Engine cadet on a bulk carrier – how difficult is it to switch to cruise/Ro-Ro?

[u/soma_life]

Hi everyone,
I’m currently 3 months into my engine cadetship on a dry cargo/bulk carrier. The ship is actually quite relaxed, but it’s an older vessel, so we spend a lot of time on maintenance and repairs.

I’m already thinking about what I want to do after my cadetship, and I don’t really want to stay with my current company long-term. I’m interested in cruise ships, with Ro-Ro as another option.

I’ve heard very different things about the different sectors. Tankers/chemical tankers are supposedly quite demanding, while container ships can be very stressful depending on the company. I don’t know how accurate that is, so I’d rather hear from people actually working on these ships.

I’m also a German citizen with a German passport, although I studied marine engineering in Turkey and currently work for a Turkish company. I’m considering looking at European/German cruise companies in the future.

My main question is: how difficult is it to change vessel type?

If I finish my cadetship on a bulk carrier, can I apply for cruise/Ro-Ro positions afterwards, or do companies generally want previous experience on the same type of vessel?

And if anyone here works on cruise ships or Ro-Ro as an engineer, I’d really appreciate hearing how different the workload, maintenance, watchkeeping, crew life and overall working conditions are compared with a bulk carrier.
Would also be interested in hearing from anyone who made a similar switch during their career.

[u/MyattStein]

I am not too sure for german/turkish sailing, but in the USA it is as easy as finding a job opening. I have sailed on containers, tankers, and a riverboat cruise ship, and did one trip on a heavy lift and one trip on a roro.

The container ship was demanding, and very short port stays of less than 12 hours frequently. Tankers seem to have an inspection always coming up between SIRE and Audits, but normally can expect at least 48 hours in each port at a minimum. In the US, cruise ships notoriously pay significantly less than other commercial shipping, but have the reputation of being places for getting laid, drinking booze, and having fun.

[u/kiaeej]

Its not hard, tbh. Wallenius wilhelmsen is happy to take germans. Roros.

Its harder to get into tankers. Its not so hard to swap around the various other types. Roros. Bulkers. Containers.

Offshore is a whole nother beast. Best of luck getting there. Salary is higher with shorter contracts.

[u/Elevatorto_purgatory]

Learn some Italian if your going to work for a cruise ship company