Rynda Crewing

Third Engineer salary at sea: November 2026

Engine Department

The median monthly salary offered to a Third Engineer is $4,200. Half of the vacancies offer between $3,750 and $4,700. The typical contract is 4 months. Based on 1,121 vacancies from 152 companies in August–October 2026.

Median
$4,200per month
Middle half
$3,750–4,70025th to 75th percentile
80% of vacancies
$3,500–5,25010th to 90th percentile
Vacancies
1,121152 companies, 1 Aug–31 Oct 2026
Contents8

1Pay distribution

How many vacancies offer each amount.

  • median $4,200
  • middle half, $3,750–4,700
100200300under $2,499: 52,500–$2,999: 213,000–$3,499: 633,500–$3,999: 3184,000–$4,499: 2934,500–$4,999: 1885,000–$5,499: 1485,500–$5,999: 366,000–$6,499: 116,500–$6,999: 11$7,000 and above: 27median $4,200<2.534567+
Horizontal axis: pay in the vacancy, thousand US dollars per month; vertical axis: number of vacancies. 1,121 vacancies from 152 companies.
Table
Monthly payVacancies
under $2,4995
2,500–$2,99921
3,000–$3,49963
3,500–$3,999318
4,000–$4,499293
4,500–$4,999188
5,000–$5,499148
5,500–$5,99936
6,000–$6,49911
6,500–$6,99911
$7,000 and above27

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, $4,200
Third Engineer: median and range by vessel type
Vessel typeMedianPay distributionMiddle half
Gas carrier90 vacancies, 34 companies$5,550Gas carrier: middle half $4,800–6,850; 90 vacancies from 34 companiesmiddle half $4,800–6,850
Oil tanker285 vacancies, 65 companies$4,600Oil tanker: middle half $4,500–5,000; 285 vacancies from 65 companiesmiddle half $4,500–5,000
Chemical tanker153 vacancies, 54 companies$4,500Chemical tanker: middle half $4,000–5,100; 153 vacancies from 54 companiesmiddle half $4,000–5,100
Reefer16 vacancies, 9 companies$4,250Reefer: range not shown, fewer than 30 vacancies; 16 vacancies from 9 companiesrange: not enough data
Bulk carrier243 vacancies, 65 companies$3,900Bulk carrier: middle half $3,700–4,100; 243 vacancies from 65 companiesmiddle half $3,700–4,100
Container ship143 vacancies, 38 companies$3,850Container ship: middle half $3,700–4,200; 143 vacancies from 38 companiesmiddle half $3,700–4,200
Ro-ro and car carriers41 vacancies, 12 companies$3,750Ro-ro and car carriers: middle half $3,700–4,200; 41 vacancies from 12 companiesmiddle half $3,700–4,200
General cargo and multipurpose97 vacancies, 43 companies$3,700General cargo and multipurpose: middle half $3,250–4,000; 97 vacancies from 43 companiesmiddle half $3,250–4,000
The vessel type is not stated in 22 vacancies; another 31 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 $5,550, on oil tankers $4,600, on chemical tankers $4,500, on reefers $4,250, on bulk carriers $3,900, on container ships $3,850, 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 382 vacancies of 1,121, so there are few rows. One vacancy can name several areas.

Third Engineer: median by sailing area
Sailing areaMedianPay distributionMiddle half
Worldwide310 vacancies, 68 companies$4,400Worldwide: middle half $4,000–5,000; 310 vacancies from 68 companiesmiddle half $4,000–5,000
Europe22 vacancies, 11 companies$3,750Europe: range not shown, fewer than 30 vacancies; 22 vacancies from 11 companiesrange: not enough data
Mediterranean15 vacancies, 9 companies$3,000Mediterranean: range not shown, fewer than 30 vacancies; 15 vacancies from 9 companiesrange: not enough data
Africa10 vacancies, 4 companies$4,400Africa: range not shown, fewer than 30 vacancies; 10 vacancies from 4 companiesrange: not enough data

4Contract length

Share of vacancies by contract length, as stated in the vacancy. The length is stated in 1,105 vacancies of 1,121.

  • 1 month12%
  • 2 months2%
  • 3 months12%
  • 4 months31%
  • 5 months19%
  • 6 months23%
  • 7 or more<1%

5By month

MonthMedian of new vacanciesVacancies
August 2026$4,000307
September 2026$4,000355
October 2026$4,250247

October vs August: +6.5%.

6Related ranks

7Methodology

Vacancies published on Rynda Crewing and open for at least one day in August–October 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 August–October 2026 offered a median of $4,200 per month (1,121 vacancies). https://crewing.rynda.io/en/salaries/2026-11/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 (285 vacancies from 65 companies in August–October 2026).

What is the pay range for a Third Engineer?

Half of the vacancies offer between $3,750 and $4,700 per month; the median is $4,200.

What contract length is typical for a Third Engineer?

Most often 4 months: stated in 338 vacancies of 1,105 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 11/2026, methodology v2. Vacancies open 1 Aug–31 Oct 2026. Published 2 Nov 2026. These are employers' offers in vacancies, not actual pay.