The ship’s cook prepares three to four meals a day for a crew of nine people. The cook does not work on deck, work cargo operations, or tie up the ship. The average voyage is 24 days long. For approximately 17 days out of the voyage, the cook will prepare breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Breakfast generally occurs between 0530 and 0630, lunch between 1130-1200, and dinner between 1730-1830. However, meal hours can change quickly based off of cargo operations. During cargo operations, which take up approximately seven days out of the voyage, cooks prepare a meal called night lunch, which is eaten around midnight.

There is only one cook aboard each vessel. The cook needs to prep all meals, cook all meals, do light baking, clean the galley, and wash the dishes. There are no steward’s duties to perform, such as laundry or cabin cleaning. During times of maximum cargo operations, the cook is also expected to keep the main passageway and ship’s head clean. This is approximately four days during the voyage.

Cooks must be completely insensitive to sea sickness. Our ships roll and pitch heavily on the open sea. If you have a tendency to get sea sick, do not apply for this job. The quality of meals can make or break a voyage. We expect our cooks to be as excellent at their job as our crew members excel at working cargo.

Watch this video to learn more about being a cook aboard our freighters.

FOOD ORDERING

All food is purchased by a food vendor working from an order sheet from the ship’s cook. Cooks are responsible for taking a galley inventory at the middle and at the end of the voyage. Food orders are sent down by the cook halfway through the voyage to our food vendor. On the day before the next voyage sails, the cook will receive the food order.

SCHEDULING

The average cook sails eight 24-day trips a year. Some cooks sail as few as four to seven 24-day trips a year. Occasionally we hire relief cooks, who only sail one or two trips.

MEDICAL CRITERIA

READ CAREFULLY: IF YOU FEEL YOU ARE NOT UP TO THIS KIND OF WORK DO NOT APPLY.

Each cook prepares food for a crew of about nine people aboard a small boat.The cook has no help with his or her job and prepares all meals alone. Likewise, they’re exclusively responsible for cleaning the galley spaces and dishwashing. The cook usually works about 10 hours a day, with frequent long breaks. Except for the often wild and random motions of the boat while at sea, the position is much the same as any other cook’s job.

Cooks are not usually asked to work on deck, haul heavy ropes, or performing strenuous manual labor. However, they must be able to lift 50 lb. to waist height and carry that amount up an eight foot flight of stairs, if only by dragging it up. A cook must be able to do this 20 times in six hours, once a week. The job doesn’t require walking for long distances, but they need to be sure-footed, due to the severe rolling and pitching motions of the vessel while underway and the dangerous proximity to stoves, etc.

A cook must be able to work over a smoky grill and must be free from tuberculosis or other severely communicable respiratory diseases.

Our cooks must also be capable of donning a USCG-approved survival suit in reasonable time, jumping off a vessel or structure at a height of 12 feet off the water, and swimming in the survival suit 100 feet to a fixed ladder. The length of swim time is not important. They must also be able to climb the ladder 12 feet back up to the jumping point. All of our cooks are tested on this.

Our entire crew undergoes rigorous fire fighting and respiratory protection training throughout their employment. People with respiratory problems or anyone who experiences claustrophobia while wearing respirators should keep this in mind when applying.