I completed a cadet contract, a third officer contract and a second officer contract with Longship. Depending on the operator, career progression was generally good, although the crews were reduced. Provisions and supply were good, the paperwork was limited, and the vessels mostly operated on routes between Rotterdam, Norway and Iceland or elsewhere in Europe. For me, it was an excellent start to my career, but the salary was not among the best.
I worked for Longship a long time ago. The vessel and the work were enjoyable, but sailing in the North Atlantic, the North Sea and the Norwegian Sea was very rough. We sometimes encountered storms and made almost no progress, or even moved backwards.
I worked for Longship as a cadet and was invited to join as a third engineer after one contract. Career progression seemed fast, and on deck there was a similar possibility of promotion. Provisions were very good and the supply system was in order.
I worked for Longship as an engine cadet. The vessel was Chinese-built but relatively new, with good provisions and excellent spare-parts supply. The schedule was approximately three and a half days in port and three and a half days at sea, with routes between Rotterdam, Norway and Iceland. There were two cadets in the engine department and two on deck; ordinary crew contracts were about three months, while officers usually had about two months.
I worked with Longship and strongly advise against the company. Crew changes could be delayed by one to one and a half months, with the office citing an inconvenient port or refusing to change only one or two people. Overtime was not recorded honestly or paid beyond the fixed amount stated in the contract, even when the workload was much higher. The company also pressured the crew with repeated cargo-hold cleaning tasks and could threaten not to reimburse excessive medical examination or travel expenses.