How to become a Refrigeration Engineer
Refrigeration Engineer is a role people enter from work ashore, not from a junior yacht job. You need no yacht experience. You do need the qualifications and the background below.
Where you startAnd where it leads. A typical path, not a rule.
Refrigeration Engineer
Year 0. Pay from about US$6,000 a month. Specialist engineer who keeps a large yacht's cold rooms, freezers, ice machines and air conditioning running, mostly on yachts of 80m and above.
HVAC Engineer / Technician
Year 2-3. Pay from about US$5,500 a month. Specialist engineer who keeps a large yacht's air conditioning, chilled water, ventilation and refrigeration plant running in any climate.
Third Engineer
Year 3-5. Pay from about US$4,000 a month. Junior engineering officer on larger yachts, running daily rounds, planned maintenance and engine room watches under the second and chief engineer.
Second Engineer
Year 5-8. Pay from about US$6,000 a month. The engineer who runs the engine room day to day under the chief, keeping generators, machinery and hotel systems working on yachts from 45m upward.
Before you applyWhat a Refrigeration Engineer needs, from the Refrigeration Engineer guide
Must have
- STCW Basic Safety Training
- ENG1 medical
- F-Gas Category I (EU) or EPA Section 608 Universal (US)
Gets you hired
- Refrigeration and air conditioning NVQ Level 3 or equivalent
- MCA Approved Engine Course (AEC)
- PDSD
- City & Guilds electrical qualification
- MEOL (Yacht) for those moving into engineering
Visas
- Schengen visa where required
- US B1/B2
What counts instead of yacht experienceOur advice
Captains hire a Refrigeration Engineer for chiller and VRF systems, refrigerant handling and recovery and leak detection and F-Gas records. With no yacht job behind you, show the same skills from work ashore. For a Refrigeration Engineer, that means your qualifications and the years you have worked in the profession.
Write each job on your CV as what you did, with numbers: how many guests, how many boats, how many covers. Then list every skill below that you can prove.
- Chiller and VRF systems
- Refrigerant handling and recovery
- Leak detection and F-Gas records
- Fan coil and AHU servicing
- Electrical fault finding
- Cold room and galley equipment
- Planned maintenance software
Your first stepsIn the order we suggest
Get the tickets a Refrigeration Engineer must hold
You need STCW Basic Safety Training, ENG1 medical and F-Gas Category I (EU) or EPA Section 608 Universal (US) before a yacht can put you to work as a Refrigeration Engineer.
STCW and ENG1: what they are and what they cost →Write a first Refrigeration Engineer CV
Keep it to one page. Put your tickets and your start date at the top, then your qualifications and your work ashore, with dates.
See a Refrigeration Engineer CV example →Create your crew profile
Upload that CV and we build your profile from it. Your name and contact details stay hidden. Captains and recruiters contact you. It is free.
Create your crew profile →Apply and look for daywork
Apply to open jobs and to crew agencies, and take daywork: a few paid days on a yacht is how most first-time crew get a reference.
Refrigeration Engineer guide →Step up to HVAC Engineer / Technician
The usual path puts HVAC Engineer / Technician at year 2 to 3. Pay starts from about US$5,500 a month.
How to become an HVAC Engineer / Technician →
QuestionsMore in the green crew guide
Can I become a Refrigeration Engineer with no experience?
With no yacht experience, yes. With no professional background, no. Refrigeration Engineer is a role people enter from work ashore, and you need STCW Basic Safety Training, ENG1 medical and F-Gas Category I (EU) or EPA Section 608 Universal (US).
How long does it take to become a Refrigeration Engineer?
It is a starting role, so the time is what it takes to get the tickets and find the first job. From there, the usual path puts HVAC Engineer / Technician at year 2 to 3.
What does a Refrigeration Engineer earn at the start?
From about US$6,000 a month, by our Refrigeration Engineer guide. Pay is usually tax-free and set by yacht size and how much you can do beyond refrigeration. Rotational posts on 100m+ yachts often pay slightly less per month but give equal time off, and charter yachts add tips on top.
Let the yachts come to you
Upload your CV and we build your crew profile from it. Captains and recruiters contact you. Free for crew.