Does anyone know any foreign shipping companies who will actually hire an American mate? It’s my understanding that the majority of the rest of the world’s countries either don’t like hiring us or won’t hire us because of insurance reasons. I’ve got a third mate unlimited license, tankerman assistant, and I’m months away from being a full fledged DPO. I’m working in the gulf now but I’d much rather be doing transoceanic travel than sitting around on DP all day and night–or in Fourchon.
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[B]DAMN GOOD QUESTION![/B]
…next question please
In all seriousness, you are pretty much spot on when you say that the rest of the world doesn’t want us for many reasons some of which are justified but most of which aren’t. In my years I’ve heard:[ol]
[li]liability to sue for damages under the Jones Act even when on a foreign flagged ship (yes, this is true and it has burned the butt of some shipowners in the past)[/li][li]higher pay (European officers make more than US officers these days[/li][li]attitude that we’re special (ever sail with a Norwegian or Brit or Dutchman?..and they say we’re arrogant!)[/li][li]a U.S. issued license is not recognized by the nations in the European Union (in retaliation because the USCG won’t recognize an EU license)[/li][li]other nations protecting their turf (who can blame them…we should be doing the same)[/li][li]laziness (I’ll steer clear of this one because it is true but it isn’t)[/li][li]that we only speak English (which is tough to sail on say, a German ship)[/li][li]that the US and its people are not really that liked very much anymore (way too political for me to touch this one, but I’ve been told this is a reason)[/li][/ol]What foreign companies are willing to hire an American? The AMO supposedly has a contract to provide officers for foreign LNG ships but I know nothing about that deal. MarAd too was supposed to be making deals with some foreign shipping lines to pave the way for US mariners to work for them, but I have yet to hear of any really happening.
My advice, finish getting your DPO and go to my thread about foreign mariners taking jobs from Americans in the Gulf. Write letters to everybody in government you can think of to demand that those BS giveaways to these vessel owners stops immediately!
If you have PIC look at the major chemical carriers.
Stolt Tankers and Jo Tankers use to hire American mates a few years back. A majority of their fleet is Norweigan flagged the ships are new and the wages are good. Its also a good segway shoreside later down the road.
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liability to sue for damages under the Jones Act even when on a foreign flagged ship (yes, this is true and it has burned the butt of some shipowners in the past)
Happens but not often enough for the discrimination. -
higher pay (European officers make more than US officers these days.
No problem there. The USA needs to catch up but the limited license thing holds us back. -
attitude that we’re special (ever sail with a Norwegian or Brit or Dutchman?..and they say we’re arrogant!) Well said !
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a U.S. issued license is not recognized by the nations in the European Union (in retaliation because the USCG won’t recognize an EU license)
US does recognize EU license as long as they are STCW compliant but the EU does get confused with the ‘limited license’ as they don’t have such a thing. -
other nations protecting their turf (who can blame them…we should be doing the same) Exactly
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laziness (I’ll steer clear of this one because it is true but it isn’t)
The ugly American comes to mind. One idiot can make us all look bad. -
that we only speak English (which is tough to sail on say, a German ship)
That’s a non starter. In this hemisphere Spanish is the language. -
that the US and its people are not really that liked very much anymore (way too political for me to touch this one, but I’ve been told this is a reason)
It’s the ugly American thing again. There was a book written about it but nobody reads much nowadays.
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if you really have a language barrier, i suggest going for a rosetta stone package.
yes its expensive, but its a good 6 month return deal, you can return for full price or exchange for a SECOND language.
i got rosetta last year for portuguese to maybe work offshore brazil as a dpo. the rosetta program is good, voice recognition the whole 9 yards, but you can’t be lazy. its not the tool its the user!
if you know spanish you pretty much have all the romance languages half covered. the dpo wasnt for me, but now i get to listen to my family trying to learn portuguese and it cracks me up.
good luck trying to learn german or norwegian!
otherwise, i would think it shouldnt be that hard, being 3/m you should be able to get in the door as an AB pretty much anywhere and with the right company go up the ladder. thats what i had to do anyway upon leaving the gulf but i’m in the wheelhouse now 
if you get your DPO cert and your company has rigs overseas you definitely should have a shot.
i dont know much about this, but i would imagine having a foreign license, such as Panamanian, Marshall Islands, etc would also make it easier. i’m sure someone more knowledgable has the answers to this one though.
you could also take a look at faststream’s foreign websites for a contact, i know they have a site for the UK, and several others. http://www.faststream.co.uk/default.aspx
If you REALLY have time on your hands, this site is the motherlode with seriously hundreds of company websites (sure some may have moved):
http://users.hal-pc.org/~nugent/company.html
good luck!
