What you need to perform it
Primary qualification
- Accredited butchery trade: Spanish professional certificate in butchery and meat products (INAI0108 — indicative, verify code) or food-industry vocational diploma, or equivalent guild training
- Food handler with HACCP training under Regulation (EC) 852/2004
Basic STCW
- STCW A-VI/1 Basic Training and passenger-ship training (Regulation V/2: familiarisation, plus crowd management if assigned passenger emergency duties)
Specific courses
- Shipboard HACCP: USPH/VSP standard for US itineraries and the EU SHIPSAN programme in Europe
- Allergen management (the 14 of Regulation (EU) 1169/2011) and cold chain; first aid and safe use of the bandsaw, knives and mesh glove
Indicative experience
Indicative: 5+ years of professional butchery (meat industry, high-volume catering) and at least 1-2 prior contracts as cruise butcher before taking the lead role. Experience with international cutting styles (American, European) and fish is valued.
Observations
Progression route: butcher assistant → butcher → Chief Butcher → production management posts (production sous chef / provision master). The chambers are sub-zero confined spaces: thermal clothing, doors with checked inside release and never alone unannounced. In a USPH inspection, date labelling, controlled thawing and raw/cooked separation are the points that decide the section's score.
What this role does
Head of a passenger ship's central butchery: cuts and portions the protein for thousands of daily covers, controls wastage and per-cut yield, manages freezer and chiller rooms, and answers for traceability and HACCP records before sanitary inspections (USPH/VSP on US itineraries, EU SHIPSAN in Europe). Leads a small team of butchers and assistants within the Executive Chef's brigade.
Typical watches
- Morning production shifts linked to restaurant service
Key responsibilities
- Butchery and portioning of meats and fish for all ship restaurants.
- Cost control, waste management and cold storage management.
- Verify chamber temperatures and HACCP records, and ensure batch traceability from provisioning to the galley.
- Plan butchering according to the cycle menus and each cut's target yield.
Operational scope
- Ship's butchery and cold storage rooms
Profile reviewed by HydroAbyss (2026). Cited rules and timeframes are indicative: the final requirement is set by the flag State, the Administration and each company.