Most companies have cut travel costs and some now
pay nothing until weapons are in your hands, plus a
“back-to-back” system is being used more now. This is
when you get from one ship to another but get dropped
on a “holding ship” for anything up to 1- 6 weeks - on a
huge pay drop (usually only about $100 a day) and they
are cramped, dirty and with very basic living conditions.
The job side of it is very varied, from excellent ships
to Chinese and Indian-run ships that are very basic all
the way from the food to the cleanliness.
you have to advise, who sleep when they
want - on or off stag - and you have no
control of this and are told you are only
there because of “insurance criteria”.
To top all this, the holding ships are a big question mark. Lads have been arrested whilst on these
ships and are awaiting trial in India. The companies
tell you it’s legal but I take this with a pinch of salt.
Maritime in the beginning was fantastic but in
the last few years many companies have sprung
up and have tendered for contracts. Piracy has
dropped and a mass of people are looking to get
in. All this has caused a huge drop in money; you
can still earn a decent wage but be prepared for
the goal posts to change.
Yet the biggest risk is the lack of procedures
in place for the lads when cross decking
and the fitness of some of the lads. I have
In the last 12 months Nigeria has come into play. My
seen some lads who can’t, or struggle
last job was Nigeria and it was a nightmare… 1 Brit TL and
a Nigerian team - and they have weapons, while you don’t! with ladders when cross decking from the
launch to large vessels, sometimes tankers
A six week job seemed like a year! It’s hard due that are empty and high in the water.
to visas, corruption (from the minute you land
Maritime? It’s just a myth!
to the minute you leave) and a very slack team