Master for Containership (Hiring Office: Shanghai)

V.Group; Greater London; On-site; GBP 45,000 - 74,000; Part time

Job summary

V.Group seeks a Master for Containership to command a vessel on long voyages, ensuring safety, compliance, and efficient operations from embarkation to discharge. The role requires steering crew performance, supervising cargo operations, and maintaining all vessel certifications in line with MLC2006.

The position emphasizes strong leadership, adherence to ISM and cyber policies, and clear communication with owners, charterers, and the company.

Qualifications

• Responsibilities-focused role requiring strong leadership and navigation proficiency.
• Experience in safety management, crew training, and regulatory compliance is essential.

Responsibilities

• The overall command of the ship
• Safeguarding the Owner's and Company's interests at all times
• Maintenance of the ship's and crew certification required for trading
• Communication with Owners, the Company, Charterers and other parties
• Maintenance of the ship and her equipment
• Ensuring crew familiarisation and training on embarking the vessel
• Crew familiarisation, performance appraisal, training, welfare, discipline and other administrative matters
• Emergency organisation and party responsibilities known by each crew member
• Safe navigation of the vessel and adherence to navigation procedures
• Health & Safety committee meetings organization and conduct
• Stability, trim and stress monitoring at all times
• Cargo plan checks and supervision of cargo operations
• Compliance with statutory and international regulations (MLC2006)
• Maintenance of shipboard records and company documentation
• Onboard training implementation as per regulations and company policy
• Reporting accidents or damages to Company and Parties
• Voyage expenditure accounting and safe handling of company funds
• Supervision and training of Deck Cadets
• Risk assessments adherence onboard and office support as needed
• Catering, hygiene, and vessel payroll requirements
• Review of VMS as per ISM Code
• Promoting safety culture onboard
• Crew responsibility for safety, enviro, and quality
• Maintaining health and hygiene standards aboard
• Signing-on/signing-off crewmembers
• Hours of Work & Rest compliance
• Providing medical care aboard vessel
• Enforcing onboard complaint procedures per MLC2006 & Company rules
• Enforcing the Company's Drug & Alcohol policy aboard vessel
• Executing the charter of the vessel professionally
• Ensuring bunkers and stores are onboard prior to voyage
• Providing voyage details to Chief Engineer/Officer and ensuring orders are understood
• Providing cargo operation information to Company and charterers
• Advising on non-compliant voyage/instructions and clarifications
• Cargo document signing on completion of operations
• Undertaking other tasks as required by Company
• Determining appropriate Manning levels for cargo and ballast operations to ensure safety
• Ensuring cyber security policies are followed on board and by crew

Job description

Master for Containership (Hiring Office: Shanghai)

Application Deadline: 17 October 2026

Department: Deck

Employment Type: Contract

Location: Shipboard

Key Responsibilities

• The overall command of the ship
• Safeguarding the Owner's and Company's interests at all times
• Maintenance of the ship's and crew certification required for trading
• Communication with the Owners, the Company, the Charterers and any other party as required
• Maintenance of the ship and her equipment
• Ensuring that all crew receive familiarisation training on embarking the vessel
• Crew familiarisation, performance appraisal, training, welfare, discipline and other administrative matters required as per VMS Crewing Instructions
• Ensuring that Emergency Organisation & Emergency Party Responsibilities are known by each crew member including any training that may be required aboard vessel
• Safe navigation of the vessel as required by Company Navigation procedures and for ensuring that all navigational watch keepers are fully familiar with these procedures
• Organising and conducting Health & Safety committee meetings
• Ensuring adequate stability trim and stress at all times
• Checking and monitoring of any cargo plan and operations prepared by the Chief Officer, including the supervision of cargo operations
• Compliance with any statutory, local or international regulation which affect the ship including MLC2006
• Maintenance of Shipboard filing and all Company and other records which are required to be maintained or submitted
• Implementation and recording of onboard training as required by International regulations and VMS
• Reporting of any accident and/or damage affecting the ship, her crew or her cargo, to the Company and other Parties as necessary
• Full and accurate accounting of voyage expenditure etc, and the safe keeping of Company funds
• Supervision and training of Deck Cadets
• Ensuring that the risk assessment procedures are adhered to onboard and, where necessary, office assistance is obtained to mitigate identified risks.
• Catering, hygiene, and vessel payroll requirements
• Review of VMS as required by the ISM Code
• Through positive leadership, sound management practices and the display of safe behaviours promote and uphold a safety culture onboard
• Ensuring that each crewmember takes personal responsibility for the safety, environmental and quality aspects of own work
• Responsible for ensuring that proper standards of health and hygiene are maintained throughout the vessel
• Signing-on and signing-off of crewmembers
• Ensuring compliance with Hours of Work & Rest Regulations
• Providing medical care aboard vessel
• Ensuring the onboard complaint procedure is enforced as per MLC2006 & Company requirements
• Enforcing the Company's Drug & Alcohol policy aboard vessel
• The execution of the charter of the vessel in a professional and competent manner
• Ensuring sufficient bunkers and stores are onboard prior to commencing a voyage
• Providing the Chief Engineer and Chief Officer with relevant details of the intended voyage and ensuring that the voyage orders are understood and complied with in full
• Providing the Company and charterers with accurate information regarding cargo operations
• Advising the Company when voyage/cargo instructions cannot be complied with, and/or where the intended voyage instructions are not clear/understood
• Checking and signing of Cargo Documents on completion of cargo operations
• Undertaking any other tasks, duties as required by the Company.
• Determining appropriate manning levels for the respective cargo and ballast operations to ensure such operations are conducted in a safe and effective manner.
• Ensuring that all cyber security policies and procedures are adhered to, cyber incidents are reported and all crew are compliant with Company Cyber requirements.

PERSONAL BEHAVIOURS & QUALITIES

• Excellent leadership skills; in particular the ability to gain respect, to motivate and to lead by example
• Excellent managerial skills; in particular the ability to build and maintain an onboard team spirit that recognises and takes account of different National cultures
• A positive and supportive approach to training which encourages all crewmembers to build and maintain their relevant technical knowledge and practical skills
• Excellent planning and organisational skills
• Very good communication skills
• Ability to remain calm and focused at all times, in particular during emergency and/or difficult situations