Advice for AB hawsepiper? want to be 3M/DPO

I am so glad I stumbled upon this great site. I hope my fellow seafarers can give me some advice.<br><br>I am an AB Unlimited with experience in the Bering Sea fishing industry, Chemical Tankers, Ferries, and now Im currently on a research vessel, but they are not interested in helping me upgrade. They would rather hire a green academy graduate than invest anything into their current employees.<br>I have higher aspirations than to be a career AB. 5 years ago I could send one resume, and my phone would ring 3 days later wanting to hire me. I seem to be having a tougher time now. <br>I would like to be a DPO on a drillship. My real dream is to work in Brasil, the oil industry future looks good there, and I speak a little Portuguese.<br> A buddy of mine that I worked with was faced with $17,000 dollars in schooling to get his CM license. He was lucky enough to have been picked up by a company hungry for DPOs and was hired, schooled, and just passed his CM test. Good on him. <br>Ive tried contacting the same company to see if they were willing to take on an aspiring AB who wants to become 3M/DPO. I been checking their website and they almost never have AB spots open. Their website pretty much says if the job isnt posted, dont bother contacting them. <br>I been sending resumes to other companies in the drill industry, Supply Ships, AHTS…but my phone still isnt ringing. Whats up with that?<br>All my docs are in order, and valid. AB Unlimited, Tankerman, STCW, MMD, TWIC, Passport, all good.<br>Im beginning to think maybe I should pay for my 3M out of my own pocket. But minimum $17,000 USD? Ouch that hurts! Its amazing I have to pay a $12,000 “penalty” because I didnt take the test 6 years ago. Seems experience doesnt count for anything anymore. I know it will pay off eventually… But I dont want to pay for it if I dont have to!<br>Anybody got advice, ideas, tips? I thought about taking DPO classes without having a 3M, then maybe someone will take me seriously. or HUET or BOSIET training? Anyone think this might be worth my time?<br><br>Thank you in advance for any help.

<P>There are so many options you could take Stellarseas. I can offer you my two cents. You can get a Mate OSV a lot quicker than the 3rd Mate and with less cost. At some companies while attempting to get your Mate OSV you can attend all classes offered by the company including DP School approved by the Nautical institute. You will have to have 30 days of DP experience and a series of competencies completed by the Master once you complete the basic DP course in order to take the advanced DP course. Then You need 6 months sea time on DP to get your DP Operators Certificate from the Nautical Institute. Once you get Your Mate OSV and then your DP Certificate you could approach a company that needs DP Operators. Now you have something to bring to the table. A DP Certificate with a little experience. Now you still do not have you 3rd Mate, but you are a DP operator. A company may be more willing to compensate for the classes involved to meet STCW 95 standards to sit for your 3rd Mate.<br><br>Or you can pay for it out of your pocket and not have a DP Certificate. They may or may not hire you. Junior DPO is around 87,000 to start maybe less. <br><br>The Resume thing does not always work. It seems that even with valid credentials and experience, the person in the door, across the desk, in their ear gets the attention. <br><br>Hope this helps, Lee</P>

Who is the “Nautical Institute” and what do they have to do with certification of DP operators?

I agree with Capt. Lee about the resume issue. Never assume from a website that there are no jobs available. If you have the resources available to make the trip, walking in the front door and speaking directly with someone who has decision making authority to hire is your best bet. Tell them where you are experience-wise, and what your ambitions are. You will most likely get a job that way. Companies are always looking for good hands, and in this market there is lots of room for advancement. Good luck!

Ok I can answer this one. Nautical Institute is probably the most well known school for training for DPO and OSVs. Just do a search with Google or something.<br><br>Thank you for your advice Capt. Lee. While it may not be the most direct route, It sounds like a great idea. <br>I imagine the odds of getting a deck job on an OSV will be very good, considering the numbers of new builds. <br>In my searches, I see that Bourbon is launching new vessels as quickly as they can be made. It is good they realize with this many new builds, they will leave a vacuum in the job market. So therefore they are also building schools as well.<br>Ive applied online to them several times, unfortunately with no response. <br>Ive also read that Rigdon was part of Bourbon, I havent applied with Rigdon yet. But from what Ive read in this forum, Rigdon falls a bit short of what they promise.<br>I check websites for Transocean, Noble, Pride, Seadrill… but I dont see any openings for ABs. Perhaps Im barking up the wrong tree? I keep in contact with my buddy that got on with one of these companies, and he says they hire new ABs all the time for their deepwater vessels, but I dont ever see announcements on the website. He did give me a personnel number to call, but I was quickly snubbed. “If the job is not listed on the site, there are no openings available”.<br>Thank you once again Capt. Lee, I was getting to the point I coudnt see the forest through the trees…<br><br>You think it might be worth my time to get HUET or BOSIET training on my own? Ive also considered Crane Operator training if only to get my foot in the door. As you can tell, Im willing to do whatever I can to get my career moving forward again. …that is, almost short of paying $17,000.00 and taking 6 months off of work to get that 3M ticket. Then again, $87,000.00 might make it worth biting the bullet. Ive got alot of thinking to do. <br><br>I was also thinking if I went to the Nautical Institute in Macae’ Brasil, I could make some valuable contacts there, as that is where I would like to end up one day.<br> <br>Any other ideas?<br><br>

