On Board

What sea life
actually looks like.

Accommodation, meals, internet, rotation schedules, medical cover — the things that don't appear in job listings but matter most.

What's included in every sea contract

🛏️

Private cabin

Almost all modern vessels provide single-berth cabins for crew — a meaningful quality of life improvement over older vessels with shared cabins.

🍽️

Three meals daily

Meals are provided by the ship's catering department. Quality varies by operator, but food cost is never the seafarer's expense.

✈️

Return travel

Most operators pay flights to the joining port and home at contract end — always confirm explicitly before signing.

🏥

Medical coverage

MLC 2006 requires employers to cover medical treatment for seafarers while on contract — including evacuation if necessary.

🌐

Satellite internet

Most vessels now provide crew internet access. Bandwidth and cost (if any) vary significantly by company and vessel age.

💰

Low daily expenses

At sea, accommodation, meals and transport are covered. Most seafarers save a much higher proportion of income than shore-based equivalents.

Rotation: deep-sea vs offshore

🌊 Deep-sea contracts

  • Typical length: 4–9 months on board
  • Equal leave ashore after contract ends
  • Less predictable rotation — depends on vessel schedule
  • Higher base salary, more sea time accumulated
  • Common on tankers, bulk carriers and container vessels

⛽ Offshore rotations

  • Typical rotation: 4–8 weeks on, 4–8 weeks off
  • More predictable schedule, easier to plan leave
  • Day rate structure — income stops between rotations
  • Common on AHTS, PSV and DP-classed vessels
  • Requires DP certification for most roles

Find a contract that fits your lifestyle

1,200+ verified vacancies with contract lengths and salaries shown upfront.