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Hi everyone,

I'm from Argentina and I'm planning to start studying to become a deck officer next year after finishing my business degree.

I've been researching the profession for quite a while, but salary information seems to be all over the place. Most sources mention something like USD 80–120k/year for Third Officers, but then I find U.S. jobs paying far more (Military Sealift Command, Jones Act, etc.), hence shifting global average to a wrong estimate, on the other end I see reports of some international Third Officers earning USD 2,500–4,000/month. Then I also come across non-U.S. LNG officers reporting USD 100k+/year.

At this point I'm struggling to understand what the international market actually looks like.

If you're comfortable sharing, I'd really appreciate some rough figures. It would be especially helpful if you could include:

Your nationality (or the hiring market you're employed through)

Ship type (LNG, LPG, container, bulk, crude, chemical, offshore, cruise, etc.)

Rank

Years of experience

Rotation (4/4, 6/6, etc.)

Approximate annual compensation (including leave pay if applicable)

I'm not looking for exact numbers—just trying to build a realistic picture of what deck officers actually earn around the world and how compensation progresses throughout a career.

Thanks in advance to everyone willing to share their experience!

​Is there anyone who could share some information regarding the salary, working conditions, and allowances on VLCC DF ships?!!!

​Lately, the salaries and working conditions for DF container ships and DF car carriers look really good, so I am considering changing ship.

Before making a move, I am curious about how crew salaries are structured at other companies. I would really appreciate it if you could share some details with me. ​For reference, the current benefits for the Master and Chief Engineer on the ship I am on right now are:

​Monthly wage: $15,500 USD (only while onboard!) ​DF allowance (per month, only while onboard): $500 USD ​Rotation: 6 months on / 2 months off

I have just completed B.Sc Nautical Science and STCW courses, STSDSD and OCTCO. I also have my CDC in hand. Need guidance in finding placements. If anybody (recruiter or anyone that has connections with recruiters)can help me get an opportunity to participate in any companies placement drive it would be appreciated. Is there any company that I can directly mail for an opportunity??

Is tourniquet mandatory component of vessel medical chest?

Hi, could someone tell me more about the Deck Cadet position at Carnival, or about deck officers at Carnival in general? During my interview, they explained that the career path is Deck Cadet Apprentice → Deck Cadet → Safety Officer → Third Officer, which seems like quite a long progression before reaching Third Officer, so I was wondering how quickly people usually advance. What are the working conditions like, and how does Carnival compare to other cruise lines such as NCL, Royal Caribbean, and Disney in terms of career progression, pay, and the overall working environment?

Hi everyone. I'm a 23-year-old who just finished grad school with a Master of Science in Finance and an undergrad degree in Accounting and Finance. I had offers from traditional finance firms (think investment banks), but they didn't work out for various reasons. Now, I'll be going into shipping operations as an associate. Overall, I'm feeling pretty lost. Most of my peers are in traditional finance, and I'm scared that I'm not doing the right thing with my degree or background, and the maritime industry is something that is so unfamiliar to me. So, any word of advice or insight into shipping operations/dry bulk as a career would mean a lot to me. Thanks!

Is there Canadian Officer Unions with halls and job boards like the USA? How does your Canadian Officer Unions work up there? Do you have multiple or just one national one?

I don’t know if anyone else has been having a hard time submitting there documents to the coast guard recently but I was getting tired of it and wanted something to combine everything into one pdf to make it easy to upload. I made this simple app for that, you can take photos and combine everything into one easy pdf for upload. I would appreciate if anyone does use it to let me know what can be improved, this is the first app I have ever made.

This happened earlier this week. The parasail boat captain in my opinion is completely at fault for a variety of reasons.

edit to add The parasail is being pulled by a boat, we call them parasailers here, didn't realize so.e were unfamiliar and confused by the term parasail. Unfortunately I can't change the title to " parasail vessel" to avoid any confusion"

What is alarming is a few licensed captains in Key West are trying to argue the ferry is to blame by claiming the parasail vessel is RAM.

The USCG has made it clear that not only parasail vessels are not RAM even when flying a chute, but they are also required to stay out of shilling channels, which the ferry, Key West Express was in. It can also be argued that the ferry is "constrained by her draft in a narrow channel outside of COLREGs", however to my knowledge they were not flying the cylinder day shape to declared such a restriction, they may start to after this incident as it would limit their liability in civil court if an incident like this results in a collision.

I apologize for the FB link, it's all I got right now. If I get a better link to the video I will post it

Looking for people's experiences and recommendations for online USCG 25/50 or 100 ton captains courses. My husband and I both have our sea time (mine for 100 ton, his for 50 ton) and we want to have one or both of us get our tickets by next fishing season. Currently living in Alaska and we just had a baby so online options are appealing at the moment but I'm a little wary of going this route because I've heard some negative reviews of 'online sea school'. So far I've been exploring Sea School and Mariners Learning System. AVTEC would be an option for in-person learning but it's really expensive and would be difficult with a baby. Our sea time has been on commercial and charter fishing vessels. Looking for any input from other mariners. Thanks in advance!

Anyone exepericed deme interviews? Dredging. What to expect?

My husband has maritime experience and is currently looking for work around the NYC area.

We've been checking the usual job boards, but I figured I'd ask here in case anyone knows of companies that are actively hiring.

He has experience as a deckhand/first mate and is open to other maritime-related positions as well.

If you know of any companies, ferries, tugboat operators, terminals, or other employers that are hiring, I'd really appreciate any leads. Even if it's just a company you'd recommend contacting directly, I'd be grateful.

This is a serious inquiry—we're trying to get him back to work as soon as possible. We have a home and bills to pay, so any legitimate leads or recommendations would truly mean a lot.

Private messages preferred but comments are okay too. Thank you.

Also to add, more than happy to share his resume and cover letter.

MarineTraffic data shows commercial shipping continuing through both of the Middle East's critical maritime chokepoints, although traffic patterns reflect growing operational caution. On 21 July, 9 verified vessels transited the Strait of Hormuz, compared with 29 crossings through Bab el Mandeb. Over 20 to 21 July, Hormuz recorded 22 crossings, with 16 using the Iranian Unilateral Scheme, while Bab el Mandeb handled 73 crossings. Vessel behaviour is also shifting, with four verified U turns near the Gulf of Aden following heightened security threats. Combined with 61 confirmed maritime incidents reported by the IMO, the data suggests that geopolitical risk is increasingly influencing routing decisions, even as commercial traffic continues.

I am a european newly qualified OOW COC ||/1 coming from cargo ships, in the previous 2 months i tried to apply to every possible Cruise ship company, even stating that im avaiable for a contract as deck cadet but i always got refused, Cruise companies talk about high standards, super experienced officers but in reality 8/10 of the junior officers you see on a bridge are just lucky people who know someone that got them in, anyone who legit made it by himself recently please share your opinion, how you made it and some advices, do you know if its a temporary situation and is it worth to keep trying until september or should i just go for cargo ships

Quick question for anyone who had experience it being in a VLCC or LPGC in strait of Hormus during this current year war.

Did u receive both war risk bonus and high risk bonus?

If the Captain is upset with u, did he succeeded in not giving u both HRA and WRB? Or he succeeded in not giving u either of the 2?