Greetings fellow mariners.
Interested in recommendations for transitioning from shore to sea for the back half of my career. Have kept MMC active as 3/M unlimited and AB unlimited and have updated Med Cert, TWIC and passport. Do not have active endorsements, so will need to pursue them. STCW + possible navigation courses (ECDIS, Radar/ARPA, GMDSS).
Would like to know recommended progression of endorsements in order to be employable, as I would prefer to keep my shore side job/income until I jump. Ideally equal time and less than 30-45 day hitches.
Thanks.
Try to get on as an AB with a tug company and get your mate of tow. Use the search function on here for more info on that.
Keep your shoreside job. It’s tough out there. I don’t know what companies want to employ a green, middle aged 3rd Mate. Besides, not having STCW, ECDS, vso/vpdsd, Tankerman, etc is a total deal breaker. If you really want it apply as an AB with MSC. Chouest also will pay for a lot of that but you’ll have to commit to two years there probably as an AB. If you did somehow land a 3rd Mate position your Chief Mate could easily be <30, 2nd mate will probably be <30.
The job market both afloat (with the exception of deep sea) and ashore is much improved in the last year or so. If you look hard enough you can find something.
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Back again after working at obtaining endorsements. It’s been helpful to have a shore side job while I could pursue part time due to time/costs. Are there recommendations for Tug Co’s with this mindset for Licensed Abs / Mate in Training programs? My concern is the willingness or ability of a company to help me qualify for my mate of tow after being hired. If I were at a Lic AB / training Mate day rate while on deck, then we both have skin in the game.
• MMC 3Mate, AB Unlimited – Exp Nov 2024
• TWIC Exp – Exp Apr 2024
• USCG Medical Issued 2019. STCW expired Oct 2021
o STCW Med/Drug submitted to USCG for renewal
• Marine Radio Operator Effective 11/12/2021 (no expiration)
• Covid Vaccinated
Completed and submitted the following USCG approved course for MMC renewal / endorsements:
• MMC renewal so all of this gets full 5 year validity.
• USCG Medical/Drug Test – passed
• Radar Observer Unlimited
• Vessel Security Officer VSO
• STCW BASIC TRAINING
o Basic Fire Fighting (F/F)
o Personal Safety and Social Responsibility(PSSR)
o Personal Survival Techniques (PST)
o Elementary First Aid (1st Aid)
Tugs, I need TOAR; AB Unlimited, I need RFPNW / Tankerman PIC. Mate Unlimited, ARPA, ECDIS, GMDSS, DPO, etc. Big picture and like other careers (teachers for example), the industry needs to consider offering alternate paths back to employment. To obtain all of the required endorsements and not know if one will a job or which endorsement path to follow is not helping the labor shortage crisis. Only new grads will have all the required certs and they won’t typically last with shore side opportunities/pay. I would also be interested in OSV / Offshore if a company has a training program/path to the wheelhouse.
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When you renew, if you want to renew your STCW for OICNW, you are probably going to also need an Advanced Firefighting Refresher or Revalidation (depending on sea service), Proficiency in Survival Craft Refresher (if you don’t have one year of seas time in the 5 years before renewal) and if you didn;t already do this, Leadership and Teamworking Skills.
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No wonder there is a crew shortage.
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It sounded like he doesn’t have OICNW to begin with.
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There’s a chance you could get on drill ships as a third mate. They have more than enough officers to cover the manning cert so you missing OICNW might not be an issue. If not, you’d have to get on an OSV as a OS until you can get your RFPNW to sail as AB and OICNW to sail as mate. There are classes required for OICNW so there’s more cost involved there.
What’s the chance of that 0.0000001%?
I don’t know, they’re desperate for 3rd mates right now.
What companies are that desperate? transocean sure isnt.
You don’t need any STCW for most tugboat jobs.
Forget about finding a company with a “Training program.” A lot of those “training programs” are more of an HR gimmick to get a warm body on the boat, than a legitimate program.
Just get 30 days if seatime on any tug as deckhand. Go take a one day simulator TOAR course. Don’t waste time (and money) looking for a jog on a tug with a DE that can sign you off over months, just take the course. Then apply for Mate of Towing.
With Mate of Towing, you can probably find an AB job at a good company. You might even find a job as Mate (standing a watch offshore) at a so so company.
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Sound advice. Thanks.
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Thanks. Seems like most job seekers are paying their way through DP basic. If companies were short/desperate, I would think they would offer firm employment subject to completion of course or pay for the training all together. Pay over $2k to hope for a job is a stretch.
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They can’t keep third mate or third engineers. They seem desperate to me.
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Wondering if we will see the migration of qualified officers from the mudboats to the drill ships again … There are a pretty good amount of Third Mate Unlimited deck officers with DPO in the GOM
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Maybe, but currently drilling companies aren’t paying significantly more than the boat companies so maybe not yet. Once you take into account benefits, quality of life, free and guaranteed crew changes, etc drilling companies are still ahead but free people consider things like that.
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