Our vessels can be found all around the world, from Europe to Africa, to the Americas, Asia and to our Australian berth in Williamstown. Our vessels are undertaking campaigns or maintenance work all year round, which means we are always in need of dedicated crew, whether to assist in port or sail on a campaign at sea.

It is not clear from the outside, but Sea Shepherd is split into two entities as far as ships and crew are concerned.  Sea Shepherd Conservation Society in the USA manages several vessels, which undertake their own campaigns. The application process to join vessels with Sea Shepherd Conservation Society is separate but similar. Please make sure you are applying to the entity which operates the ships or geographical area that interests you the most.  You can also apply to both.

There are also several boats operating worldwide through various Sea Shepherd entities. These vessels are operated by local onshore teams and managed by the Sea Shepherd entity in their region of operation and are not crewed by Sea Shepherd Global. For more information on joining a local onshore volunteer chapter please select ‘Get Involved’ from our drop-down menu above.

The best way to find out about our upcoming campaigns is to visit the ‘Our Campaigns’ drop-down menu on the home-page of our website or follow us on social media. We don’t necessarily announce future campaign plans for various reasons and will not provide campaign information which has not already been published online. If you are selected to volunteer, you may spend a significant amount of time on board helping to prepare the ship for a campaign. Most often volunteers earn their place on board before joining an actual campaign, however it is sometimes possible to directly join a campaign whilst in progress.

We aim to have our ships as active as possible, but a lot of work goes into campaign planning and ship preparation. And, of course, having ships actively on campaign requires a lot of support so sometimes our ability to start a campaign is restricted to raising the required funds.

No, not necessarily.  But, you can make a note on your application regarding your interests and skills but if you are selected to volunteer, we would expect you to join the ship where you are needed most.

Unfortunately, we are rarely able to accommodate such requests.  Most schools or work placements have set start and end dates and also require reporting based on your experiences.  We do not have a strict timeline for campaigns and plans can change unexpectedly. It is recommended to apply as a volunteer when you are free and able to commit and focus only on being a crew member.

The number of crew on board at any one time varies and is also dependent on the ship. But, you can expect to join anywhere from 5 to 40 other individuals.

Yes.  You will need enough funds to get yourself to and from any port in the world. When you are on board we provide you with a place to sleep and 3 vegan meals a day plus snacks - all you need!  Anything beyond that (extra food you personally want, entertainment, phone calls) is your responsibility.

It is possible you will need to acquire an appropriate visa. Visa requirements are different for each country and will vary depending on where you are from and where you are going. Please do not obtain a visa for any country until such time as you are selected and confirmed to crew onboard one of our ships as our vessels do not always remain in the same port and you may be selected to crew anywhere in the world.

You can specify on your application a date range or ‘open availability’.  When a position becomes available, we search for crew available during that time period. The larger your window of availability, the more likely an opportunity will come up in that time frame.  When we have a suitable space available, you may be contacted you for an interview.

Not necessarily.  When we are looking to fill a volunteer position, we search for crew members with a specific skill set.  We do our best to utilize your skills and place you in the most appropriate position on board.  For example, if you are chef, it’s unlikely we will ask you to work in our engineering department.  We can’t necessarily take your personal preferences into account all of the time.  We’ll put you in a position on the ship where you will most benefit Sea Shepherd.

Sea Shepherd accepts volunteers with all sorts of backgrounds.  In fact, many of our volunteers have never worked on a ship before joining us!  They learn everything they need to from veteran crew, professional mariners and those with specialized skills.

