Monthly basic wages for 15 maritime ranks across bulk carriers, tankers, container ships and LNG. Built from ITF frameworks, current market data and real listings on ShipCrewFinder — no agency spin.
Calculator, rank comparison and the full career ladder — interactive.
Where the world's crews come from, what they earn, and how companies hire them — based on the July 2026 BIMCO/ICS Seafarer Workforce Report.
Same rank, same certificate — up to double the pay. The difference is cargo risk, certification burden and how deep the qualified pool runs. Written from the engine room, not from a desk.
Coal, iron ore, grain — low cargo risk, minimal extra certification, and a huge supply of qualified crew. That combination sets the floor of the pay scale.
The trade-off is honest: older tonnage is common, ports sit far from city centers, and loading means crane noise and dust. But port turnarounds are calmer, inspection pressure is lighter than tankers, and it is the fastest lane to sea time and promotion — which is why many careers start here.
Liner schedules measure port stays in hours, not days. There is no "we'll fix it alongside" — every repair happens at sea, on the move.
The machinery is enormous: ultra-large container vessels run 11–12 cylinder main engines, backed by heavy generator capacity for thousands of reefer boxes. No explosive cargo means it pays under tankers — but the tempo and machinery stress put it firmly above bulk.
Basic STCW is not enough — Advanced Oil/Chemical Tanker Cargo Operations plus a flag-state endorsement are mandatory before you sign on.
And the work never stops at the berth: inert gas systems, steam turbine or FRAMO cargo pumps, boilers and vapor recovery all sit on the engine team — under constant OCIMF/SIRE inspection pressure. Add flammable and toxic cargo (H₂S, chemicals) where one static spark matters, and the premium explains itself.
IGC and IGF Code training, an advanced gas endorsement — and the hardest part: accumulating the required sea time on gas tonnage to even enter the pool.
The cargo isn't just carried — it's reliquefied on board or burned in dual-fuel engines (ME-GI, X-DF), with cryogenic systems at −162°C leaving zero tolerance for error. Few officers can run this technology, and companies pay top of the market to keep the ones who can.
Real figures from real seafarers make this index stronger than any agency report. Takes 20 seconds. Completely anonymous.
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