I worked on a contract arranged through NSM Crew Management. They charged one month’s salary for placement, and most of the vessels in that fleet were arrested or sold during my time there.
NSM Crew Management asked me to pay $1,300 for placement as a wiper.
I was kept waiting for a placement and ultimately was not sent to sea. The crewing representative repeatedly promised a departure and later said there was no opportunity; people could remain waiting for three to six months.
NSM Crew Management sent me to a gas carrier operated by an Italian shipowner after I paid one month’s salary for the placement. After two months of work, I received only half a month’s salary and never received the rest. The crewing representative only said that he had not known this would happen and refused to return the placement fee. I do not recommend this crewing company.
In 2020, I was placed through NSM Crew Management on an LPG carrier operated by Eletson. I paid one month’s salary for the placement, and my first salary was withheld and paid only a month after sign-off. The food was good, while supplies were average; the contract included mandatory overtime, and I witnessed unsafe decisions on board in bad weather. I was sent to sea as promised, but I did not work with them again because another placement would also require a fee.