Chief Marine Engineer

Date: 26 Feb 2026

Location: NZ

Company: Sealord Group Ltd

Sealord is the largest seafood company in the Southern Hemisphere.  And with more than 60 years of fishing experience, farming, processing, and marketing operations, our business consistently delivers quality seafood to our customers around the world.

 

Established in 1961, Nelson Sealord is half owned by the Māori people of New Zealand, through Moana New Zealand (Aotearoa Fisheries Ltd), and half owned by global seafood company Nippon Suisan Kaisha, Ltd (Nissui).  Sealord is one of the largest quota holders in New Zealand with partners and subsidiaries around the world through Nissui’s global links.  Sealord Group has fishing operations, which include all deep-water fishing activities as well as international and joint venture deep fishing activities, in New Zealand and Australia.

 

  • Nelson based
  • Trip on and trip off
  • Bring your can-do attitude

 

Currently, we’re looking to add to our team of 1,200 employees and have an opportunity for experienced Chief Fishing Vessel Trawler Marine Engineers.
 

Passionate about the sea, fishing, and developing your career in the industry, including gaining qualifications while you work …then this opportunity is not to be missed!
  
Marine Engineers – you will have a minimum  MEC 4 and MEC 3 ticket for the Chief Engineer role along with proven experience in managing the mechanical and electrical performance of the vessel’s propulsion, fishing, processing and ancillary systems in a safe and efficient manner, self-motivated to work independently with excellent problem solving skills and a commitment to preventative maintenance systems.
  
Trip lengths are between 2 - 6 weeks and crew operate on a trip on, trip off rotation, the hours of work are generally done in shifts of 12 hours, PPE is supplied, and all meals provided by our experienced cook.
  
If this sounds like the right job for you, you have proven engineering experience on deep sea fishing vessels and would enjoy working in a small close-knit team, then impress us with your positive can-do attitude, teamwork, safety focus, and the ability to follow instructions and rules. While out on the water, resilience is a life skill that is critical, as is respect for each other and the environment. Being committed to your team and tasks is imperative for the whole crew to be successful.
  
Being at sea is a way of life, unique and exhilarating! This is a lifetime opportunity with a company committed to its people and their training and development to help you fulfil your potential; offering stability and a great work-life balance.

 

A satisfactory pre-employment drug test and a physical medical assessment will be required to be considered for this role. Applicants must have legal entitlement to live and work in New Zealand.
If you are interested and able to fulfil the requirements, please apply online at www.sealord.com.