They're very well paid relative to the home country depending on seniority. One of my uncles who was a ship's engineer essentially retired at 50 to settle down

They're very well paid relative to the home country depending on seniority. One of my uncles who was a ship's engineer essentially retired at 50 to settle down in a tier 2 city in India while having enough money to put his child through grad school in the US without taking on debt. Oil pays better than regular cargo due to rapid turnarounds often without docking at ports - so marine folks intent on moving up the ladder prefer oil tankers to rack up hours required for qualifications