Brent H
Ultra Member
@YYCHM : I don't think there would be many people wanting to do a 2 week for 1 week off trade at this time in the marine industry (maybe a ferry run in your home town?). Most shipping companies are pretty much equal time on/off basis just to keep some interest in the job. check this:
A marine manufacturing/repair company bills out their Technical Reps at about $250/hour plus overtime and living expenses. The customer has to pay all of this $$ and, due to constraints placed on the ship owner by insurance and certification societies, you have to have a company rep on site.
For a typical job in dry dock we will have about 4 to 5 of these "tech's" doing different things and inspecting things. They present a report and the vessel passes certification.
At the end of the day the ship owner forks out about $400K for these reports and services to get the approvals in order to go back sailing - this does not include the cost of anything else, just those 5 people's time over an 8 week period.
So in 8 weeks you are forking out $50K a week or $200K in a month. The tech guy might make about 14 to 16K/ month and I might make 10K in the month. I have to do the following: Train the people on our equipment, supervise them and approve or not approve their work, sign legal documentation regarding the work performed, including their pay sheets and at the end of their work and things are signed off - I take full responsibility for the work they performed and under the Canada Shipping Act I can be found liable and criminally charged for any subsequent pollution, injury or death as a result of their work.
So at the end of the day, if the time off is not there why bother? I have the certification to do all the work these technicians are doing, maybe even more in some cases BUT those guys have to travel all over, time off is more rare and they need to fund retirement. The time off is HUGE
Shipping companies right now face a huge shortage of certified workers - it is like over 10000 officer positions are open all over the globe and the rate is growing. Industry has pushed for unmanned engine rooms, lower certification requirements and many other changes that all make the job very challenging to staff. Not taking into account the mental fitness (or lack there of) a person needs to go away for extended periods of time, isolated on a ship, sea sickness etc etc...
My job has been super interesting and I have been all over Canada, learned a bag load of things in all different disciplines - awesome!! I can't complain as you lye in the bed you make and mine has been comfortable for me and my wife (most of the time) hahahaha
If the Time away is not there I think you would see a mass departure from the merchant marine trade in general. Cruise ships are a bit of an odd ball and I can't really say.....you would need to pull up the bar with Isaac or Goffer and discuss that part of the trade
A marine manufacturing/repair company bills out their Technical Reps at about $250/hour plus overtime and living expenses. The customer has to pay all of this $$ and, due to constraints placed on the ship owner by insurance and certification societies, you have to have a company rep on site.
For a typical job in dry dock we will have about 4 to 5 of these "tech's" doing different things and inspecting things. They present a report and the vessel passes certification.
At the end of the day the ship owner forks out about $400K for these reports and services to get the approvals in order to go back sailing - this does not include the cost of anything else, just those 5 people's time over an 8 week period.
So in 8 weeks you are forking out $50K a week or $200K in a month. The tech guy might make about 14 to 16K/ month and I might make 10K in the month. I have to do the following: Train the people on our equipment, supervise them and approve or not approve their work, sign legal documentation regarding the work performed, including their pay sheets and at the end of their work and things are signed off - I take full responsibility for the work they performed and under the Canada Shipping Act I can be found liable and criminally charged for any subsequent pollution, injury or death as a result of their work.
So at the end of the day, if the time off is not there why bother? I have the certification to do all the work these technicians are doing, maybe even more in some cases BUT those guys have to travel all over, time off is more rare and they need to fund retirement. The time off is HUGE
Shipping companies right now face a huge shortage of certified workers - it is like over 10000 officer positions are open all over the globe and the rate is growing. Industry has pushed for unmanned engine rooms, lower certification requirements and many other changes that all make the job very challenging to staff. Not taking into account the mental fitness (or lack there of) a person needs to go away for extended periods of time, isolated on a ship, sea sickness etc etc...
My job has been super interesting and I have been all over Canada, learned a bag load of things in all different disciplines - awesome!! I can't complain as you lye in the bed you make and mine has been comfortable for me and my wife (most of the time) hahahaha
If the Time away is not there I think you would see a mass departure from the merchant marine trade in general. Cruise ships are a bit of an odd ball and I can't really say.....you would need to pull up the bar with Isaac or Goffer and discuss that part of the trade
