The biggest trouble is to get to sea. Most employers won't employ you unless you've got a marine certificate, and you can't get a certificate unless you get the sea time. Peter Harding, Marine Engineer Work Places and Travel Marine engineers work at sea in a ship's engine-room and on other parts of a ship. They may work on land as maintenance engineers in hospitals, hotels and powerstations. They often travel in New Zealand waters and may travel to overseas ports.
Conditions are usually hot, noisy and messy.
Workplaces may also be dangerous. Hours Marine engineers frequently work in shifts or can be on-call. They may be away from home for long periods of time.