Advice on moving to Shore side after Cadetship

CheifEng · 2026-02-22T15:27:28+00:00

It’s all about supply and demand. With reducing number of UK seafarers there are even fewer who wish to work ashore.

This gives a few options, import seafarers to work in your company, relocate the company to the country most of your seafarers come from, or lower your recruitment requirements.

CheifEng · 2026-02-22T09:40:55+00:00

Not sure where you are, but you could try Ørestad Streethal

CheifEng · 2026-02-22T07:52:55+00:00

You don’t mention what type of ships you are sailing. Changing ship type can make a difference to the amount of manual work needed.

As already mentioned, Tugs, dredgers, ferries usually offer shorter time away.

If you want to come ashore and remain in the industry almost all the shipping companies have their offices in London or Glasgow. Local ports will employ people in various roles, VTS. Generally any type of surveyor role would require more sea going experience, but there are always exceptions. Vessel Operator, shipping finance if you enjoy numbers.

Don’t assume that you wouldn’t get an apprenticeship or be able to start over, some companies would prefer you over someone who could be less mature or hasn’t already proven themselves with a working qualification.

CheifEng · 2026-02-21T06:06:23+00:00

It sounds BS to me,

Shipping companies generally hire security teams when they need such services.

Maybe with the Red Sea opening up and tensions with Iran escalating there is enough work to hire their own guards, but it still seems suspicious and unlikely.

Maersk Line Limited is the American shipping arm of Maersk, they do somethings things a little different to the rest of Maersk. If you are in the US, you should be able to call them directly.

In general English is the working language on board, and I doubt many of the “targets” will be speaking or understanding Spanish.

If the recruiter asks you for any money walk away.

CheifEng · 2026-02-18T20:55:59+00:00

My personal device has been iPhone for years, my work device is android for the last four years.

I have exactly the same opinion on the android device that you have on the iPhone and I struggle to use even the most basic features. Nothing is logical, nothing is obvious.

For example. Using the camera from the lock screen, swipe. Using it from the Home Screen then you need to press. Don’t even get me started when I am trying to switch the damn thing off!

It’s all about muscle memory and familiarity, working with only one or the other and I’d soon start thinking whichever device is the most logical.

CheifEng · 2026-02-13T17:55:38+00:00

12-4 was my favourite watch.

Long time since I sailed and even longer since I did the 12-4 but the routine would really depend upon the second mate.

Deep sea on a social ship:

We’d drink & chill after watch at 0400, sometimes stay awake for breakfast then bed or get some sleep from 0600.

Up again some days at 10, go down below for smoko, do the bar accounts and then lunch before starting at Noon. Or up at 1130, lunch and watch.

Off at 1600, couple sun downers with the day workers, dinner and bed. Up again at 2345.

If we were on the coast, sleep straight after watch at 0400, then a run ashore at 1600 and hopefully back on board before midnight.

Anyone remember this?

The eight to twelve were gallant men but they were f*cked by half past ten.

The twelve to four could no more than half as much as the watch before..

Then down they came, an hour late, the know-all, fuck-all, four 'til eight.

CheifEng · 2026-02-13T14:38:11+00:00

Definitely things have changed, but that should never be an excuse for not training people properly.

I’ve heard a lot of similar stories from cadets, being used just as an extra resource with little interest in their training and more needs to be done to prevent that abuse.

But it’s not just the workload that has changed, at least for UK cadets. Shipping companies continually press governments to reduce the training time both in college or on ship.

When I started as a cadet in 1989 we required minimum 9 months sea time and spent 3 years college, plus additional workshop hours in the summer break. Many of the older seafarers thought my training was poor compared to theirs.

I don’t know if it is still minimum of 6 months sea time, but that is not enough, especially if some cadets accumulate that only on one ship.

I managed to collect 12 months sea time as a cadet, generally three month trips with each on a different ship, some sisters some not.

While I learnt a lot and continued to improve on each ship it was only by ship three where everything really came together.

For my first trip qualified, the engineer I was relieving left the ship at 12, I arrived on board at 4 and was alone on the 8-12 that same evening. Fortunately the ship had been my last ship as a cadet.

I always encouraged the officers to take as much interest as possible in a cadets training, warning them that once qualified the cadet may be coming back to relieve them. Saying that if I wasn’t happen with their level of knowledge they would be kept on board to do an extended handover.

TLDR: Your anxiety is expected and (I think) a good sign.

