Maritime employment is considered one of the most prestigious due to high salaries and prospects for professional development. Still, the salary level depends on the vessel type, its owner, country, and many other factors. Digital technologies have made the recruitment process transparent. Today, the global maritime workforce has access to a large amount of information about vacancies in various countries. Find out which websites offer the most effective job search services for seamen. Compare their capabilities, resources, partner companies, and other factors that will help you find a decent job.
Best Websites for Finding Jobs in the Maritime Industry
Finding a job for seamen can be both challenging and easy. Much depends on which job search website you use. The best ones have a huge database of vacancies and companies they cooperate with. They offer basic services for free and have interesting blogs with useful information for job seekers. Check out which web resources are most active in updating the database of vacancies and offering additional services to help users find a job.
| Website | Launched in | Number of seamen’s CVs | Vacancies for seafarers | Companies |
| MaritimeZone | 2008 | 213,500 | 2,472 | 1,569 |
| SeamensWay | 2018 | n/a | 140 | 3,534 |
| Seaman Jobsite | 2012 | n/a | 979 | 20 |
| CrewPlanet | 2006 | 130,759 | 116 | n/a |
| SeafarerJobs | 2021 | n/a | 302 | 49 |
| Crewing Guide | 2010 | 62,145 | 1,352 | 1,480 |
MaritimeZone
The MaritimeZone website offers the largest job database for seafarers. Users will find more than 3,500 hot vacancies in 54 countries worldwide. The convenient algorithm of the site offers users several mechanisms for searching for vacancies in the maritime industry:
- Respond to open vacancies from the world’s leading crewing companies.
- Post your resume on the website so that agents of maritime companies can find you.
- Send your resume to hundreds of companies working in the maritime industry.
The website has useful sections that will come in handy when looking for a job: Salary Statistics for Seafarers and Blog. Based on this information, seamen will be able to see the situation in the industry as a whole and compare different vacancies with each other.
SeamensWay
Polish web portal SeamensWay primarily focuses on helping seafarers from East Europe. In addition to publishing information about vacancies, the company provides consulting services and helps with paperwork:
- Preparation of marine documents, such as passports, visas, etc.;
- Automatic sending of resumes to recruiters;
- Professional consulting for job seekers;
- Document management.
The website offers users several valuable tools that will come in handy when choosing vacancies, such as a currency converter, exact time in different time zones, date calculation, etc.
Seaman Jobsite
Seaman Jobsite offers two areas of interaction between seafarers and their employers:
- Area of candidates looking for work and want to post their resume on the site.
- Area of agencies for hirers who can post job openings.
The service cooperates only with licensed maritime companies or manning agencies. Therefore, users can be sure that the posted vacancies are offered by legal employers. Hirers can use additional tools to attract seafarers, such as advertising on the website pages and a detailed agency profile.
CrewPlanet
CrewPlanet is a Latvian and Netherlands-based crewing company that works with shipping companies from Europe and the Far East. The job search web portal is just one part of the work it does for ship-owning companies. With its website, the company creates a database of seafarers looking for work. As soon as shipping companies open vacancies, CrewPlanet finds suitable candidates quickly. Therefore, it makes sense for seamen to create their CVs and post them on the website. Moreover, users can check the Vacancies section, which details all new positions.
SeafarerJobs
SeafarerJobs is a relatively new online job portal for the maritime industry. However, it uses innovative technologies to help crewing companies and ship owners quickly find suitable candidates for open positions. The website’s job-matching technology speeds up the search for top talent. Employers can also advertise their vacancies on the website to attract the attention of job seekers.
A slight drawback of the service is that many web pages are only accessible after registration. This contrasts with other job portals that try to present unregistered users with as much useful information as possible.
Crewing Guide
Crewing Guide is a Ukrainian resource for finding jobs in various sectors of the maritime industry:
- Fishing fleet
- Merchant fleet
- Passenger fleet
- Offshore fleet
- River fleet
- Tanker fleet
Job seekers can post their jobs and receive notifications from the website for free. They can also access useful materials and online tools to facilitate their job search.
Unlike potential employees, employers pay a small fee to post their job openings. They can advertise their vacancies, receive market analytics, access a database of applicants, etc.
This website contains information about Training Centers for Seafarers. Therefore, you can find a job with Crewing Guide and improve your professional skills. The website database contains 63 training centers that accept seafarers for advanced training.
The Bottom Line
A successful maritime career depends on many factors, including the activity of job seekers. Job search sites allow you to compare employment conditions in different companies, choose the best ones, and directly contact ship owners or crewing companies. Therefore, even if you are currently employed, periodically browse new vacancies on the best websites for seamen. You will see the dynamics of the market, salary changes, and new promising areas for employment.
