Who’s at sea and where do you work?

[Stick Legs]

I have noticed on a few threads that there are a few of us on PH who work at sea.

I thought it would be fun to hit the General Alarm & have a muster.

I work 3x3 weeks on Dredgers. Not glamorous but well paid.





Started off on Container ships. Had a brief spell as a Southampton Pilot (which was easily the best job ever but Mrs. Didn’t want to re-locate).

[Stick Legs]

Some companies will pay time back as leave, or it will be cashed in.

I am currently covering a vacancy on my opposite watch so doing 12 weeks on instead of 3 weeks on 3 weeks off.

This means 6 weeks is being paid to me at my day rate.

Day rate is 1/182.5 of my annual salary

So essentially 23% of my annual wage for missing 6 weeks leave.

[Stick Legs]

egor110 said:

Stick Legs said:

Some companies will pay time back as leave, or it will be cashed in.

I am currently covering a vacancy on my opposite watch so doing 12 weeks on instead of 3 weeks on 3 weeks off.

This means 6 weeks is being paid to me at my day rate.

Day rate is 1/182.5 of my annual salary

So essentially 23% of my annual wage for missing 6 weeks leave.

You weren't on the dredgers when i used to do your post were you ?

I was, and also at Southampton as a Pilot for a year too.

Hope all is well.

[Stick Legs]

Condi said:

One of my mates has just given up going offshore (rigs) now he has 2 kids - he looked at those who were 10 years older than he was and all were either divorced or otherwise dysfunctional when it came to relationships.

The relationships that make it are incredibly strong.

There are very few seafarers chugging along in So-So relationships. It’s a pretty good filter TBH.

This goes for friendships too.

[Stick Legs]

DJFish said:

My last lot were one of the few remaining companies to have bars on board.
Despite the shenanigans that go with allowing sailors to (openly) drink I was always a strong advocate to keep the bars open due to the positive effects on social interaction & mental health.

A problem drinker is a problem drinker on a wet ship or a dry ship.

Banning alcohol is mostly down to reducing insurance cost. It also allow the Master a very cut & dried way of dealing with transgression.

[Stick Legs]

DJFish said:

Stick Legs said:

A problem drinker is a problem drinker on a wet ship or a dry ship.

Banning alcohol is mostly down to reducing insurance cost. It also allow the Master a very cut & dried way of dealing with transgression.

That’s true enough, even when the ships went dry for a project I’m sure people found a way, the interesting bit is when the Master is a problem drinker…not that that would ever happen.

I’ve met a few. It’s very awkward. Especially as Mate or Chief Engineer.
Luckily I’m now the Old Man.

[Stick Legs]

shirt said:

Interesting thread.

What are the routes for careers offshore?

I’m 43, recently made redundant and not really suited for office work. Did my degree in aero engineering, 7yrs in heavy industry (steel) and the last 13yrs in the power industry building power stations in the worst parts of the world you can think of.

I reckon an offshore rotation would suit me. No wife/kids etc.

Hard to start that late but by no means impossible.

The career structure is aimed at school leavers, so normally you’re looking for a sponsoring company, then they put you on a college course and you blend college time & sea time over 3 years before gainful your first qualification, which these days is a Foundation degree & MCA Officer of Watch (Deck) or (Engine).

I know a guy who was at Nissan Sunderland and left to come to sea at 32.
The 3 years on £1k a month training wage was hard, but his extra experience, maturity & work ethic saw him promoted quite quickly. He’s now Chief Engineer at 41.

If you are serious PM me.

And look here:

https://www.careersatsea.org/

[Stick Legs]

ColdoRS said:

hidetheelephants said:

Stick Legs said:

shirt said:

Interesting thread.

What are the routes for careers offshore?

I’m 43, recently made redundant and not really suited for office work. Did my degree in aero engineering, 7yrs in heavy industry (steel) and the last 13yrs in the power industry building power stations in the worst parts of the world you can think of.

I reckon an offshore rotation would suit me. No wife/kids etc.

Hard to start that late but by no means impossible.

The career structure is aimed at school leavers, so normally you’re looking for a sponsoring company, then they put you on a college course and you blend college time & sea time over 3 years before gainful your first qualification, which these days is a Foundation degree & MCA Officer of Watch (Deck) or (Engine).

I know a guy who was at Nissan Sunderland and left to come to sea at 32.
The 3 years on £1k a month training wage was hard, but his extra experience, maturity & work ethic saw him promoted quite quickly. He’s now Chief Engineer at 41.

If you are serious PM me.

And look here:

https://www.careersatsea.org/

He's got a STEM degree, unless it's very mickey mouse or a 3rd/non-honours that should get shirt onto a marine engineer graduate conversion course which is only ~18 months of which 6-8 months college, at least 6 months seatime and a handful of MTCW courses. If he wants to stare out of windows then it's the full 3 years.

Do they still do the fast track courses? I know the ETO ones were canned when they introduced the CoC but can’t speak for Engineers.

I wasn’t suggesting his qualifications wouldn’t be taken into account!
I only explained the normal progression & the fact it’s pitched at school leavers. I am sure that accreditation of prior learning would happen but not sure the MCA would drop their seatime requirement so there may be a bit of time ‘as a cadet’ so to speak.

[Stick Legs]

Oh so true.

[Stick Legs]

Yeah mate, I drive a dredger.