Chief Engineer - Coastal Towage

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.

2 week rotations – work hard, then properly switch off

Modern, well-maintained fleet – no corner-cutting, no neglected machinery

A company that expects high standards — and backs you to meet them

Local technical support – close, capable, responsive

We don’t promise an easy job.

We promise one worthy of the title Chief Engineer .

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 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

This is a senior engineering role for someone who wants responsibility, challenge, and influence — not just a job title.

If that sounds like you, we want to hear from you.

Please note that although Bristol is stated as the primary location for this operation, this is not fixed and so we welcome applications from candidates across the UK. 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!

How to Apply

To apply for this role, please click on the 'Apply Now' button and create a Candidate Home to manage your applications.