ETO Salary in 2026: What Has Changed Compared to 2025

The role of an Electro-Technical Officer (ETO) continues to gain importance across the maritime industry. With increasing automation, digitalization, and reliance on complex electrical systems onboard, ETOs are no longer just support engineers — they are critical to vessel operations.

As a result, 2026 has brought noticeable changes to salary levels and market dynamics compared to 2025.

Who Is an ETO and Why Demand Is Growing

An Electro-Technical Officer is responsible for maintaining and operating all electrical and electronic systems onboard a vessel. This includes:

• Power generation and distribution systems
• Navigation and communication equipment
• Automation and control systems
• High-voltage installations

Modern vessels are becoming increasingly “smart,” which makes the ETO’s role more complex — and more valuable.

Responsibility of cargo officials and inspection of compartments before loading

On board ship the Cargo Officer (Chief Officer) is responsible for the safe and efficient handling and stowage of cargo. This officer should secure proper preparation of the holds before loading and he supervises during the time the ship is receiving or delivering the cargo.

The stevedore is usually in charge of any cargo work that is loading or unloading (discharging). He is responsible for securing the ship with a sufficient number of gangs, cargo-handling machinery and besides he organizes transporting cargoes from the ship to the sheds or warehouses.

What are holds and hatches on a ship?

The inner space of a ship between the limber boards of a double bottom and the decks is designed for carrying cargoes. We call this space a hold. Holds have different capacity. Big vessels have cargo holds divided into several separate compartments by watertight bulkheads.

Each dry-cargo vessel has four or five holds. The holds have bilges which serve to give way for flowing the water which may condensate on metal bulkheads or collect on wooden flooring. The water collected in the bilges is pumped out by a hold pump. To protect the bilges from corrosion they are covered with cement or special anticorrosion substance, besides they are protected by limber boards.

Holds

• Definition: Holds are the enclosed spaces or compartments within the hull of a ship where cargo is stored. These spaces are designed to maximize the amount of cargo a ship can carry and to protect the cargo from the elements and other potential damage.
• Function: Holds provide a secure and organized way to store various types of cargo, whether bulk goods like grains and coal or containerized cargo.
• Design: The design of holds can vary based on the type of ship. For example, bulk carriers have large, open holds for carrying unpackaged bulk cargo, while container ships have holds with cell guides to accommodate shipping containers.

Hatches

• Definition: Hatches are the openings on the deck of a ship that provide access to the holds below. These openings are covered by hatch covers, which can be removed or opened to allow cargo to be loaded into or unloaded from the holds.
• Function: Hatches serve as the entry and exit points for cargo. They must be designed to be watertight and secure to protect the holds from water ingress and ensure the safety and integrity of the cargo.
• Types: There are various types of hatch covers, including:
  • Side-rolling hatch covers: Common on bulk carriers, these covers roll to the side to open the hatch.
  • Pontoon hatch covers: Often found on container ships, these covers can be lifted off using cranes.
  • Lift-away hatch covers: Similar to pontoon covers but usually lighter and easier to handle manually or with smaller lifting equipment.

Holds are the storage spaces within a ship's hull, and hatches are the access points to these storage spaces, equipped with covers to protect the cargo.

The double bottom is covered with a removable wooden flooring. Cargo battens or "spar ceiling", as they are often called, comprises portable wooden battens fitted to the inner edges of the frames and so form a sheathing to the ship's side. "Spar ceiling" is made up of boards and arranged either horisontally, or vertically between frames. 

The purpose of this wooden sheathing is to prevent packages of cargo from damage by moisture which may collect on the side of the ship. The space so formed between the "spar ceiling" and the ship's side helps to provide a complete air space around the cargo and thereby improves ventillation. The "spar ceiling" should always be kept in a good state. 

Each hold has a hatchway. The hatchway is the rectangular opening in the ship's deck. The vertical plating around the hatchway is called hatchway coaming.

Loading cargo. Before loading a ship a cargo plan must be drawn up

Before loading a ship a cargo plan must be drawn up. This document is usually drawn up at the Chief Controller's office since this office directs cargo work in the sea-port. While abroad the Agent and the Master draw up a cargo plan. When the plan is ready the stevedore may begin loading. 

Firstly, he secures the necessary number of gangs, secondly he supplies the tackles which the dockers need in their work and at last the stevedore supervises the correct tonnage allotment for the holds. He checks up if cargoes are stowed and trimmed properly. Even stowage of cargoes secures a reliable stability of the ship loaded.

Loading cargo. Warehouses and sheds

Cargoes which must be carried by ships are usually delivered to a port prior to ship's arrival. So on ship's mooring they waist no time and loading operations may begin immediately. Cargoes are of different types and value and most of them are to be stored in special warehouses and sheds. 

This storing protects cargoes from any damage caused by sun rays, snow, rain and by some other factors. Only a few kinds of machinery and equipment packed in boxes can be placed on quays without roof protection. Warehouses and sheds are used for storing cargoes during any periods of time before they are conveyed to the quays and loaded on board ships.

Micro-Electronics — its Effect on Future Ship Operation

Ship operation could change considerably in the future as a result of the increasing introduction of micro-processor controlled machinery and equipment. Working practices, training, bridge and machinery space layouts will alter.

Although few problems remain to be solved at the present state of development, as automation increases, the relationship between controls, machinery and ship design will be more closely linked, resulting in the need for a much more integrated approach to ship design.