I would not pay out of pocket For the Huet or Bosiet Training for a couple of reasons.<br><br>1-Some companies only approve certain facilities. They won’t accept facilities not approved by their company.<br>2-It is common practice to send new employees to these training classes free of charge to the individual and sometimes even pay them to be there.<br><br>Try Chouest, Otto Candies, Gulf Offshore Logistics, Harvey Gulf, Hornbeck “HOS”. All these companies are looking for Deck people and all of them offer some type of training and Chouest has their own DP school approved by the Nautical Institute.

Stellar, I’m with Capt. Lee. <br><br>Save your money on the training, and spend it on travel to South Louisiana. On any given day, any of, or all of the companies that Lee listed are hiring OS’s and AB’s as they walk in the back door as long as they have their paperwork in oirder, and look like they have half a brain (or in some instances not).<br><br>It’s time to get to work. If you truly want to end up in Brasil one day, you better get with the program and get that license. Chances are you won’t be going if you don’t have one. Most companies with assignments overseas only send licensed personnel, so there’s another motivation to get that ticket if Brasil is truly what you want to do.<br><br>Good luck…

Thanks! <br>Yah, I know odds of working international are pretty slim without that license. Well, I can, for $10 dollars a day and a bowl of rice and beans…<br><br>Ill launch another salvo of online apps, snail-mail resumes, and follow up with phone calls and ultimately get down there and knock on some doors. Chouest sounds great since they have their own school. Sounds like they are serious about upgrading and training.<br> <br>Ok, lets suppose I jet down to South Louisiana, rent a car, and start knocking on doors. What towns have the highest concentration of employers so I can get maximum use of my job finding search?<br>What type of vessel you suggest I shoot for? Anchor Handling? Supply? Dive?<br>Something that wont bust my balls too much. Im 42 now, and still in good shape. I always calculate the “burnout factor” when looking for work. Time to move on to something mentally challenging. <br><br>I got out of the Bering Sea fishery and Chemical Tankers before they got the best of me. One of the reasons I stayed with the research vessels for so many years, travel the world, and the work was stupid-easy, but Im paying for it now cuz my career has gone nowhere. Its ironic that a University does not believe in assisting in, or educating their employees. Go figure.<br><br>Ill keep you all posted on how things go.<br>

Stellar,<br><br>I would say that sending apps., and emailing your resume to the Big 5 would be a good start: Tidewater, Hornbeck, Chouest, Seacor, and Otto Candies, in no particular order.<br><br>I have it on good authority that Chouest has put a freeze on Captains and Engineers, and some more senior deck positions, but email/call anyway.<br><br>Show up on the doorstep shortly thereafter, and hit the trail running. Be absolutely ready to go to wor when you show up. With an email campaign, and few phone calls after you get a response, you can get a pretty good feel which direction you want to go in<br><br>Tidewater is in Amelia, LA, Seacor in Houma, Chouest in Galliano, Hornbeck in Covington, and Otto Candies is in Des Allemands. Click on each company to go to each respective career/contact page.<br><br>As for which vessel you shoot for; the one that has room for you, and the one the company can get place you on. Take the first 90 days as an adjusting period, get used to your new surroundings and the job at hand, and work harder than the hardest working guy on the boat. With a plethora of slugs coming out to work on OSV’s these days, you should shine like Unocal 76 sign in the night if you’re half the bargain you say you are.<br><br>As to how to lay out the trip - Covington is north of NOLA, and everything else is situated along Hwy. 90 heading West. My advice would be decide which company “does it” for you for one reason or another, and start there.<br><br>By the time you’re done with this, you’ll be ready to go to work for Sig Hansen on the Northwestern again…<br><br>Best of Luck…<br>

