Category SEA JOBS

Being a seaman on a bulk carrier is not the most glamorous job in shipping. Most people who do it know this before they sign on. What is less clear, until you are actually on board, is what the days…

Bulk carriers move more cargo than any other vessel type in the world. Coal, grain, iron ore, fertiliser, bauxite. The ships are unglamorous, the cargo is unglamorous, and the work itself does not get written about the way tanker or…

The chief mate, also called the chief officer, on a bulk carrier carries more operational responsibility than the equivalent rank on most other vessel types. The cargo work is complex, the maintenance demands are continuous, and the department management load…

The deck officer career on bulk carriers follows the same structure as the rest of merchant shipping. The certificates are the same, the ranks are the same, and the sea service requirements are the same. What differs is the day-to-day…

The dry bulk sector employs a large proportion of the world’s seafarer workforce. Knowing which companies are active, what they look for and how to approach them makes the job search considerably more efficient than applying broadly and hoping. The…

Engineering on a bulk carrier is straightforward compared to tanker or LNG work. That is not a criticism. It is accurate. The systems are standard, the regulatory burden specific to cargo type is absent, and the maintenance demands are consistent…

Yes. Ship size affects almost everything about the job on a bulk carrier. The certificate requirements are the same. The rank structure is the same. The daily experience is considerably different. The Vessels Handymax and Supramax bulk carriers sit in…

Getting a bulk carrier job is not technically difficult. There are a lot of vessels and a consistent demand for qualified crew. What most people get wrong is the approach, applying broadly and waiting rather than targeting specifically and following…

Bulk carriers are not where you go to maximize earnings. That is just the honest starting point. Understanding the actual numbers and what moves them up or down is more useful than a vague sense that bulkers pay less. Why…

Bulk carriers do not require the specialist endorsements that tankers or gas carriers need. The certificate requirements are the standard STCW framework that applies across merchant shipping. Understanding exactly which certificates apply to which rank on which vessel type prevents…