Thank you everyone for the information. The ugly American thing certainly doesn’t do much for us indeed. I try to constantly represent the U.S. well when abroad but you’re quite right that small number of us can ruin the reputation of the rest of us. Just recently I was staying at surf camp in the Dominican Republic and was, for awhile anyway, the only American there amongst a group of Brits, Austrians, Norwegians, Canadians and Germans. Then two women from Massachusetts showed up and were just about as obnoxious as it gets (in the eyes of the foreigners anyway–I went to Mass Maritime, I’m used to it by now). The ugly American(s) rears its ugly head(s) again.
I’m required to remain on American flagged vessels until I’m 28 (unless I can get a waiver) because I was a midshipman in college and took a commission as an officer in the Naval Reserve when I graduated. I don’t have my PIC and from what I hear it’s a lot more challenging to get it these days. I’m reluctant to continue down the DPO path because although it’s high-paying, I find the work to be ungodly boring. Ideally it’d be great to work on a bulk ship or a container vessel but I realize the odds of that happening these days (especially for a third mate in this economy) are slim to none. MSC comes to mind but I hear it’s actually pretty overrated and the money isn’t that great.
If you are DPO on a MODU or drillship, that is painfully boring…I know because I have been there but there are other kinds of DP vessels. ROV and DSV support ships move around alot and does put the “dynamic” into “dynamic positioning”.
How many months do you have to go before you get certified or are you already a full DPO?
I say all this to you because I have worked literally all over the maritime industry (too many places actually because my future retirement are the coins I keep in a big jar at home) and I truly believe that offshore is the place to be now and in the future. The price of oil may be low right now but the supply is going down and the only place where new supplies will come from is offshore in deepwater. There are literally a buttload of new DP vessels being delivered in the next two years of every type imaginable and if the shortage of officers they predict will take place, us lowly Americans might get offers for no other reason that they won’t be able to find anyone else. A license and a DPO cert may become a gold plated commodity. Of course, the more offshore experience you get, the more marketable you will be.
My advice is to stick with offshore but find the niche within it that best suits you professionally. Short of that, get your PIC and TOAR by sailing as an AB on tankers or ATBs. That is another sector of the industry that is never going to go away.
If you want to see the world…get a nice window seat on that jet and then drink a very cold beer (or perhaps many) on that beach when you get there 
btw, if we can get the Norwegians, et all out of the Gulf, there will be so damn many more jobs for us on those flipping DP cruiseships they keep bringing here. Write some letters to Congress and fight for that work which should be yours and mine to do…not Stig and his blonde butt buddies!
cheers
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I’ve just recently passed the simulation phase of DP training. I need six months time before I get the rank of DPO. (so basically five more hitches after this one). Typically speaking they have me on an IMR (inspection, maintenance, and repair) vessel but I don’t have a permanent boat yet so they keep shifting me around. I’ve been on a few ROV boats before. It’s certainly less boring but it’s kind of like stepping on one nail instead of five. I can’t help but agree with you though, I think DPO’s down here in the gulf will make bank in a year or two. I just wish the schedule was a little more accommodating and the work was a lot less monotonous. Oh well, I suppose beggars can’t be choosers, right?
A/R
I know exactly where you are coming from and sympathise with how you feel. When I first started sailing I wanted nothing more than to be a standing my own watch on the bridge of some ship and I was lucky that I managed to get that job on a vessel that damned near went around the world. Northern Europe down the Channel, Straights of Gibraltar, Suez, Straights of Malacca, all the way north to Japan. Some of the most heavily travelled sea routes in the world. I remember once trying to plot more than 30 targets with a grease pencil approaching Horsburg Light from the north. It was watchstanding paradise! I honesty wish you could get the chance to experience that as well. There is no question that being a DPO offshore just doesn’t get even close to giving that kind of professional satisfaction.
It is truly unfortunate that an American is locked out of so many seagoing jobs because there is a world shortage of maritime officers but also know that even major European ship owners have been replacing their European officers with mariners from other countries who they can pay less. In many cases those same European officers displaced go to the offshore sector because that is where the opportunities and money are to be found these days. A good friend of mine is an engineer on the PRIDE of AMERICA and he has told me that many of NCLs Norwegian officers are quitting to go to work offshore and being replaced with Croatians. Giving up cruiseships voluntarily to sail on those “other cruiseships” that they are building in Norway to work in the oil field!
