Seafarers` salaries: how much are Ukrainian specialists paid?

Despite the ongoing crisis with the change of crews of the merchant fleet, Ukrainian sailors remain one of the most demanded specialists in the field of maritime shipping. USM found out which levels of salary are now offered to marine officers for work in foreign shipping companies by Odesa crewing agencies.

Salaries, as in the rest of the world, depend on the qualifications of the specialist, the type and size of the vessel for which the seafarer is hired. The data was taken from open offers on crewing sites and specialized Telegram channels in June 2021 (according to data for June 1-15) with an indication of salaries and bonuses.

Capitans` salaries

The largest salary in June is offered to the captain of a LPG tanker (liquefied petroleum gas tanker). The German company is recruiting captains for four new tankers with a deadweight of 4,000 tons, with a contract duration of 4 months and working in a mixed European crew. Salary – $ 14.5 thousand per month, including bonuses.

Nearby is the vacancy of the captain for a very large oil tanker (VLCC) with a deadweight of almost 300 thousand tons, built in 2011 in South Korea. The company is Singaporean, the crew is mixed, the contract duration is 4 months. Payment differential is from $ 12650 to $ 14650 per month.

The lowest salary of the captain among the June offers of Odesa crewing is 4300 euros per month on a dry cargo vessel with a deadweight of 3300 tons. The contract endurance is also four months.

At the same time, on bulk carriers (the most numerous vacancies), captains are offered $ 8500 – $ 9000 per month.

Senior Engineers

An absolute leader in terms of salary among the vacancies from crewing offices in Odesa in June is the position of a senior engineer for a large liquified natural gas carrier (LNG) with a salary of $ 20.5 thousand per month with a contract duration of 3 months.

The lowest salary offered for a senior engineer is $ 4,000 for a small dry cargo vessel built in 1990. The vessel is sailing under the flag of Liberia. The contract endures from two to three months.

Chief mate

The most tempting salary for a chief mate vacancy is $ 12,300 per month + bonuses on an LPG tanker built in 2018. However, experience is a musthave in this position on a large LPG transport vessel.

9,600 – 12,600 per month (depending on work experience and previous position, not lower than second mate) are offered to senior captain’s mate on large Aframax tankers with a deadweight of more than 100 thousand tons and LR1 tankers. Contract for 4 months with the possibility of further employment with the same owner of the vessel.

The lowest salary offered for a senior executive in June is $ 2,500 with a six-month contract for an 8,000 DWT dry cargo vessel. The area of ​​navigation and the year of construction of the steam boat are not reported, but it is very likely that they will have to work on the old vessel.

Captain’s mates

Assistants to the captain with a lower rank than the chief mate are naturally paid less. But the amount of monetary compensation also depends on the experience of the officer and the type of vessel.

Among the most lucrative salary offers is a second assistant on an offshore drilling platform in Northern Europe with a salary of 400 euros per day “clean” and a 3:3 ratio of work weeks. That is, for 21 days you can get € 8400 net.

In second place is the salary of $ 5,000 for a chemical tanker with a Russian-speaking crew with a contract duration of 5 months.

A second mate can qualify for a salary of $ 1,200 per month. This is the lowest figure offered by crewing. They will have to work on a vessel (built in 1979) of a Turkish company under the flag of Panama, in a Ukrainian crew. Navigation area – Black and Azov seas. They promise to pay the salary regularly, and the contract must be signed for six months. The vacancy is suitable for a start as a second assistant.

The highest salary for the third mate is also offered on a chemical tanker. They pay $ 4000 per month, there are options for working both with experience and at the start in this position, in a mixed and Russian-speaking crew, with contracts of 5 +/- 1 month.

The least – $ 1200 per month – was offered to the third assistant on the Sormovskiy dry cargo vessel “river-sea” built in 1979, in a Ukrainian crew, but with a Turkish vessel owner and a Panamanian flag. You won’t have to go beyond the Black Sea.

Engineers

The largest salaries of second engineers – up to $ 11,700 per month – are on LPG tankers and gas carriers. Plus bonuses depending on the region of operation of the vessel. But you need experience for such a position, at least 12 months.

A second engineer on an offshore dredger in Europe is promised € 320 per day, with 6 shifts after 6 weeks.

The second engineer can also expect on a salary of $ 2,750 per month on a small container ship from an Estonian company, but flying under the flag of Malta. The crew consists of Ukrainian nationals, the duration of the contract is 4 months. This is the lowest salary offered by Odesa crewing companies in June.

The highest salary of the third engineer in the open for access advertisements of crewing firms in Odesa – $ 7350 per month on an LNG tanker.

The duration of the contract is 3 months.

The third engineer can also find a job on the position with a salary of $ 1250 in a Ukrainian crew on an old dry cargo vessel of the Sormovo project (1979) with all the following features of work. Knowing English is not necessary, since the crew is Ukrainian, the company is Turkish, the flag is Panamanian, the navigation area is the Azov and Black seas. The duration of the contract is six months, and they promise not to delay the salary.

Fourth engineers are provided from $ 1,400 a month with a contract of six months duration on an oil tanker up to $ 7,680 plus bonuses on an LNG tanker. That is, even higher than the third engineers. Work experience in this case is required.

Electrician Engineers

As an electrician, as a rule, is in the crew alone, then his salary depends on the level of qualifications, degree of responsibility and the type of vessel.

Offers in June: from 1250 per month (contract – six months) on a dry cargo vessel with a deadweight of 8 thousand tons up to $ 7,500 per month (contract – four months) on a large crude oil tanker with a deadweight of 300 thousand tons.

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In this review, we did not look at the details of seafarers’ salaries in offshore companies. Just give examples. It has its own specifics of employment and options for remuneration for work. This is a topic for a separate article, as is the case with salaries on cruise vessels and mega-yachts.

As for the merchant and tanker fleet, USM does not exclude that salaries on such vessels may be higher than those declared by crewing agencies (these are intermediaries) if the seaman is in direct contact with the vessel owner’s HR department.

USM reported previously that in 2021 the shortage of command personnel on merchant vessels was estimated at 3%.

According to the forecasts of the consulting agency Drewry, by 2026 the deficit of command personnel in the trade sector will grow and may reach the highest figure for a decade – 5%. The deficit is now at 3%.

As Drewry notes, finding highly qualified personnel for officer positions and retaining them today is not easy. This will be even more difficult as the influx of personnel lags behind the growth of the fleet.

“The salaries of officers should also go up. The salaries of a certain composition are mainly collective agreements, and the level of salaries and command personnel to a greater extent depends on market factors,” the representatives of the consulting agency comment on the situation.

Author: Evgeniy Belyiy