Haha! You really had me going until you mentioned working on the Northwestern (Time Bandit, Scandies Rose, Rainier…) again! lol!<br>NEVER AGAIN! Haha!<br>Really, I have no regrets about working the crab fishery in Alaska. It was a real character builder for me. I probably learned more about seamanship in those seven years than any other time in my life. I learned skills unique to the industry. Ive run crane doing personnel lifts all night long with a Billy Pugh net in whiteout 60+ knot winds. Humped frozen bait for 36+ hours until my hands were so stiff I couldnt pull my socks up in the morning. Not only learned marlinespike seamanship, but know what the knots are good for. I like to think I left that industry before it got the best of me.<br>Sorry… you got me started…<br>Like I said, please dont bust my balls. Haha. Ive had my turn at being a greenhorn, and I know once Im working in the gulf Im green over again. Im proud of my work, but by no means claim to be a know-it-all. I know when to shut up and stay out of the way, and when to jump in and lend a hand. I guess that will depend alot on the crew I get on with.<br><br>Well thank you again for the tips, advice and words of encouragement. Ill keep you updated.

Even if you don’t get your all time favorite the first go around, I can honestly say it’s a lot easier to make a decision of where you want to be, once your on the inside looking out. All outfits have their good and bad…but you’ll figure it out for yourself once you get your feet wet.<br><strong><br><br>“Well thank you again for the tips, advice and words of encouragement. Ill keep you updated.”<br><br></strong>Please do Stellar, and once again, good luck!<strong><br></strong>

… Just an update before I ship out on my next AB hitch.<br>I polished up my resume, sent it to just about every company I thought was worthwhile and accepting apps. <br>Now the painful part, waiting for the phone to ring.<br>In the meantime, I just dropped my registration in the mail today for Pacific Maritime Institute for the AB to Mate program starting in January.<br>Im going to charge it to my credit card. If I dont get any assistance, thats the way Ill go. If I had more time Id talk to my bank about a loan for schooling instead. That might be cheaper? Im sure once I find 3rd mate work Ill should be able to pay off the $20,000.00 <br>Im just a little worried that the phone will ring while Im away for 4.5 months. I get email out there every couple days. But what if they call for interview? Maybe I can interview on the MarSat, but Im thinkin they want a full physical and whatnot by their Dr.s? Im not the type of guy to bail on a commitment to a company that has been pretty good to me, just to catch an interview, burning my bridges behind me. But then again, that might be my ticket to get these classes paid for. What to do?<br>Anybody been in a pickle like this?<br><br>

“Im going to charge it to my credit card.” <br><br><br><br>Um, Ok, but they do have student loans that might be much better than a credit card!!!<br><br>

I only used my credit card because they want to know how I can pay for the classes… when Im done with my hitch and have more time, Ill see about student loans I can always change this later. The main thing is getting registered and reserving a spot, per the chance classes get full.<br>

I don’t think Sallie Mae will pay you back, I think they only fund the school directly. The rates should be much better and the loan funds in a matter of days. PMI is set up with this service and they can do most of the leg work. Just a suggestion. It’s a ten minute form.

Last week I did an interview that might be of interest to this thread:
The New Hawsepipe - An Interview With Leonard Lambert

I’ve meet a couple of guys who have used the “The New Hawsepipe” book to help them how would you say navigate the waters of getting a third mates its worth the purchase.

Anyone who is still moving up the licensing ladder should own it.

I don’t have much info. on this - a friend emailed to me that they are looking for AB/DPOs - I’m not sure if they are unltd. tonnage (looks by size it could go either way). It’s worth checking out though.
Crossmar 21 (250’X72’X16’ – DP3) 300 Ton Crane, 4 Point Mooring System, 60 Man Living Quarters
http://www.thecrossgroup.com/

Hello Stellar
In case y ou are still checking this post, I am a fellow traveller who has been all the same places you have along the way (including St. Paul Island) but a few years ahead of you. Quite a few Bering Sea sea stories stored on the flash drive between my ears!
Anyway for the last three years I have been in the GoM sailing as a DPO and have what I think is a tremendous amount of insight and information into the ways of the offshore biz I’d like to pass on to you if you are interested. If so, please contact me by email at vessel_resources@yahoo.com. I will look forward to hearing from you hopefully soon.
cheers