Everyone should be aware that in the next three years all the way through 2012 there are over 250 DP rigs, drillships, pipelay, dsv, rov, accomodation, heavy lift, and on and on vessels coming out of yards from Alesund to Shangdong to Houma to Koje to Macae. Where in the name of el Diablo are they going to get the trained and certified mariners to man and operate all of these? Damned if I know, but I do know one who will be auctioning himself to the highest bidder!
cheers
btw…does the name of the company you work for start with a C, H, O or S?
Yep. Seems like the days of transoceanic travel on-ship are almost over. It’s a cryin’ shame. The company I work for begins with O.
Hello Y´all,
Well here the my situation is totally opposite, how come?, Ok I am Venezuelan looking driving myself crazy to get into the DP world, some guys might remember Me for posting some help to find the right place.
Anyway what all the guys are telling you is real and I coming from the big guys VLCC tankers, Panamanian, Venezuelan and Marshall Island Unlimited Captain license but when I applied or call of course the first question is DO YOU HAVE ANY EXPERIENCE IN OFFSHORE?..(Mute), but I got a sea expertise of 13 years, but for me as not for you You Got It!!, and I am telling you from your position 3rd mate is more easy to gert into the Deep Sea than for Me into the Offshore, and beleive I have tried so many US companies which unfortunatelly I am not US citizen to be accepted. Hang in there little bro, know as many doors is need to get what you are looking for, That website given above with the Shipping Companies is quite useful but you need a time to seat, read and go through the web pages, I do suggest to go straight to as many recruiters you see, this is a big one MARLOW NAVIGATION, BERNHARD SCHULTE GROUP, V SHIPS, especially in V SHIPS are more specified the jobs.
GOOD LUCK!!!
PS: Deep Sea sailing on my opinion is still great but don´t get fustrated with today´s so many regulations and codes!!!
Last I checked with MSC They don’t hire 3rd Mates, And I quote “We don’t hire 3rd mates we promote from within” Just my 2 cents!!
Well I guess I’ll start from the end. I had a few friends from the Academy who got hired with MSC as third mates. Either that or they were sentenced to AB work for awhile. I haven’t really talked to any of them since then. That’s good to know though. I guess I’ll have to at least stick it out until I get second mate.
Venezuelan Mike . . . I think we went to DP school together in Houston at the Kongsberg place if you are who I think you are. I’ll look into those companies you mentioned, thanks for the input. Best of luck breaking into DP. Have you tried the North sea?
It could be possibly but when did you took the Basic, December 1st 2008?, then Yes it is Me!!!.
Men you can´t tell me this world is big!!:eek:, all the best.:D.
Well there you go I get off the boat on October, took the course as above and still hanging around:o
[quote=Mikeganuza;8285]Hello Y´all,
Well here the my situation is totally opposite, how come?, Ok I am Venezuelan looking driving myself crazy to get into the DP world, some guys might remember Me for posting some help to find the right place.
Anyway what all the guys are telling you is real and I coming from the big guys VLCC tankers, Panamanian, Venezuelan and Marshall Island Unlimited Captain license but when I applied or call of course the first question is DO YOU HAVE ANY EXPERIENCE IN OFFSHORE?..(Mute), but I got a sea expertise of 13 years, but for me as not for you You Got It!!, and I am telling you from your position 3rd mate is more easy to gert into the Deep Sea than for Me into the Offshore, and beleive I have tried so many US companies which unfortunatelly I am not US citizen to be accepted. Hang in there little bro, know as many doors is need to get what you are looking for, That website given above with the Shipping Companies is quite useful but you need a time to seat, read and go through the web pages, I do suggest to go straight to as many recruiters you see, this is a big one MARLOW NAVIGATION, BERNHARD SCHULTE GROUP, V SHIPS, especially in V SHIPS are more specified the jobs.
GOOD LUCK!!!
PS: Deep Sea sailing on my opinion is still great but don´t get fustrated with today´s so many regulations and codes!!![/quote]
Good info here. Though the first two sites have just offices in the Eastern hemisphere (which is discouragin) V Ships has many positions looking to be filled. Too long of a hitch for me but definitely worth a look if thats your thing.
If anyone wants to apply with VShips- I know someone in HR- used to be a recruiter at my old company.
Anthony
Mike- set you an email- don’t want to post her email address on here-too many spammers. Tell Maggie that Anthony- the deckhahand from Majestic America- gave youher email.
Good luck!
try this one:
[B]Briese Schiffahrts GmbH & Co. KG[/B]
Hafenstrasse 12
P.O. Box 1307
26789 Leer
Germany
Fon: +49 491 925200
Fax: +49 491 9252025
eMail: info@briese.de
Telex: 2 76 86 ledash d
http://www.briese.de/
or this:
http://career.maersk.com