AB wages are frequently misrepresented in online salary guides. Some quote ITF minimums as if every AB earns that. Others feature offshore North Sea rates as if they are typical. Neither picture is honest or useful.
Here are realistic figures across vessel types with the context that makes them mean something.
What Drives the Variation
Vessel type creates the largest single differential at AB rank. An AB on a North Sea platform supply vessel and an AB on a coastal general cargo ship are doing different work in different conditions for different pay. Same qualification on paper. Different contract in practice.
Flag state and collective agreement. Standard ITF agreements set a floor. Some flag states and operators pay above this through national collective agreements. Budget operators pay at or near the floor.
Nationality. The international shipping labour market prices seafarers from different countries differently. This is structural and persistent.
Additional qualifications. Tanker endorsements, BOSIET for offshore work, demonstrated specialist competency: these create access to positions that pay more.
The 2026 Numbers
Monthly contract rates. Leave is unpaid.
General cargo and bulk carriers with standard operators: $1,500 to $2,200 per month. Product and crude tankers: $1,700 to $2,500 per month. Chemical tankers: $1,800 to $2,800 per month. Cruise ships (base): $1,200 to $1,900 monthly, with overtime typically bringing total to $1,600 to $2,500. North Sea offshore PSVs: $3,000 to $4,500 per month. North Sea AHTS vessels: $3,500 to $5,500 per month.
The Offshore Premium
The gap between bulk carrier AB rates and North Sea offshore AB rates is substantial. Getting to offshore requires the BOSIET certificate, finding an offshore-specialist manning agency and securing a first offshore contract.
That first contract is the hardest. After one offshore contract on the record the profile changes entirely. You are no longer a cargo ship AB hoping to transition. You are an AB with offshore experience. That distinction matters when offshore operators and agencies are reviewing applications.
The Annual Calculation
Monthly rates require the annual calculation to be honest.
A North Sea offshore AB on $4,000 per month on two weeks on, two weeks off works roughly half the year. Annual income: approximately $24,000. Better than most cargo ship AB annual incomes despite the monthly rate applying for only half the calendar year.
A bulk carrier AB on $1,800 per month on six months on, three months off earns roughly $21,600 annually.
The gap is real but narrower annually than the monthly comparison suggests.