The Reality of Working on Ro-Ro and Car Carrier Vessels (PCTC): Breakneck Pace and No Beach Days

Good day, colleagues! I often see guys eyeing vacancies on Ro-Ro or pure car carrier vessels (PCTC). The salaries are tempting, and the ships are relatively modern. But take off the rose-tinted glasses: working on "rockers" is an endless groundhog day at a breakneck pace.

The main feature of Ro-Ro operations is ultra-short port stays. A ship can enter port, discharge 3,000 vehicles, load another 2,000, and set sail in 6–8 hours! Forget about going ashore. Port drivers race up and down the ramps, officers watch every bumper closely (to avoid getting blamed for other people's scratches later), and deckhands lash the cargo until they drop. If you secure the cargo poorly — the first storm will send vehicles flying across the decks.

Those who've worked a couple of contracts on car carriers — share your experience. Is this hustle worth the money, or is it better to comfortably "deal with monotony" on a Cape-sizer crossing the ocean?