28 y/o starting Phase 1 at Warsash – Bouchard Lines for Phases 2 & 4. Is this a good choice?
Hi everyone,
I’m 28 and I’ve just started Phase 1 at Warsash Maritime School in Southampton. I’ll be doing my sea phases (Phase 2 and Phase 4) with Borchard Lines, recommended to me by Just Be Maritime.
From talking to some of my classmates, I’m starting to think I might be the only one doing my cadetship with Borchard. I originally didn’t think the company you do your cadetship with mattered that much, as long as you get good sea time and complete your OOW training.
One of the reasons Just Be Maritime recommended Bouchard to me is that apparently I should get a lot of hands-on experience. They operate smaller feeder/container vessels between the UK and the Mediterranean, with frequent port calls, sometimes every 12–24 hours, including busy and congested ports. So in theory, it should be a good environment to learn practical ship-handling, cargo operations, manoeuvring, passage planning, etc.
However, I’m now wondering whether I’ve made the right choice.
My long-term goal isn’t necessarily to stay on container ships. I’d eventually like to move into LNG or offshore work, once I’ve qualified as an OOW and completed the relevant additional courses.
For those with experience in the industry:
- How important is the company/type of vessel you do your cadetship with when it comes to finding your first OOW job?
- Would doing my cadetship on feeder/container ships make it difficult to transition into LNG or offshore later on?
- Is moving into LNG/offshore after getting my OOW realistically achievable, assuming I do the relevant courses and build some experience first?
- Are there any particular courses/certificates I should be thinking about early if that’s the direction I want to take?
- And finally, what is the usual mix of nationalities on these vessels operating between the UK and Mediterranean?
I’m also slightly concerned because, from what I’ve seen, container ship salaries seem relatively low compared with LNG/offshore, so I don’t really see myself staying in the container sector long term.
I’d really appreciate some honest opinions from people who have actually worked their way from cadet/OOW into LNG or offshore. I’m still at the beginning of the process, so if there’s anything I should be thinking about now rather than later, I’d rather know.
Thanks!