We are always on the lookout for people with the following qualifications:
 - Medics including doctors, nurses and/or paramedic.
 - Experienced, skilled and ticketed seafarers including: marine engineers, bridge officers, oilers, bosuns and/or deckhands.
 - Tradespeople including: electricians, carpenters, welders, and mechanics.
 - Communications specialists with a background in IT and/or navigational equipment.
 - Photographers and videographers 
 

Due to the nature of our operations, we require that crew members do not suffer from any of the following medical conditions:
-Epileptic seizures or sudden loss of consciousness
-Myocardial infarction (heart attack) or heart surgery
-Heart rhythm problems (arrhythmia)
-Heart or artery disease
-High or uncontrolled blood pressure
-Insulin-treated diabetes
-Stroke or unexplained loss of consciousness
-Head injury with ongoing effects
-Parkinson’s Disease or Multiple Sclerosis
-Serious mental health conditions affecting judgement, behaviour, or safety (e.g., psychotic disorders, bipolar disorder, severe mood disorders, or recent hospitalisation/self-harm risk)
-Alcohol or drug dependency
-Profound deafness
-Serious or long-term visual impairment
-Any condition affecting safe work or emergency response
-Severe or life-threatening allergies (e.g., requiring an EpiPen)

In the early days, crew application fees were what helped us put fuel in the ship tanks for campaigns!  Due to the manpower and time required to process applications, this fee helps us effectively recruit new crew members into service.  Furthermore, as all volunteers must arrange and pay for their own travel expenses to and from the ship, if the application fee is too difficult to make, the travel expenses may be even more so.  This further assists us in keeping the non-serious applicants away.

The Application Fee is a non-refundable, one-time donation and hopefully one you feel is going toward a worthy cause.

For new volunteers, we normally don't commit to allowing any service for longer than 3 or 4 months.  If things are progressing well, which is typically evident quite quickly, you are welcome to ask your department head, ship manager, or captain if you may extend your stay.  We do appreciate it when people can stay longer and continue to use the skills they have learned!  We always reserve the right to ask people to leave at any time if things aren't working out.

Once you submit your application to Sea Shepherd, we enter your details into our crewing database and your name could come up in any number of searches depending on your location, skills and availability.  Unless you specifically ask us to 'retire' it, your application will remain actively on file with us and you could be considered for any crewing needs.  If we select you as a candidate, we'll email you to schedule a call with you and, if that goes well, invite you to join a ship.

At any time you can contact us at crewadmin@seashepherdglobal.org and request and update on your application, update your availability or skills, or request that we remove your information from our systems.

We love to receive applications from passionate individuals willing to work hard and take on any responsibility on board to contribute to the campaigns.  The more flexible you are on time, the more likely we will have a position become available that you may be suited for.  Seafaring skills are definitely an asset but not essential, your ability to be committed, hard-working and get along with others means a lot to us as well!  We are always looking for qualified experienced Captains, Officers, Bosuns, Engineers, Doctors and vegan Cooks to join our team.

As we receive a large amount of applications from all over the world we are unable to guarantee all applicants a place onboard.  We would love to be able to select all applicants but we receive more applications than there are positions onboard to be filled.  The selection process is therefore somewhat competitive. 

If you are selected to join the crew we will communicate individually with you to provide instructions and further information regarding your travel.

While we sometimes have need of divers on board our vessels, it is rare that the skill is required, and we don't have dedicated diving positions on board. Much like with crane operators, it's a nice additional skill to have, but it's not something we inherently look for. 

You can bring your own snacks and treats but we will feed you three nutritious plant-based meals per day!

As you can imagine, while you are at sea, the crew work 7 days per week with no time off.  In port, crew work 5 and a half days a week.

Most of the ships in our fleet have some form of satellite connection on board that allows for crew to email occasionally, however, this privilege can some times be taken away temporarily during critical points in a campaign. In port, we typically try to find a local Internet connection, which may be available to the crew. Your Captain will let you know the best way for your family to reach you while on board.  Each ship is different.

Sea Shepherd maintains a zero-tolerance policy to drugs and drunkenness and that anybody in violation of this policy will be removed from the ships immediately.

No smoking is allowed on the ship.

The ship is not a democracy; you will be expected to follow the chain of command.

Any dangerous, disrespectful or insubordinate behavior will result in a crew member being asked to leave.