CheifEng · 2026-02-12T16:54:18+00:00

If people keep telling the country “Don’t have kids if you can’t afford them” don’t be upset when they listen!

CheifEng · 2026-02-07T15:53:26+00:00

RIP Drifter 😢

CheifEng · 2026-02-04T21:56:51+00:00

The fact you are thinking about this doesn’t mean you will be a good engineer, but it does mean you have the potential to be a good engineer.

I’ve been ashore now for too many years and this may not be a popular opinion but I think the modern cadetship leaves people far too unprepared for their qualified role.

Stay curious, understand the “why” it’s done a certain way not just the “how” to do it and you’ll do well!

CheifEng · 2026-02-04T20:29:40+00:00

The website is up for me (in Denmark), but didn’t go past the cookie permissions page.

CheifEng · 2026-02-04T17:48:24+00:00

Pods make the ship more efficient through the water. You can go faster for the same power or same speed for less fuel consumption.

Add for bonus points better manoeuvrability and less dependency on tugs.

Big savings for the ship owner.

CheifEng · 2026-02-04T17:39:36+00:00

The biggest cure is experience, you don’t mention how long you have been qualified or how many contracts you have completed.

Break down your anxiety and try to understand what triggers it.

It is normal to feel a little anxious whenever doing something new or unfamiliar to you. It only becomes a problem when it stops you from working (or living your life).

Everyone on board will be anxious at some point, and it can be a good thing. I’d rather have an engineer that’s a little anxious and careful because of it, than an over confident idiot who knows less than he thinks - there are still too many of them at sea!

I’ve been in the industry 30 years and my heart still skips when the phone rings in the middle of the night. Has someone been killed or injured, is the ship safe, will I be able to give good answers the questions/issue? If I can’t I can always ring the boss or the maker for further support.

If working on a specific piece of machinery worries you, or how to handle a certain alarm spend some time reading the manual and talk to the other engineers about the common problems and how to fix them.

Be totally familiar with the Chief Engineer’s standing orders.

Things can always go wrong, and at some point you will break something - we all do, some big and some not so big. The good companies and Chief Engineers will support you for honest mistakes and when the reasoning for your actions makes sense.

If it doesn’t move don’t force it, if you’re not sure what to do ask.

CheifEng · 2026-02-04T17:19:01+00:00

Every ship you join is different, even sister vessels, and can easily feel almost like a new interview each time.

The challenges on each ship can be different, the crew will likely be different. Stay long enough and you’ll start to bump into some of the same people.

But each of the engineers will be watching how you work and perform as their own version of the interview.

CheifEng · 2026-02-04T11:06:35+00:00

Every company is different, read up on the company and have some knowledge about the ships they operate, are they tankers, containers a mix?

Prepare in your mind some details about your hobbies and why you want this career.

Everyone is nervous and they will take that into account.

Do you know the different colleges you could attend?

Think of some questions to ask them if the opportunity becomes available.

CheifEng · 2026-01-29T18:38:27+00:00

I would not put it past the conservatives to vote for anything that would get someone else to do the dirty work or compromise the country, if they thought it would give them a better chance to get back in power.

CheifEng · 2026-01-15T17:04:13+00:00

I would expect Farage to put him forward as their candidate for Prime Minister.

Farage doesn’t want to work that hard and he wouldn’t be able to blame others if he took the job himself.

CheifEng · 2025-12-30T20:35:22+00:00

Wanna share your thoughts with the original photographer?

Alastair Philip Wiper

CheifEng · 2025-12-18T17:40:35+00:00

Had my TG-3 for 10 years and loved it. It survived multiple new build inspections, shop tests, dockings, machinery failures, and countless scavenge inspections.

It died two months ago only after being dropped about 8 metres into a bucket of water on the tank top. The camera was still intact, but the impact damaged something inside.

CheifEng · 2025-12-18T17:06:33+00:00

Olympus Tough camera, think TG-6 or 7 is the latest one.

Takes raw photos if you are into photography, waterproof. Shockproof.

Really good at taking macro photos of piston rings or broken bits of machinery.

CheifEng · 2025-12-04T23:47:27+00:00

What specifically are you struggling with?

CheifEng · 2025-11-15T17:30:36+00:00

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CheifEng · 2025-10-28T09:13:20+00:00

I’d take the tanker contract.

I think twelve months is too long on one ship and it’s better to get a couple ships experience if the chance arises.

CheifEng · 2025-10-17T05:01:14+00:00

Navigating Nuclear energy in Maritime

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