Chief engineer
| Highest | $11,550 / mo · Switzerland |
|---|---|
| Experience | 5+ yrs |
| Degree | Required |
| First paycheck | 4 years academy + 6 to 9 years of sea service |
Pay in the destination countries
Monthly, in US dollars. Each country is an Imora admission package — open one for that route's fees, language requirement and deadline.
| Country | Monthly |
|---|---|
| SwitzerlandIELTS 6.5 · CHF 0.9–8k | $11,550max |
| Hong KongIELTS 6.0–6.5 · HK–200k | $10,450 |
| SingaporeIELTS 6.5 · SGD 18–35k | $10,450 |
| United KingdomIELTS 6.0–7.0 · £11–38k | $10,450 |
| NorwayIELTS 6.0–6.5 · NOK 130–260k | $10,350 |
| United StatesTOEFL 80–100 · $10–70k | $10,100 |
What does the day look like?
Hands-on mechanical work like turning wrenches and piston overhauls accounts for only 10% to 15% of your day. Physical maintenance is carried out by ratings, engine cadets, and 4th, 3rd, and 2nd Engineers. In reality, 85% to 90% of your time is spent on administrative compliance, ordering spare parts and fuel, managing Planned Maintenance Systems work orders in AMOS, Sertica, Danaos PMS, DNV ShipManager, or Bassnet, preparing for classification surveys, and certifying environmental logs.
You monitor operating parameters on MAN Energy Solutions ME-C / MC or WinGD X-DF engines, ensure bilge water passes through the 15 ppm Oily Water Separator, oversee bunkering, and supervise Kongsberg K-Chief or Lyngsø Marine automation platforms. Under Unattended Machinery Space operation at sea, working hours run from 08:00 to 17:00, but you remain on 24-hour on-call duty via an alarm panel in your cabin. Maneuvering and port calls require your physical presence in the engine control room regardless of the hour. Standard deep-sea contracts follow rotations of 3 months on / 3 months off or 4 months on / 4 months off.
Where does this lead?
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