What are the living facilities like on a container ship?

[RNR]

What are the living facilities like on a container ship? I know it depends on the company but a general idea would be a big help. Here are my main questions:

What are your quarters like?
How many members of crew are typically on a container ship?
Are there separate messes for the crew and officers?
Is the food edible?
What is the general working pattern? (ie how many hours on duty and off)
Do you get a good amount of shore leave or very little generally?

Thanks guys

[GuinnessMan]

Re: Living on a container ship

Quarters: I was on older vessels so my cabin was fine. It had a bed and a desk. Didnt really need anything else.

Crew: Normally between 20 and 30 depending on vessel type, route and supernumaries on board.

Messes: Again, I was on older ships when the distinction was still there so yes there was, although it wasnt really followed until we brought more crew on.

Food: Down to your cook. On my first ship the cook was brilliant. Last ship, the cook was god-damn awful which meant that our food was barely edible. I would like some meat with the bones we are eating for dinner.

Working Pattern: Depends on a number of factors. Deck Officers will generally work a watch-keeping pattern, but will have other responsibilites so will also be working outside those set hours. Engineers are different. It could be a watch-keeping pattern or it could be a UMS ship in which case, 8 - 5.

Shore Leave: Depends on where you are and where your going. If your going to be going up and down America then no, probably not as it's bloody expensive to go ashore (you need to be escorted). Also, some container terminals are in the middle of no-where, so going ashore isnt really an option.

[Chiefy]

Re: Living on a container ship

Most modern box boats the accomadation os basically a 40ft stack of boxes plonked above the engine room (the notable exception ebing those new funny looking CMA ones with accom forward and ER/ Funnel aft).

The inside is pretty much an Homage to Ikea, you get your own cabin with ensuite, though some ships have cadeteries, which maybe 2 cadets in your own "space" but with common nearly ensuite!

Food is hit and miss and as mentioned depends on both the cook AND the senior management if your senoir management arent as interested as some more rotund seniors who happen to like thier food thhen there will be differences

Working time will depend on your department and in some case how senoir you are, a first trip deck cadet may expect more time with the bosun and gang doing the greasing and painting with some bridge time, where as a last trip cadet may find themselves doing a daylight watch on thier own while the Mate does "paperwork" or other stuff on the end of a radio / phone. Engineers it's pretty much UMS nowadays (other than cruises and breakdowns) so 0800-1700 during which time you may be planked with the duty engineer for a few days or you may work with the 3rd for a week, and do what he does etc, all a bit fluid tbh.

As for shore leave...HA! what the hell is that then? Assuming you go to a nice country you will be in the middle of knowhere and it'll be a pain to get ashore, otherwise it's pot luck, dont forget most box boats are in and out in 12 hours and there is much to do in that time not just the cargo, but bunkers, food, stores, Port State Inspections and lord knows what else, like an airplane a ship costs money in port only making money when on the move.

[Beef1992]

Re: What are the living facilities like on a container ship?

The ship on our Transatlantic Crossing montreal , liverpool or southampton , le harve , rotterdam , hangburg and back spends 3 days in Montreal but it does have to unload and reload fully around 2500 20fts

[Chiefy]

Re: What are the living facilities like on a container ship?

only2500 20ft's pffftttttttt Singapore do that in a shift (12 hours) with 5 cranes...yeah baby watch that lego fly

[tempest]

Re: What are the living facilities like on a container ship?

Yeah, the way I was told was that OOCL's first voyage is all about easing people into sea life, by giving them a fairly short voyage, with mainly Europeans on board, where they travel to countries with a good standard of English, and are given a night in Montreal.

It is from what I gather a sort of joining gift, and unlikely to happen again, esp in the engine room, where there's less shore time than deck, unless I'm wrong with that?

[GuinnessMan]

Re: What are the living facilities like on a container ship?

Yup! Neither side gets more shore time than the other. Your both busy doing different things, although in my experience, the deckies were sitting drinking coffee watching things going on and off, and we were sitting in the control room drinking coffee watching gauges.....

Although as a cadet you may be given some leniency and allowed to look about....

[Beef1992]

Re: What are the living facilities like on a container ship?

Well im not going on that anyway as Ian sherwood told us its full for cadets so will be looking at the Asia ones , or a Hamburg Sud , South america route