I joined GasLog after working on a VLGC, through a crewing agency. The recruitment process was slow: after the CES tests and interview, I had to wait for the NSAP assessment, which took about a month, followed by company courses and extensive training. The company offers an opportunity to start working in its LNG fleet, but deck officers have frequently changing duties, four hours of overtime, and a lot of paperwork and record-keeping. The crews are mixed, with separate cooks and messmen for officers and ratings; soft drinks are free, while alcohol is issued by the master.
An update after a contract. Placement took a month of waiting, with tests and courses dumped on the last four days. On board, the four hours of overtime is real but who demands it varies — in my case our own senior officers pushed harder than the Greek ones. Internet has improved to 6 GB a week on Starlink. Food swings from festive on party days to endless fried potatoes. Beer and wine at the master's discretion. Salaries went up in January. For a transfer from LPG this is a solid step; for juniors the calculus is thinner.
Placement went through the Ukrainian agency the owner points Ukrainians to; they repeatedly stressed they work officially, and I saw nothing to contradict that. Expect two to four months of waiting for the first contract — that is the owner's pace. There is an assessment in Croatia; pass it poorly and you can hang on hold for half a year. On board: four hours of overtime that mostly means being around, senior officers whose word is law, and a lot of polish over the paperwork. Coming from LPG with another owner, conditions and attitude here felt like a step down for me — I would call the company a springboard rather than a destination, though growth on deck genuinely works.
The atmosphere on board depends almost entirely on the captain — I met both reasonable and very difficult ones. Promotion up to Second Officer worked without friction in my case. Beyond that, chief officer positions went to the owner's own nationals, and for the rest of us the ceiling was real. My time with the company ended on their initiative around 2021.