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).

[CouncilFerrari]

I'm on this;



currently West of Shetland. 3/4 rota usually, although we're stuck on due to the recent stormy weather so I'm approaching 5 weeks onboard.

[heisthegaffer]

How is it being on board so long? Is there much entertainment? Exercise machines? Good food? Booze? Good comms to family?

[hidetheelephants]

heisthegaffer said:

How is it being on board so long? Is there much entertainment? Exercise machines? Good food? Booze? Good comms to family?

It's pretty dire now the company have fitted wifi and not limited its use, offduty everyone vanishes into their cabins and when not they're glued to their bloody phones. Depending on what ship you're on there may be some gym equipment but it's often not maintained or the company refuse to fund spare parts. The food is dependent on the cook; a good cook means I go home half a stone heavier, a bad one half a stone lighter. No booze, the north sea is dry, it's a sacking offence, we blow in a tube at every crew change and I dare say if the skipper smelt it on your breath you'd be asked to blow in the tube again, then it would be P45 time.

[MonkeyBusiness]

Great thread. I love knowing about 'different' jobs.
I imagine being stuck at sea isn't great in bad weather. Do you get that time back?

[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.

[hidetheelephants]

MonkeyBusiness said:

Great thread. I love knowing about 'different' jobs.
I imagine being stuck at sea isn't great in bad weather. Do you get that time back?

Crewchange is pretty reliable, its unusual for it to be moved for weather, more often its operational reasons like another vessel has had a failure or a maintenance period has overrun and we have to stay out longer. Sometimes we get the time back, sometimes they just pay us O/T for it. We were out for double the usual time at the beginning of the plague as everything was upside down; that was boring rather than stressful.

[keo]

Great thread. I used to work offshore, not full time but I just got sent to different platforms as and when. Perm crew would laugh when I said I didn’t get 2/3 off when I got back.

Longest stint I did was 27 days offshore on ninnian south once.

In some ways I miss it. Watched a marine engineer video on Instagram on a ship the other day actually and thought I wonder if I could get back into it. Rigs or ships. Think I have been out of it ti long now and I do like being at home as well now.

[egor110]

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 ?

[CouncilFerrari]

heisthegaffer said:

How is it being on board so long? Is there much entertainment? Exercise machines? Good food? Booze? Good comms to family?

It's tiring is what it is! The combination of 31 shifts and the inability to sleep because of these storms makes it quite hard work.

We have Sky TV, a games room etc so it's good. There is a decent gym, but that is shut during bad weather for obvious reasons. The food is good (I think), albeit it's very much a 'school dinner' style of catering.

Comms are good now, we've recently installed starlink which is nearly as fast as what I have at home.

MonkeyBusiness said:

Great thread. I love knowing about 'different' jobs.
I imagine being stuck at sea isn't great in bad weather. Do you get that time back?

We don't get the time back, no. Normally 3 weeks on, 4 weeks off. Any delay comes out of your time off. We do get compensated for extra time onboard though.

Edited by CouncilFerrari on Sunday 4th February 17:41

[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.

[heisthegaffer]

Thanks, interesting.

[Simpo Two]

hidetheelephants said:

offduty everyone vanishes into their cabins and when not they're glued to their bloody phones. Depending on what ship you're on there may be some gym equipment but it's often not maintained or the company refuse to fund spare parts.

Table football, that's what you need

We have coasters into a small port every 2-3 weeks; I think they have a crew of about 8. I often wonder what kind of life it is, trudging around the seas of north-west Europe.

One of them was sunk in a collision a few months ago

[CharlieAlphaMike]

Simpo Two said:

One of them was sunk in a collision a few months ago

Are you talking about Verity?

[JuanCarlosFandango]

This is is interesting. On a clear day I can see the boats out to sea when I'm out for a walk. I sometimes look them up on the AIS tracker, they're mostly supplying the oil rigs, sometimes cargo ships. The odd cruise ship, and flvery few fishing boats. I often quite envy the people on board. On a clear day.

I quite envy the people who have 4 weeks off too. I'd have to save up a bucket load of money and either quit my job or arrange some kind of a one off extended holiday to take a month off and be able to spend it doing stuff I enjoy without worrying about going broke.

If anyone needs a professional vomiter on their next voyage let me know!

[pidsy]

Interesting thread!

Watching.

[hidetheelephants]

Simpo Two said:

hidetheelephants said:

offduty everyone vanishes into their cabins and when not they're glued to their bloody phones. Depending on what ship you're on there may be some gym equipment but it's often not maintained or the company refuse to fund spare parts.

Table football, that's what you need

In the North Sea on something that weighs slightly more than a large bath toy? You'll be suggesting a pool table next.

[Krikkit]

hidetheelephants said:

Simpo Two said:

hidetheelephants said:

offduty everyone vanishes into their cabins and when not they're glued to their bloody phones. Depending on what ship you're on there may be some gym equipment but it's often not maintained or the company refuse to fund spare parts.

Table football, that's what you need

In the North Sea on something that weighs slightly more than a large bath toy? You'll be suggesting a pool table next.

One of those gimballed ones yeah

[normalbloke]

hidetheelephants said:

Simpo Two said:

hidetheelephants said:

offduty everyone vanishes into their cabins and when not they're glued to their bloody phones. Depending on what ship you're on there may be some gym equipment but it's often not maintained or the company refuse to fund spare parts.

Table football, that's what you need

In the North Sea on something that weighs slightly more than a large bath toy? You'll be suggesting a pool table next.

Bugatti make a gyroscopic one for just such occasions…£300k though…

[steveamv8]

Im on this in the gulf

Onboard client for the diving safety side 6 on 3 off
Been here 11 years.
On my last year before retirement ....maybe..
42 years under my belt at sea ,
When is it enough ?