Rynda Crewing

Third Engineer salary at sea: October 2026

Engine Department

The median monthly salary offered to a Third Engineer is $4,050. Half of the vacancies offer between $3,750 and $4,600. The typical contract is 4 months. Based on 881 vacancies from 136 companies in July–September 2026.

Median
$4,050per month
Middle half
$3,750–4,60025th to 75th percentile
80% of vacancies
$3,500–5,25010th to 90th percentile
Vacancies
881136 companies, 01/07–30/09/2026
Contents8

1Pay distribution

How many vacancies offer each amount.

  • median $4,050
  • middle half, $3,750–4,600
100200under $2,499: 32,500–$2,999: 163,000–$3,499: 523,500–$3,999: 2634,000–$4,499: 2334,500–$4,999: 1445,000–$5,499: 1075,500–$5,999: 296,000–$6,499: 56,500–$6,999: 8$7,000 and above: 21median $4,050<2.534567+
Horizontal axis: pay in the vacancy, thousand US dollars per month; vertical axis: number of vacancies. 881 vacancies from 136 companies.
Table
Monthly payVacancies
under $2,4993
2,500–$2,99916
3,000–$3,49952
3,500–$3,999263
4,000–$4,499233
4,500–$4,999144
5,000–$5,499107
5,500–$5,99929
6,000–$6,4995
6,500–$6,9998
$7,000 and above21

2By vessel type

Median and range by vessel type. The vertical line is the rank's median across all vessels. The range is shown from 30 vacancies and 5 companies; otherwise only the median.

  • median
  • middle half
  • median across all vessels, $4,050
Third Engineer: median and range by vessel type
Vessel typeMedianPay distributionMiddle half
Gas carrier62 vacancies, 26 companies$5,500Gas carrier: middle half $4,550–6,750; 62 vacancies from 26 companiesmiddle half $4,550–6,750
Oil tanker217 vacancies, 57 companies$4,600Oil tanker: middle half $4,050–5,000; 217 vacancies from 57 companiesmiddle half $4,050–5,000
Chemical tanker121 vacancies, 47 companies$4,500Chemical tanker: middle half $4,000–5,150; 121 vacancies from 47 companiesmiddle half $4,000–5,150
Reefer14 vacancies, 8 companies$4,250Reefer: range not shown, fewer than 30 vacancies; 14 vacancies from 8 companiesrange: not enough data
Bulk carrier197 vacancies, 56 companies$3,900Bulk carrier: middle half $3,750–4,100; 197 vacancies from 56 companiesmiddle half $3,750–4,100
Container ship112 vacancies, 33 companies$3,800Container ship: middle half $3,700–4,200; 112 vacancies from 33 companiesmiddle half $3,700–4,200
Ro-ro and car carriers36 vacancies, 12 companies$3,750Ro-ro and car carriers: middle half $3,700–4,200; 36 vacancies from 12 companiesmiddle half $3,700–4,200
General cargo and multipurpose76 vacancies, 39 companies$3,700General cargo and multipurpose: middle half $3,300–4,000; 76 vacancies from 39 companiesmiddle half $3,300–4,000
The vessel type is not stated in 19 vacancies; another 27 are on other vessel types with fewer than 10 vacancies each. So the rows add up to less than the total.

Third Engineer: on gas carriers the median is $5,500, on oil tankers $4,600, on chemical tankers $4,500, on reefers $4,250, on bulk carriers $3,900, on container ships $3,800, on ro-ro ships and car carriers $3,750, on general cargo and multipurpose vessels $3,700.

3By sailing area

The sailing area is stated in only 308 vacancies of 881, so there are few rows. One vacancy can name several areas.

Third Engineer: median by sailing area
Sailing areaMedianPay distributionMiddle half
Worldwide249 vacancies, 61 companies$4,400Worldwide: middle half $4,000–5,000; 249 vacancies from 61 companiesmiddle half $4,000–5,000
Europe17 vacancies, 10 companies$3,700Europe: range not shown, fewer than 30 vacancies; 17 vacancies from 10 companiesrange: not enough data
Mediterranean10 vacancies, 7 companies$3,350Mediterranean: range not shown, fewer than 30 vacancies; 10 vacancies from 7 companiesrange: not enough data

4Contract length

Share of vacancies by contract length, as stated in the vacancy. The length is stated in 865 vacancies of 881.

  • 1 month12%
  • 2 months3%
  • 3 months12%
  • 4 months29%
  • 5 months20%
  • 6 months24%
  • 7 or more<1%

5By month

MonthMedian of new vacanciesVacancies
July 2026$4,300198
August 2026$4,000306
September 2026$4,000356

September vs July: −7.0%.

6Related ranks

7Methodology

Vacancies published on Rynda Crewing and open for at least one day in July–September 2026. Each vacancy counts once; the lower bound of the pay range is used; monthly pay only; conversion to US dollars at the rate on the day the vacancy appeared. More on the methodology

How to cite

According to Rynda Crewing, vacancies for the Third Engineer rank in July–September 2026 offered a median of $4,050 per month (881 vacancies). https://crewing.rynda.io/en/salaries/2026-10/third-engineer

8Questions and answers

What is a Third Engineer offered on an oil tanker?

The median in vacancies on oil tankers is $4,600 per month (217 vacancies from 57 companies in July–September 2026).

What is the pay range for a Third Engineer?

Half of the vacancies offer between $3,750 and $4,600 per month; the median is $4,050.

What contract length is typical for a Third Engineer?

Most often 4 months: stated in 254 vacancies of 865 vacancies that give a length.

Where can I find Third Engineer vacancies?

Open vacancies for this rank are collected in its Jobs section and updated daily: https://crewing.rynda.io/en/jobs/third-engineer

Looking for a job? Open vacancies with pay are in this rank's Jobs section. Create your CV: seafarers don't pay.

Edition

Edition 10/2026, methodology v2. Vacancies open 01/07–30/09/2026. Published 09/10/2026. These are employers' offers in vacancies, not actual pay.

Third Engineer salary, edition 10/2026: median and range | Rynda Crewing