How do they write the letters that fool the evaluators?
You definitely do have to pay to work on the Mercy ships. You don’t get paid, and you have to pay them. So yeh. That’s not gonna work for 95% of the Mariners out there. For the 5% who are independently wealthy or have a huge bank account saved up, it’s a neat gig.
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Obviously they aren’t fooling anyone. The letter includes the tonnage of the entire unit.
Combined tug and barge tonnage doesn’t count as all the unlimited time necessary for an unlimited license. Any evaluator giving unlimited licenses entirely on ATB time is making a mistake.
So register with a Union, work the Hall, and keep looking on your own, if you find a berth, good for you, if you don’t at least your card is getting better, and you never know,strange things can happen in the Hall
US govt.
Not 100% certain, but the govt ones I believe are done through MSC. They pay pretty good. Mercyships.org is all volunteer and you have to pay to take part. On the plus side, the longer you stay the cheaper it gets 
I’ve had several friends volunteer with them as licensed officers. One of them met his wife on board. It’s definitely not for everyone though, I think the humanitarian group has a very heavy religious aspect to it.
Of course, the Sea Organization might be hiring 
https://www.scientology.org/faq/church-management/what-is-the-sea-organization.html
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Or Whale Wars…
Looking to move up and advance as fast as possible (CM and Master unlimited are my goal). That’s why I am looking non union at the moment. I don’t want to keep working on tugs if I have maxed out my seatime for 2nd mate unlimited, pointless to me. Too bad I can’t go to some of those AMO and MMP contracted companies and offer to work as a third Mate for a 30% pay cut. I hate how people who have graduated from maritime academy years ago are still working as thirds, they are creating a bottle neck for the rest of us who want to move up. Seems like a very prevalent problem in AMO and especially MMP. Everyone is looking for Chief Mates and Captain Unlimited but its hard to get there with these unmotivated individuals clogging the up the line.
Summary so far for unlimited tonnage non-union, non- DP, well paying jobs
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possibly factory trawlers in Alaska?
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possibly MSC if they are hiring
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possibly ECO R/V in Antarctica
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possibly research vessels? (however many are limited tonnage)
Anybody have any other suggestions. And yes Mercy Ships is not a relevant , paying to work is not what I consider a well paying job!
You OBVIOUSILY don’t understand the CFRs or what everyone is saying here on the forum. Your ATB time should only count for 50% of your unlimited Seatime towards 2nd mate unlimited. Yes that means everyone on ATBs is stuck at 3rd Mate unlimited. The people you speak of that have higher licenses must have gotten their seatime else where, the evaluators have made mistakes or Bouchard Transportation is writing their sea letters in an illegal manner.
Have you received your 2nd Mate unlimited license through these sealetters? Please give me more information to report to the USCG. Because if you haven’t and are just commenting on hearsay please don’t comment.
Jeez, Oakley was just telling like it is out there and you jump up and down on his throat.
You don’t even want to work on ATBs, why are you getting personal about it with other members on this forum?
The sure thing would be to join SIU and sail 360 days as an AB on an unlimited tonnage vessel. There are 43 AB SIU jobs on the board, so I don’t think you’d have any trouble with wait times or “backdoors”.
I’ve never used your current strategy of being “Picky and Lucky” to find a job. I hope it works out for you.
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I’m an MM&P Captain and I don’t agree with your understanding of the union or its members. I have more green out of the academy Third Mates than older career Third Mates for sure. Second Mates are the same everywhere in my opinion. Its a comfy job so why leave it.
If you are willing to work for some of the lower tier contracts in MM&P, you could easily get a job. Schuyler Lines comes to mind. Or the remnants of Central Gulf / Waterman if you just want sea time. There are ships and runs out there that chew people up and spit them out, so there are frequent jobs coming onto the board. It is just a matter of whether you can make a go of it.
Just my two cents.
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I mean you’re almost right, but you’re being a moron. You didn’t get to the last sentence in the CFRs about ATBs. None of the big boy ATBs you turn your nose to are Dual mode. We have no way to move a barge other than to pin in and act as a unit in push mode. Hell they don’t even come out of the notch. Thats why we get unlimited sea time, its not like half the American fleet are on fraudulent license pulling a fast one on the coast guard.
Overall your outlook on the industry is wrong, your attitude is appaling and you have no one to blame for your troubles but your self. I’m not even going to give you advice on how to find a job, because I don’t want you to end up on my ship.
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So what you are saying @Meme.Lord is that your big boy ATB is really a Push Mode ITB. If that were the case it would be reflected in your documentation.
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I agree in spirit, but if the coast guard ever pushes back when someone applies for an upgrade the company has a letter saying “we do not carry the equipment nor are we authorized to tow astern, please consider us a Push Mode ITB.” And the coast guard usually says “okay.”
Is it shady? Yes. Do I wish it was a ship? Yes. Am I grateful to have a job? Definitely.
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Suggest you review NVIC 2-81. As a Push Mode ITB you are expected to meet the same regulations of a ship the same size as your tug-barge unit. That includes manning as well as safety requirements. If not, call it what you want but it looks a bit more than shady as far as creditable seatime per existing CFR’s.
Sorry, to offend you. Just a grouchy tugboat guy. I guess I have had the luxury of not struggling to find or be offered wheelhouse work on tugboats. I did not realize the non-union unlimited jobs were so scare. I have never heard nor worked on an ATB that couldn’t tow the barge astern. --Did not want this post to be about ATB unlimited seatime, it has been answered ad nauseum in past posts.
I am currently employment so of course there is a sense of “picky-ness” that need to happen. I’m not going to jump off the ladder at some SIU AB job, as you mention there are. not sure what you mean by “lucky.” Just trying to feel the water before I jump in.
My overall outlook on the industry is wrong?? please explain. - opinions are opinions but please agree or disagree and explain.
Also you state you don’t want me to end up on your “ship” but say you have no way of leaving the notch, but say you are on an “ATB”. I don’t think you know if you’re on an ATB, ITB or a Ship.
I would rather we bring this thread back to the original topic because people had some really good industry insight and opinions.
Digging into it, I think the argument is, yes, our tug is dual mode, we can come out of the notch and get our teeth kicked in if we’d like, whereas the T in ITB was just essentially a removable engine room that could not survive without the barge.
However, when a sea service letter when you list the barge that is assigned to a vessel, we do not have the equipment necessary to be considered a dual mode ITB, but instead should be considered a push mode ITB under NVIC 2-81.
For example, while working wire boats my sea service letter indicates “tug xxx operates with barge xxx, official number xxx.” Just like an ATB’s sea service letter indicates “ATBxxx/bargexxx.” We are a tug, that can be rigidly connected to a barge, and can only operate with this barge in push mode, but we don’t otherwise need the barge. My sea service letter is only for the time the tug is with the barge, which happens to be always.
Its a loophole, its shady, and I think we’d be hellova lot safer on a small tanker with a crew of 12 rather than going on international voyages on an ATB. But I’m getting my sea time and a pay check, I just make sure to take good care of the lifesaving equipment.