I joined Goldenport's vessel in September 2025 and signed off sick in November 2025. The PMS had not been maintained since 2023, the office provided no effective technical assistance, and calls from the office usually led nowhere. After signing off, my salary was transferred only after three weeks of daily promises. The crewing company also did not inform me before joining that there were Russian nationals on board or that the vessel might call at Russian ports, where Ukrainian crew could be signed off.
I joined Goldenport in 2017 as a tanker cadet. The second engineer provided extensive training and helped me progress toward an engineering position. Later, the crewing office informed me only one week before joining that I needed a Brazilian visa and could not arrange it, leaving me to handle the process myself. During my last contract, I suffered a severe eye irritation caused by rust in the ventilation, but no doctor was arranged and the crew did not take effective action.
Goldenport scheduled two Skype interviews with me. Both times I waited at my computer for 4 hours, but nobody called. On the third attempt, they called 3 hours late only to tell me that I was not suitable.
I am currently working with Goldenport. Salaries are paid on time, although supply is only average. There is an opportunity for career growth, and the company has started building new bulk carriers.
My first contract with Goldenport was an extreme experience: the vessel was sinking and there was also a fire. I saw a lot immediately, but I am still grateful to the company for the experience.
I worked 5 contracts with Goldenport. There was some opportunity for career growth, but salaries were not very high. On one occasion, we had to drink rainwater, and salary payments were delayed by a month; the first salary was withheld as security in case of an incident. Supplies were effectively absent, and there were many inexperienced people in top-four positions.
I worked a contract on one of their ultramax bulk carriers for 10 years. The salary for top 4 is good, plus bonuses if you perform well. Technical support and supply are decent, and I appreciated the weekly communication with the superintendent, which helped resolve technical issues quickly. The food budget is $8.8 per person per month, and salary payments are always on time. However, supply and cash delivery can be problematic in certain regions, and the advance payments are quite low. There is a lot of paperwork, and some outdated practices still linger, but overall, I have no complaints about the company. They are typical Greeks, not overly demanding, and they strive for a high standard of culture and living.
I took the CESS test and then had an interview with the captain, who is also the director. I answered all the questions well regarding the second officer position. However, the director was surprised that I didn't know the COLREGs by heart and said he wouldn't submit my application to the Greeks to avoid embarrassment. I like these Odessa guys, but the salary is not high enough to be arrogant; they offer 7300.