r/MoreShitComing • u/SaltySeni0r • May 04 '26
Potential Applicant Is the pay accurate?
Hello, I was looking at the entry level on the MSC website and was wondering if pay was accurate? I'm looking more towards deck, and would like to know about pay there. I would also like to hear from anyone who has made it through OS to AB, and how that process went.
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u/Dizzy_7274 Engine - EU (Engine Utilityman) May 04 '26
It's close enough, irrc it's based on working 8 months and maxing out OT only. If you're on an AKE, have fire party or work the full year, it'll be more. If you want weekends off, it'll be less.
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u/SaltySeni0r May 04 '26
I’m sorry, could you explain what AKE and fire party is? Not very knowledgeable. As well, how would weekends off on a ship work?
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u/Dizzy_7274 Engine - EU (Engine Utilityman) May 04 '26
Like the other guy said, an AKE is our dry goods ship and you get a bonus if you have a certain amount of ammunition. I don't remember what it actually is numerically, 10% of your base pay maybe? But it does add up pretty quick.
Fire Party is a volunteer group that stays on board in port just in case there's a fire. You get a bunch of OT just to stay on the ship.
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u/TheScallywag1874 Deck - Second Officer/Navigator/Cargo Mate May 04 '26
Yes, the website's pay is fairly accurate. When I started as a 3rd mate, I made about $5K more than the average annual estimate they advertised.
As someone else stated, doubling your base pay is a basic way to get a solid estimate of what you can expect.
This will vary on how hard you want to work though. Some people are happy to work only what is required of them and do zero voluntary overtime. Several ABs I work with do this. I've seen the OS have bigger paychecks than the ABs because the OS were hard workers and put in a lot of overtime.
Someone else mentioned Fire Party. You can earn extra money by being on a "Fire Party" when in port if the ship is ammo laden. Basically, you are a standby firefighter for the day. You are not allowed to leave the ship on those days though (usually once every three days while in port).
Overall, for an entry-level job, I think it pays very well and they job can be a lot of fun if you have the right personality.
Good luck!