition offer overtime and/or leave pay compensation.

A seaman with at least one year experience on deck was before called an AB (short for "able-bodied seaman"); while a deck crew trainee - less than one year experience - was called an OS ("ordinary seaman"). Nowadays all are just ABs, junior or senior.

Sometimes a well experienced motorman is called (and signed on as) 4^th or 5^th engineer instead of being called "senior".

ITF have another agreement for flag of convenience ships with somewhat lower salaries. The same agreement gives rules for minimum manning as well, i.e. minimum number of officers and crew on different sizes of cargo ships.
Definition of "Flag of convenience" ( by ITF ):

"Where beneficial ownership and control of a vessel is found to lie elsewhere than in the country of the flag the vessel is flying, the vessel is considered as sailing under a flag of convenience."

Actual salaries paid you can find with some of the job listings on Cargo Ship Job Links page or Offshore Oil-Gas Drilling Job Links or Boating-Superyacht Job Links.

How to get a Seaman's Job ?

First applying for a job as seaman is completely different from applying for a job as a sales clerk or something similar. Please forget everything you learned about job hunting at high school. For most land jobs the most important is very often a person's personality.

Second, when applying for a seaman's job you will probably never meet your employer or your immediate boss before being employed. Everything is done by documents. The one and only matter deciding if you get a job or not is whether you have the necessary documents required by STCW-95.

If you have the necessary documents you will get a job (sooner or later), but if you don't have them there's no way you can get a job onboard. So when you fill in an application form, stay with document details. Do not add anything not asked, because what is not asked for isn't relevant for the job.

If you are looking for a job as a sales clerk, sure it's important if you are ambitious and have a clear goal in the future. For a seaman's employer that has no meaning at all. If an application form is asking for 1-2 sentences free text sentences about yourself, it is only for checking your English is above minimum standard. That is another STCW-95 requirement; a seaman must be able to understand and follow orders in English.

An AB or a motorman is not expected to write anything in English once he is onboard, but he must be able to understand written and verbal orders.

There is no standard format for seamen CV's, almost every agent want it their way. Do not use your own when on-line form is available. See also my How to Write a Maritime Job Application. Sometimes instead of asking for a C.V. some agents ask for "candidate's résumé".

Offshore Oil Rig Job

Working on offshore oil rigs is different from working on a ship. Mainly because the safety and security is much more strict. This is so because you are working in an atmosphere where there is always a possibility for petroleum gas, and thus the danger of an explosion.

The big oil companies (Exxon, Shell, Texaco, Aramco, etc.) all have their own safety training centres in different parts of the world in addition to other offshore safety training centres. Before you can work on an oil drilling rig you have to pass an offshore safety course. See Offshore Training and Certificates for more information.

This offshore safety course replaces the "Basic Seafarer's Course", which is not valid offshore. Get free booklet with advice on how to get an offshore oil rig job. If your e-mail is on Hotmail it can take one week or more before it's delivered to your inbox.

There is a different ITF Offshore Standard agreement. It's not applicable if you are a sub-contractor / free-lance on a day-rate.

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