What is the salary of an ETO? Salary of electricians on different vessels in 2025

The salary of Electro-Technical Officers (ETOs) varies significantly based on vessel type, job specifics, and the specialist's qualification level. As of 2024, the average income of deep-sea sailors largely depended on the vessel type and position. For instance, salaries on tankers (oil) or in offshore operations were typically 1.5 to 2 times higher than those on bulk carriers transporting dry cargoes like grain or coal.

Salary Trends from 2010 to 2025:

According to MaritimeZone, over the six years from 2014 to 2020, the salaries of merchant fleet sailors remained relatively stable, while earnings in the offshore segment initially rose but then sharply declined alongside oil prices.

Minimum and Maximum Salaries:

On offshore vessels such as Pipelaying Vessels (PLVs), salaries ranged from $65 to $900 per day, depending on the position. Captains earned $900 daily, their chief mates $463, and second mates (including ETOs) $280 per day. Consequently, an ETO's daily wage could vary between $75 and $280, influenced by the vessel type and job specifics.

Electrical Officers job interview questions and answers

Preparing for an Electrical Officer (ETO) job interview involves understanding the key responsibilities, technical skills, and safety protocols associated with the role. 

Below are some potential questions and tips to help you prepare:

Common Interview Questions

1. Technical Skills and Knowledge

   • Can you explain the operation and maintenance of electrical systems on a ship (or relevant facility)?
   • How do you troubleshoot electrical faults in high-voltage systems?
   • What experience do you have with electrical power distribution and control systems?
   • Describe your experience with PLC (Programmable Logic Controllers) and automation systems.
   • How do you ensure compliance with electrical safety standards and regulations?

2. Problem-Solving and Experience

   • Describe a challenging electrical problem you encountered and how you resolved it.
   • How do you prioritize maintenance tasks on electrical systems?
   • Can you provide an example of a time when you improved the efficiency or reliability of an electrical system?

3. Safety and Compliance

   • How do you ensure safety when working with high-voltage equipment?
   • What steps do you take to perform a risk assessment before starting electrical work?
   • Describe your familiarity with international maritime regulations (for marine positions) or industry-specific regulations.

4. Teamwork and Communication

   • How do you communicate technical information to non-technical team members?
   • Describe a time when you had to work closely with other departments to resolve an electrical issue.
   • How do you handle conflicts or disagreements within a team?

Low insulation 440V. First actions of the ETO

Greetings! Today we will analyze the sequence of actions of an electrician when finding the source of low 440V insulation on the vessel. In the previous article we looked at the first actions of the ETO when searching for low insulation 220V, I recommend reading that article first, because it is more detailed. And the search methods are not much different, but there are nuances.

Finding low 440V insulation on a vessel involves tripping the circuit breakers one at a time, starting with the non-critical consumers. 

It may happen that the reason for low insulation is immediately known, because a 440V high pressure machine was started on the deck and perhaps it was flooded with water. But it happens that you cannot find the source on the first try.

English tests for electrical engineers with the answers

A list of the most common questions for electrical engineers (ETO) that are asked in crewing companies or when passing qualification testing. These questions and answers will also help you prepare for the CES test at a basic level.

Basic Electrical Measuring Instruments

1. In the field of electricity, as well as in all other physical sciences, accurate quantitative measurements are essential. This involves two important items — numbers and units. Simple arithmetic is used in most cases, and the units are well defined and easily understood. The standard units are those of current, voltage and resistance.

2.  The operator commonly works with ammeters, voltmeters and electron-tube analyzers; but he may also have many occasions to use watt meters, watt-hour meters, power-factor meters, synchroscopes, frequency meters and capacitance-resistance-inductance bridges.

3. Electrical equipment is designed to operate at certain efficiency levels. A good understanding of the functional design and operation of electrical instruments is important. In electrical service work one or more of the following methods are commonly used to determine if the circuits of an equipment are operating properly.

a) Use an ammeter to measure the amount of current flowing in a circuit.
b) Use a voltmeter to determine the voltage existing between two points.
c) Use an ohmmeter or megger to measure circuit continuity and total or partial circuit resistance.

4. It may also be necessary to employ a wattmeter to determine the to tal power being consumed by certain equipment. If we wish to measure the energy consumed by certain equipment or certain circuits, a watt-hour or kilowatt-hour meter is used.

5. For measuring other quantities such as power factor and frequency it is necessary to employ the appropriate instruments. In each case the instrument indicates the value of the quantity measured, and in this information helps to understand the way the circuit is operating.

6. Occasionally the operator will need to determine the value of a capacitor or an inductor. Inductance or capacitance bridges may be employed for this purpose.

7. A thorough understanding of the construction, operation and limitati ons of the basic types of electrical measuring instruments, coupled with the theory of circuit operation is most essential in servicing and maintaining electrical equipment.

Duties of electricians on the vessels. Who is an electrician on a vessel?

An electrician on a vessel, often referred to as a marine electrician or ship electrician, is a specialized professional responsible for maintaining and repairing the electrical systems aboard a ship. 

These systems can range from the ship's power generation and distribution networks to the electronic navigation and communication systems. Marine electricians play a critical role in ensuring the safety and operational efficiency of the vessel.

Duties of Electrical Engineer (ETO) on vessels. Who is an electrical engineer (ETO) on a vessel?

1. The electrical engineer (ETO) is subordinated to the chief engineer and is in command of all the electrical group. ETO - Electro-technical Officer. Below, electrical engineer and Electro-technical Officer (ETO) are the same positions on the vessel.

2. The Electro-technical Officer is responsible for the safety engineering rules, service, maintenance and supervision of the following items of equipment, systems and devices:

a) electrical propulsion plant;

b) main and emergency sources of electrical power;

c) transformers and converters used in equipment, systems and devices;

d) distribution gear and monitoring desks or panels;

e) electric drives for steering gear, windlasses, mooring winches, towing winches, starting air compressors, fire pumps and fire-extinguishing system compressors, pumps, fans in machinery spa­ces, auxiliaries of the main engine, watertight doors;

f) main and emergency lighting of spaces and location of essential machinery and means of escape;

g) electric engine-room telegraphs;

h) service telephone communication;

i) alarm signalling;

j) fire detection signalling systems and warning systems indicating the release of fire smothering medium;

k) watertight door signalling;

l) cabling;

m) hull earthing facilities in tankers;

n) electric heaters of fuel and lubricating oil and other machinery and facilities not listed above.