Foyreddit

In short, anything that isn't the Royal Navy, commercial vessels owned by private companies/owners. Including but not limited to Container ships, oil tankers, ferrys, tugs, dredging ships, Cargo ships, fishing vessels cruise ships, Super yachts.

The most common route in the UK to join as an officer is through a sponsoring company, who are incentivised to do so by tonnage tax exemptions and government contributions called SMART funding. You must obtain 12 months sea time as a cadet for a Deck officer and 6 months for an engineer. In addition you must complete either a foundation degree or higher national diploma through one of the nautical colleges/affiliated universities in the UK. This is done in a sandwich format and takes approximately 3 years. Colleges/Universities require for the FD route 160 Ucas points which can be met by doing A levels or a college course, HND route requires a few GCSES with at least a C in maths (these aren't all set in stone, very much depends on your application and interview). This all leaves you with a certificate of competency, which is essentially a ticket to a huge industry from Superyachts to Oil tankers.

I joined a ship halfway through a crew's trip (The ship had 2 crews, each would do a 4 week trip and then have 4 weeks leave) with the intention of staying on for 6 weeks in total. After the first two weeks on crew change day I put my boiler suit on (had no need to wear it as I was working watches on the bridge). There was an outrageously bad smell coming from my boiler suit. I opened the pockets to find two rotting birds that had been placed as a practical joke by the deck crew - the smell was beyond funny. I knew who the two culprits were and had been getting a hard time for the 2 weeks by them as well (as a cadet you have to take shit) so I spent the remaining 4 weeks plotting my revenge, I put tuna in pretty much every place I could put it without damaging the ship itself. I put it in the two culprits clothing, under the innersole of trainers, inside work boots, gloves, boiler suits, hard hats. And the cherry on the top... kidneys (from the chef who was in on it) in there rescue boat suits. I then left the ship after my 6 weeks with a spring in my step. Knowing that the next crew were away for christmas and new years. Needless to say I got a strongly worded email from the office! I also got a text from that crews captain commending me on my fine work and that they had to launch the rescue boat and provide cover to a gas platform for 6 hours inside a cabined rescue boat - 3 weeks into the trip, the smell must of been horrific. Not the most impressive story to an outsider but certainly the one im most proud of!

Pretty shite - 40 knots, 5 metre swell had a nice few days...up and down like a yoyo at the moment though.. this was yesterday

http://postimg.org/image/vy9wx1slr/

Not whilst working for my current company but I watched a friend jump from a 12 stack of forty foot containers on a container vessel into the dock water. Needless to say he'd had a few jars!