Deck rating
| Highest | $4,750 / mo · Switzerland |
|---|---|
| Experience | 2–4 yrs |
| Degree | Required |
| First paycheck | ~1 month study + first contract |
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 | $4,750max |
| Hong KongIELTS 6.0–6.5 · HK–200k | $4,300 |
| SingaporeIELTS 6.5 · SGD 18–35k | $4,300 |
| United KingdomIELTS 6.0–7.0 · £11–38k | $4,300 |
| NorwayIELTS 6.0–6.5 · NOK 130–260k | $4,250 |
| United StatesTOEFL 80–100 · $10–70k | $4,150 |
What does the day look like?
Around 65% of your time is heavy physical maintenance: chipping rust with pneumatic needle scalers, operating hydrodynamic washers up to 500 bar, applying marine coatings, cleaning cargo holds, and securing containers using steel lashing rods weighing up to 20 kg. Another 25% consists of passive bridge lookout duty or port gangway security verifying passes. Only about 10% involves direct seamanship tasks such as manual helm steering, handling mooring lines at winches, and emergency drills.
At sea, routines follow either a three-watch rotation (4 hours on duty, 8 hours off duty) or daywork from 0800 to 1700 paired with standby watches. Port operations often stretch into 6-on/6-off or continuous 12-hour shifts. Under MLC 2006 regulations, work must not exceed 14 hours in any 24-hour period or 72 hours in any 7-day period, with at least 10 hours of rest daily. Shore leave is frequently limited to 0 to 4 hours due to fast cargo turnarounds.
Where does this lead?
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