When a seafarer joins a ship, he signs a contract called the Agreement which covers the job nature, duration of employment, hours of work, salary and all other fringe benefits of employment.
Salary
Earnings vary greatly from company to company and even from ship to ship within the same company. Broadly speaking, ocean liners pay more than coastal ships and tankers pay more than dry cargo carriers.
Every year, the International Transport Workers’ Federation sets a standard pay structure for different ranks of officers and encourages shipping companies to pay their officers accordingly. Interested persons can enquire the relevant organizations.
Fringe Benefits
Apart from the basic salary, a senior officer receives allowances and bonus, such as allowance for holidays, overtime work and examination etc.
Working Hours
Working hour depends on posts.
Normal working hours per week is 44
Most officers work in shifts while at sea. Except for the radio officers, there are two watches per day and each lasts for 4 hours.
The master and chief engineer generally have no set watches but they can be called on at any time, day or night to deal with critical issues.
On board some modern vessels, some engineer officers do not keep watches. They are mainly engaged during daytime.
On ships with only one radio officer, the radio officer has to be on duty for 8 hours per day. According to the international regulations, his watch should be in 4 sections and each lasts for 2 hours.
Employment Protection
If you have any enquiries about the Employment Ordinance or other labour legislation, you can obtain further information from:
![]() | The 24-hour Enquiry Hotline of the Labour Department :2717 1771 (the Hotline is handle by “1823 Citizen’s Easy Link”) |
![]() | The Labour Department's Homepage: www.labour.gov.hk/eng/legislat/contentA.htm |