Not Everyone Is Cut Out to Be a Chief Engineer on Tugs. That’s Exactly the Point. Svitzer is looking for a Chief Engineer to join the Ayton Cross, working on coastal and harbour towage. This is not a supervisory role from the sidelines. As Chief Engineer, you are hands‑on, accountable, and ultimately responsible for keeping powerful tug vessels operational in a demanding, safety‑critical environment where downtime is not an option.
If you want real ownership, technical challenge, and responsibility this is the role where it counts.
This Is What the Job Really Looks Like Maintaining and operating high‑power tug machinery in a live port environment Hands on, diagnosing faults and fixing problems under pressure Owning the condition, safety, and readiness of your engine room Supporting the Master and crew to keep the tug operational at all times Working as part of a small, professional crew where trust and competence matter
If you’re looking for a desk‑based Chief Engineer role, this isn’t it. If you want to be trusted with real authority and responsibility, it probably is.
Why Svitzer? Because tug engineering should be done properly.
What You Get
- Competitive Salary of £68,440.88 per annum
- Permanent, Time‑for‑Time contract
- Pension matched up to 10%
- Life Cover (4x pensionable salary) and Single Private Medical Insurance
- 7 Days leave after 3 years’ service
- Uniforms and PPE provided
- Employee Assistance Programme
What You Bring
- Minimum STCW III/3 Chief Engineer <6000kW>
- Valid ENG1 and STCW certification (minimum 6 months validity)
- Strong fault‑finding, maintenance, and problem‑solving skills
- Harbour towage or small‑vessel experience preferred
- A professional mindset and pride in safe, reliable engineering
The right to live and work in the UK
All crew must be flexible to work across all of our UK ports
Working rotation for this role will be 2 weeks on/off.
Building a Diverse Workplace
In Svitzer we value the diversity of our talent and will always strive to recruit the best person for the job – we value diversity in all its forms, including but not limited to gender, age, nationality, race, sexual orientation, disability, or religious beliefs.
We are proud of our diversity and see it as a genuine source of strength for building high performing teams.
Don’t meet every single requirement? Studies have shown that members from some under‑represented groups are less likely to apply for jobs if they don’t meet every single qualification.
At Svitzer we are dedicated to building a diverse and inclusive workplace, so if you’re excited about this role but your past experience doesn’t align perfectly with every qualification in the job description, we encourage you to apply anyway.
You may be just the right candidate for this or other roles, and we are excited about hearing from you!
Svitzer is a people company. Offering uninterrupted marine solutions requires not only the best equipment but also the best people. Our ambition is to attract and continuously develop the industry’s best craftsmen. Both at sea and on land - worldwide, wherever our customers do business. We are driven by skilled, professional and dedicated people and we work together as one company to provide safe, reliable and efficient services to our customers. To best serve our customers, we strive to ensure the right people and the best teams for the job, every time and we believe diversity is a strength.
Building a diverse workplace
In Svitzer we value the diversity of our talent and will always strive to recruit the best person for the job – we value diversity in all its forms, including but not limited to gender, age, nationality, race, sexual orientation, disability, or religious beliefs.
We are proud of our diversity and see it as a genuine source of strength for building high performing teams.
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