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Tanker shipping — covering crude oil carriers, product tankers, chemical tankers, and gas carriers (LPG and LNG) — offers some of the highest wages in the merchant fleet, reflecting the additional hazard, regulatory, and vetting burden on deck and engine officers. The mandatory tanker-specific endorsements under STCW Chapter V, Section V/1-1 (oil and chemical) and V/1-2 (gas) are additional to the base STCW deck or engine officer CoC. Officers also navigate the OCIMF SIRE vetting regime and charterer compliance requirements that do not exist on dry-cargo vessels. The tanker sector employs roughly one-third of the world fleet tonnage and provides a clear progression from Fourth Officer / Fourth Engineer through Chief Mate / Chief Engineer to Master or Chief Engineer on major crude carriers. STCW sets the international floor; the issuing flag state can add national requirements — always verify with the issuing administration. See also LNG/LPG careers for the gas-carrier specialist track and the career pathways reference.
OCIMF's Ship Inspection Report Programme (SIRE 2.0, launched 2023) is the primary tanker vetting tool used by charterers, traders, and port state control. SIRE inspectors board tankers at any port call and assess compliance with the Vessel Inspection Questionnaire (VIQ) across navigation, mooring, cargo, engineering, safety management, and crew competency. The Tanker Management and Self-Assessment (TMSA) programme runs in parallel — companies self-assess their SMS against a 12-element TMSA framework, with charterers using TMSA ratings when evaluating operators.
The tanker promotion ladder mirrors the standard deck and engine progression, with the addition of tanker endorsements at each level:
Tanker wages are consistently above dry-cargo equivalents, reflecting the additional endorsement, vetting, and hazard burden. Indicative monthly rates:
Full data by vessel type in the salary database.
STCW V/1-1 and V/1-2 courses are delivered at maritime training centres worldwide. Major providers include: Witherby Seamanship (UK), NMSDC (Netherlands), Trondhjem Maritime Academy (Norway), Philippine Maritime Training Centre (Philippines), Mumbai / Chennai METCs (India). Verify that the centre is approved by the issuing flag state — approval lists differ between flags.
Yes. STCW provides separate endorsements under V/1-1: Basic Training for Oil and Chemical Tanker Cargo Operations (one combined basic course), Advanced Oil Tanker Operations (STCW A-V/1-1-2), and Advanced Chemical Tanker Operations (STCW A-V/1-1-3). The basic course qualifies the holder to perform cargo duties on both oil and chemical tankers at the rating level. Officers who wish to hold immediate cargo responsibility on an oil tanker require the Advanced Oil endorsement; on a chemical tanker, the Advanced Chemical endorsement. Many officers hold both advanced endorsements.
SIRE (Ship Inspection Report Programme) is OCIMF's industry vetting tool for tankers. SIRE inspectors board tankers and assess compliance with OCIMF's Vessel Inspection Questionnaire (VIQ) and the Tanker Management and Self-Assessment (TMSA) programme. Officers — particularly Chief Mates and Chief Engineers — are directly questioned during SIRE inspections on cargo procedures, safety management, emergency response, and company SMS compliance. Employers expect officers to be familiar with VIQ content and TMSA standards; failure during a SIRE inspection can result in rejection of the vessel by charterers and reputational damage to the operator.
Tanker operations carry additional cargo hazards (fire and explosion risk, toxic vapours, environmental liability) and require additional mandatory endorsements and training beyond the base STCW deck or engine officer certificate. The OCIMF SIRE vetting regime creates an additional layer of compliance burden on officers. Cargo officers on product tankers and chemical tankers command a premium of typically 20–35% over equivalent ranks on dry-cargo vessels; on LNG carriers the premium is higher — see the LNG/LPG page.
LOFI (List of Flag Influences) and CAP (Condition Assessment Programme, now largely superseded by SIRE 2.0) are OCIMF inspection and vessel-condition frameworks. LOFI tracks flag-state performance based on inspection findings; CAP assessed structural condition. The current SIRE 2.0 (introduced 2023) is the dominant vetting tool for most trading tankers. Masters and senior officers should be familiar with SIRE 2.0 observation categories and the TMSA self-assessment framework.
Yes, and this is common. Most tanker operators require that the officer complete the relevant STCW V/1-1 Basic and Advanced endorsement courses before joining, plus a supervised familiarisation period onboard. Prior tanker or chemical-handling experience is preferred. Some companies run in-house familiarisation programmes for officers transferring from dry-cargo. Sea time on dry-cargo vessels counts toward all STCW CoC requirements; only the tanker-specific endorsements are additional.
Flag-state caveat: STCW sets the international floor. Individual flag administrations may require additional national examinations, longer sea-time periods, or supplementary tanker-specific courses not listed here. Always verify current requirements with the issuing flag-state administration.
This page is for information only and does not constitute legal or professional advice. Requirements change — verify with the relevant authorities before acting.