Every winter, most great lakes trading vessel tie up for the majority of the winter, generally from Dec 28 until March 25 or the likes (when the Seaways is closed).

During this time all vessel are required to have a competent person aboard at all times for safety and security, and carrying out small tasks. The vessels tie up all along the port of the lakes around central Canada. Its a lonely existence but some might enjoy this. The pay I am not sure and probably depends on vessel, but in the low 100$ per day. Usually this is done by one of the ship's engineer, but sometimes they are not available.

If you are legally allowed to work in Canada and are interested in this type of work, I encourage you to contact the various ship operators in the area. In particular, you can contact VShips at [email protected] to express your interest.

How many people do they have onboard during this time?

One per ship I think is the requirement of the Port Authorities. But usually several ships will berth in the same area, so you're not "totally" alone.

I was Ship's keeper for Algoma many year ago where your the only one to watch the ship, But during the day you keep the gangway clear and track the contractors if any for maintenance is being conducted. Don't believe anything has changed over the years. Its a lonely job but gives you lots of time to study or catch up on your reading in the evening.

How do they get around the "working alone" issue? Does the person have a way to contact someone if he takes a spill or gets sick?