tankers vs container ships

[halflife]

hi guys just got my contract from clyde marine finally after what seems like a life long wait now its time for sponsor choices i like to work on tankers or container ships when i finish my cadetship so my questions are
what are the pros and cons for both ?
what companies should i choose from clyde list?(i am thinking harrison 2002 or british marine plc at the moment)
what is it like to work on them?cabins?facilities?crew quaters?
which one pays better once you qualify?
what is the leave like on both? is 4 on 2 off too optimistic for junior officer?
thanks in advance for your help also special thanks to chiefy,size4,alistairuk and guinnessMan without your help and advice i couldnt have done it so thank you thank you and thank you i love to buy you guys a cold beer each thank you again

[Ducki52]

Go for a tanker company. British Marine was to be one of my choices had I got a cadetship with CMT, however, it was not to be. Pay on tankers is above average, so think above the ?25k pa mark, and leave is time for time (i.e. 4 months on, 4 months off) in nearly all sectors of the industry, except for cruse ships and they are starting to come round to the idea. I think tankers also tend to have slightly better shipboard facilities, however, this obviously varies from company to company, shipbuilder to shipbuilder and architect to architect.

[size4riggerboots]

Mine's a cider!

Depends on the company, but either will give you good experience. Stop fretting about the pay you'll get in 3 or 4 years time and concentrate on getting the most out of your cadetship. My advice- go with tankers, you'll get extra courses and if you can deal with all the calcs for loading wet, then loading dry should be a doddle.

[GuinnessMan]

Knowing Harrisons 2002 Ltd really well, they are a good option as you will go all over the place with them through their ship manager.

Tankers are, in my opinion, the better choice simply because of the number of options it provides to you. It's the old chicken and egg situation when it comes to to tankers and experience as most companies won't hire you for a tanker without some experience, especially as a deck officer as you are responsible for cargo operations and if it goes pear shaped then you run the risk of rolling your vessel or you damage your cargo or cargo equipment (all very expensive, trust me I've seen all of that and have had the heart attacks when the bills for them have come in). It's also much easier to go from dry cargo ships to wet cargo ships than the other way around. Don't get so hung up on getting on a tanker, just get through your cadetship and sort it out then.

[ramfeild66]

Where you headed college wise?

I'm not interested on working container ships per se, but tankers are definitely my interest. My fear with CMT however, is that you list a bunch of tanker/container/bulk cargo operators are that you'll get Zodiac, even if you don't list them. By all accounts, if you do, you'll be getting Zodiac. When I said I was interested in working tankers my interviewer instantly began talking about Zodiac, same happened when I met the boss at an open day. Then again, you might love Zodiac, I have no first hand knowledge of the company to comment. As GM said above, don't sweat who you train with, make the most of it.

[YoungMariner]

If you have a choice, Tankers would be a good one for your cadetship as it leaves you with the wet cargo qualifications which opens up more doors in your future career choices.
I think conditions overall across all ship types are improving and time for time is much more common.

[ETwhat?]

Knowing Harrisons 2002 Ltd really well, they are a good option as you will go all over the place with them through their ship manager.

Tankers are, in my opinion, the better choice simply because of the number of options it provides to you. It's the old chicken and egg situation when it comes to to tankers and experience as most companies won't hire you for a tanker without some experience, especially as a deck officer as you are responsible for cargo operations and if it goes pear shaped then you run the risk of rolling your vessel or you damage your cargo or cargo equipment (all very expensive, trust me I've seen all of that and have had the heart attacks when the bills for them have come in). It's also much easier to go from dry cargo ships to wet cargo ships than the other way around. Don't get so hung up on getting on a tanker, just get through your cadetship and sort it out then.

I think GM you need a little edit there It's also much easier to go from dry cargo ships to wet cargo ships than the other way around. are you sure thats what you meant t say? as it kinda contradicts your chicken and egg thing?

[GuinnessMan]

I think GM you need a little edit there It's also much easier to go from dry cargo ships to wet cargo ships than the other way around. are you sure thats what you meant t say? as it kinda contradicts your chicken and egg thing?

Aye, other way round sorry. It's been one of those weeks...

[halflife]

guinnessMan did you do your cadetship with harrison 2002? they seem like a nice company i like to sound of going all over the plaice with them bit of travelling never hurts anyone is there any chance getting a job after your cadetship with them or do they see you as a tax relief? ramfield66 i am heading to south tyneside i wanted to go to warsash originally but as long as i get my ticket at the end i am happy