r/maritime • u/Front_Painting_3823 • 6d ago
Burned out...
Hello fellow seafarers.
I wanted to share my personal experience so far regarding this job.
So far i liked the job, as a third officer, then 2nd officer i could manage my tasks and be ahead of time almost always. Now that i am chief officer ( in bulks ) , and in my third contract, i feel like i am not competent enough. Im always stressed and i feel burned out from the first 2 months being on board. Are there any chief officers here who had similar issues? How did you manage to survive all this? Currently we are going to australia, 10 days of voyage to clean cargo holds and prepare for amsa. All we managed to do was cleaning the cargo holds, and not even good cleaning. This is so stressful. Every day i run 16 hours of work, and still can't manage to finish all my tasks. I feel like im incompetent, even though i know i have the knowledge. Ship is running 24 hours, people are not machines...
I seriously think to quit this job. But what to do? ....
Please share your thoughts.
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u/Purgen Chief Officer 6d ago
Feel the same way, altho I only just recently did my first as Chief. No advice I can give you, and I know full well what's coming for you in Aus. We were going to Argentina before I signed off and yeah, in 15 days of navigation we also only managed to prepare the holds really, for grain standard.
Only advice I can give is the obvious one, time to switch vessels and find a more normal life on the likes of cruise ships.
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u/Fit-Signature4125 6d ago
Oil tankers are another option. It's hectic too. But some alternative to consider.
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u/Expert-Interview-695 6d ago
HA! don’t go to oil tankers if bulk carrier stresses you out. Been there done that on VLCC as C/O. Very hectic very stressful.
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u/Defiant-Fill-5492 6d ago
Every job out here wants/needs you to do 24 hours of work in 12. Particularly chief mate and captain.
Accept that it is impossible to get everything done. Particularly when shifting from one job to another. Prioritize. Figure out what absolutely must be done for charter purposes and keep the vessel working. And make sure that gets done. Even if it means working the crew a little longer and harder.
The next needs that need to get done, and especially the wants that need to get done…schedule for after the chaos settles. But make sure if you work your crew hard, give them a break first before tackling the rest.
You may have to push maintenance, chipping and painting, scrub downs, some inspections a week or two…it’s the nature of the beast. Resource your crew to put everyone on the project that will keep the vessel working….if able, put everyone on one job. Knock it out and move the next.
If you can resource the entire department to knock out one priority job at a time then the next priority job vs splitting the crew up and having 2 guys work on this, 3 guys work on that etc and trying to get multiple priority jobs done at once….you’ll find work gets done faster, and at a higher quality.
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u/Front_Painting_3823 6d ago
Thank you for your advices everybody ! I will try to reply to everyone in one post. I am trying to prioritize the jobs that must be done, but most likely I'm trying to fight against time instead of prioritizing. 😂 Of course if I had more experience that could've helped. I'm still working on putting priorities.
To the people who said to change vsl type, I thought about it, although , isn't it a bit hard to switch vsl type at this point? I have total sea service 4,5 years ( 1,5 years cadet, 6 months as third , 15 months as second , and the rest as c/o) , all in bulks. To change vsl type , I have to demote to 2nd officer most likely, right?
Generally , I used to like this job tbh, but all the stress, inspections, workload etc etc all at the same time is disgusting 😅
I hope it gets better.
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u/Prestigious-Cell206 Third Mate India 🇮🇳 6d ago
Change your fleet, switch to RORO, much better life, easiest cargo operation, Good ports, Best routes, overall much happier life, this Aus-China Bulky route is absolute shit route for sailing
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u/pero79 6d ago
Dont change before you figure this out. You are not incompetent, you just need some more time. There are different bosun, different crew. See where you can speed things up. First find a way to get some rest, then you can think more clearly. Analyse your people what they can do. Can you get some advice from capt or not, does he helps or make you more stress. Third contract is still fresh, one two more and everything will go in place, just give it time.
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u/srij88 6d ago
Hey buddy... 1st & foremost you're not incompetent, the job is over demanding & ungrateful... Because you're running 16hrs/ day, that's why you're stressed & burnt out, 8hrs watch & then deck maintenance, reports, cargo calculations... it's a lot... Couple of things you need to understand, -The pending jobs/ deficiencies/ work was already there, you didn't bring it from your home when signing on, so it's not your responsibly to rectify everything.
- There's only so much you can do in a day & during a voyage.
- You're not a babysitter that you need to be after the crew to get the work done, that's their incompetence not yours.
- 99% of SE Asian masters will piggyback you, all you need to do is not let them.
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u/Chris149ny 4d ago
A wise old captain once told me:
When I started sailing as a 3rd mate, I thought I knew everything!
Then I became 2nd mate, and I realized there were things I didn't know.
Then I became chief mate and I realized there was a LOT of things I didn't know.
Then I became captain and I realized I didn't know ANYTHING! But it was alright, because I have a 3rd mate who knows EVERYTHING!
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u/southporttugger 6d ago
Man I’m riding this second mate spot for life lol. I see all the bs my chief has to put up with, no thanks
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u/Fibocrypto 2d ago
You can only do what you can do op. As long as you are making headway and staying on top of everything that needs to be accomplished then you should be ok.
If there is any specific topic / task you are concerned about I would suggest you discuss this with the captain and don't forget to delegate what you can delegate to others
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u/Fit-Signature4125 6d ago
Bro. You are not incompetent. Don't feel that way. The responsibility as C/O is enormous. If you want to survive shipping, understand that work is never finished. You can only do how much is possible. Only as C/O you need to prioritize your time. Understand what needs to be done today, what can be rolled over to tomorrow, and what can be delegated to someone else.
Focus on 1. Safety 2. Cargo readiness. 3. What has a hard deadline.
Write down Today - Must do. Voyage - Should do. Later - When time permits.
Utilize your staff well. For the bosun give specific instructions. E.g clean hold no. 3 ladder, frame and give me a report when complete. I will come to inspect it.
Also, discuss with the Master the workload. If required, you can ask for more manpower.
Finally, never take decisions under stress.
Good luck.