Seafarers Recruitment

General Cargo and Multipurpose Ship Jobs

General cargo and multipurpose ships carry break-bulk cargo such as steel, timber, bagged cargo and project cargo, and often containers too. Many are smaller ships on short-sea and regional trades with their own cranes or derricks. Heavy-lift ships carry very large single items with paired heavy cranes.

Work on board

Cargo securing to the ship’s Cargo Securing Manual and the IMO CSS Code; lashing is often done by the crew
Cranes, derricks and lifting gear maintenance and inspections
Dangerous goods in packaged form under the IMDG Code
Many port calls and short voyages on regional trades

Certificates and training

Many general cargo ships are under 3,000 GT and have engines of 750 to 3,000 kW, so officers often hold certificates for those limits: STCW Reg. II/2 for 500 to 3,000 GT, Reg. II/3 for ships under 500 GT, and Reg. III/3 for engineers on 750 to 3,000 kW. Unlimited certificates (Reg. II/2, III/2) cover these ships as well. Ratings need RFPNW (Reg. II/4) or RFPEW (Reg. III/4).

What to put in your CV

Ship size in GT and deadweight, cargo gear (cranes or derricks and their safe working load), main cargoes (steel, timber, project cargo) and trade area.

Ranks on these ships

How to apply

Jobs on Seafarers Recruitment are open recruitment for crewing agencies and shipowners we work with. Create a free seafarer account, add your experience on general cargo and multipurpose ships to your CV, and apply to your rank. Employers can search crew by vessel experience.

Create seafarer account All ship types

Other ship types

Seafarers: see how Seafarers Recruitment works for seafarers. Employers and crewing agencies: post a vacancy or search crew.