One thing that many do not know is that around 90% of everything that you buy is actually bought to you by ship. The largest international cargo ships can actually carry up to around 18,000 shipping containers at the same time, all filled with electronic equipment, clothing, and so much more.

The international shipping industry is simply huge and it is vital for commerce, both regular and online. As a result, this is definitely an interesting career option to consider since demand for shipping companies will never go down.

Why International Shipping?

It does not matter if you are completely new to shipping or you have sailing experience. The shipping industry features various roles and you can easily get a job based on the skillset you have right now. Also, international shipping opportunities keep evolving.

At an example, this is an industry that did lag behind the evolution of technology. This is changing right now and we have access to so many really interesting opportunities, like social media marketing, digital marketing, and ballast water management.

With all this in mind, here are some very interesting career opportunities in the shipping industry to consider right now.

Shipbroker

The competitive shipbroker is practically an intermediary between the charters hiring ships together with shipowners and ship sellers or buyers. In order to be involved, you need to be a graduate. However, some of the best charterers and brokers do not have official qualifications.

What is mandatory is having really good sales and networking skills. You need to be able to build trust and ICS qualifications are usually respected. On-the-hop training is also a possibility to consider.

Besides the regular salary, you also tend to receive a commission of around 1.25% for the per ton freight fee or the rental fees paid to hire ships. When a ship is sold, the commission of the shipbroker is usually 1%. If you have good negotiation skills, the shipbroker career is perfect for you.

Operations

It is difficult to summarize this career options. We are referring to an operations team that is practically all about administration, communication, customer service, back-up, and support. Basically, these are the people that make shipping operations run as smoothly possible.

This international shipping career path is perfect for individual with strong organizational skills, persistence, and a calm approach. Usually, the junior positions are covered by graduates who have shipping degrees. You can also be considered as a junior deck officer. If you are organized, this is a good career option.

Superintendent

Usually, in the past, superintendents were chief engineers that came ashore. This still widely applies but the job scope is wider. Primarily, the superintended is responsible for both unplanned and planned costs and maintenance, major repairs, dry docking, budgets, environmental compliance, vessel survey, investigating breakdowns, investigating damage, and more.

In order to be considered for this position, you do need senior engineering officer experience and seagoing experience. A degree in naval architecture, engineering or engine manufacturing is preferred. The big difference between now and the past is that you no longer need to be on a ship as a chief engineer for a long time frame to gain respect.

Claims Manager/Handler

For every single organization involved in the shipping industry, the claim can have a different meaning. There are actually many different types of claims that can appear. However, in all of them, you need to have good communications skills, discretion, and personality. All of these are necessary to convince underwriters that they should pay a claim. If you have a head for numbers, this is an interesting and well-paid career option to consider.