Backround on a possible employer

Maritime Employment
1

All,

I have been offered a good job on a tug out of Florida. Supposedly the tug the is brand new, fresh from Norway (or somewhere over there).

What I find funny is that the company is Sea Tow, The guys that tow disabled rec boaters. Yet they supposedly now have a new tractor tug and are sending it to Panama.
I have been given the address of a private residence on Marco Island, FL.

In short, I have really limited info and I’m looking to see if anyone has dealt with these guys before? It seems a little sketchy but that’s how the industry is at times it seems.

The guy I have spoken with (and done a “Skype” interview) seems nice and legit but I just want to cover all my bases. Its a 12 hour drive to FL and I don’t want to waste it.

Thanks.

2

I believe Sea Tow is a franchise type operation so the actual franchise owner could possibly be running their business from their home. What you should probably do is contact the company that sells these franchises to see if this guy is legit and maybe they can even tell you something about how long he has been a franchisee. Also, you can google him, facebook search the owner and you can even do some research with court records on their name to see if there are any legal issues. Better business bureau too to see if there are any complaints.

3

[QUOTE=farmerfalconer;188704]
In short, I have really limited info …[/QUOTE]

You didn’t ask where the boat is based and what kind of runs it makes? Did they say the job is on a new tractor tug working out of Panama, or was that comment just a filler?

Didn’t you ask the name of the operating company?

Foreign built? Didn’t that wave a flag or make you wonder where the thing will work?

Interviews are supposed to be 2-way exchanges.

4

Thanks SaltGrain.

I had called the Sea Tow franchises in Marco Island and they have never heard of him. I called the National Sea Tow line and neither had they…

Facebook has been of little help and Google gives me absolutely nothing on the man.

His name is Michael Baxter. Anyone worked for him?

I feel a little “sneaky” hunting up info on him like this but better safe than sorry. He may even see this post, perhaps then he will offer some more details. Like I said though, seems like a nice guy.

Thanks again.

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[QUOTE=Steamer;188723]You didn’t ask where the boat is based and what kind of runs it makes? Did they say the job is on a new tractor tug working out of Panama, or was that comment just a filler?

Didn’t you ask the name of the operating company?

Foreign built? Didn’t that wave a flag or make you wonder where the thing will work?

Interviews are supposed to be 2-way exchanges.[/QUOTE]

Now that you mention it, foreign build should have raised flags…
I’m new to this!

I did ask the operating company. He said Sea Tow. Which itself raised flags as everyone I have talked to doesn’t think Sea Tow works with large tugs.

Tug would be based in FL but making a tow to Panama.

5

I was curious about SeaTow having large tugs, so I got to browsing. There was a company called Sea-Tow Limited that I believe got bought by Pacific Basin. They were based in New Zealand. Could this be somehow related?

6

[QUOTE=PineappleOranges;188725]I was curious about SeaTow having large tugs, so I got to browsing. There was a company called Sea-Tow Limited that I believe got bought by Pacific Basin. They were based in New Zealand. Could this be somehow related?
[/QUOTE]

No. Different company. The more I research and talk to people, the less I think this is legit.

Too bad, the pay was high and working on a brand new tug would have been nice! I’ll let you all know what happens in the end.

7

Personally, I wouldn’t necessarily dismiss this job out of hand. I would contact the gentleman and tell him that you are doing your “due dilligence” and trying to research the company in order to make sure that it’s the right job for you etc… Explain that you have had some difficulty in finding resources and that when you contacted Sea Tow, they were unable to provide you confirmation of the franchise.

Let him have the opportunity to help provide you some information that you can independently verify. I would say that you would hope he would want an employee that is going to be diligent and go the extra mile to do the research.

8

Im certainly not ruling it out by any means. At least, not yet.

But it gets stranger and stranger. He says the boat is called Sea Courageous, is owned by SeaTow Marco Island, and is down there right now.
Yet I call Sea Tow Marco and they don’t have that vessel nor have they heard of the guy.

Craziest part is, that I was wrong about it being built in Norway. It was built in Switzerland… A land-locked country. Its 87’ and was supposedly delivered over by container ship a few days ago.

9

I think you got the companies mixed up. The Sea Courageous is a TowBoatUS vessel. Maybe try that angle and see if that is a legit company and if he is affiliated with that company?

10

[QUOTE=Saltgrain;188745]I think you got the companies mixed up. The Sea Courageous is a TowBoatUS vessel. Maybe try that angle and see if that is a legit company and if he is affiliated with that company?[/QUOTE]

I know. That’s where it gets even weirder. He used to work for them at some point.

Yet now claims that he has purchased a brand new boat with the same name.
I have followed every angle I could and nothing fits together.

11

That’s odd. I’m wondering what his angle could be? I mean what could he hope to gain from tricking you into thinking you were hired?

I still might give the guy a call and tell him you keep running into dead ends in doing research. Maybe he could give you his contact at Sea Tow so that you can contact him yourself?

12

Looks like that crew boat that was on the tv show the yard on NATGEO according to the one I found on marine traffic and she not new or z-drive

13

The Sea Courageous I know of is a converted crew boat type that tows yachts and the occasional barge. I thought it was based somewhere in NJ. It does say TowBoat US and is painted TowBoat red.

14

Sometimes it’s a good idea to do research on people associated with the entrepreneur. When you send an email in an attempt to communicate - How do his email responses look? I can add more although its best to keep it simple - this info can help you. Good Luck.

15

I’d say keep trying to see if it pans out as a real job. I always do a little research, even if it’s a big company,I at least learn the company’s history and look up the HR person or whatever manager on Linkdin.

16

If it sounds too good to be true…
I hate to rain on your parade but keep your antennas up as you have been doing until you resolve the weirdness and don’t forget the drug angle. I signed on to deliver a boat from LA to Costa Rica with the owner aboard but bailed out in Veracruz when my suspicions got way too high. (No pun intended.) Buyer beware. Your license and freedom is too valuable to jeopardize.
PS Hoping for the best outcome.

17

Once upon a time, I worked for some idiots who had a couple tugboats. They got a real deal on a “big” 2500hp, 120 foot, foreign flag tugboat. It was actually a fairly nice 25 year old boat built in Asia. The idiots had plans to put it into a nearby foreign trade. The idiots got underway one night and ran outside the harbor to pump the bilge. The pilots complained and the USCG was waiting for them when they got back to the dock. After that, they had to take a pilot to go pump the bilge. That got expensive real quick. A couple months latter the foreign flag tug had never made a trip, and the idiots were unable to make payroll. I’m not sure whatever happened to them or their foreign flag tug, but they have been out of business for a longtime.

I can see how a foreign built tug operating out of Florida might be able to find profitable work serving the Bahamas, Latin America, and the Caribbean. Its actually an interesting concept, but there are innumerable potential pitfalls. I hope they have someone that really knows what he is doing and most importantly, plenty of cash.

They might be off to a good start with a tow to Panama. Also,Panama does not have a Jones Act, so foreign flag tugs can work there in the coastal trade. Not that there is much coastal trade in Panama.

18

There is no longer any doubt in my mind that this was and is a total scam. What the final goal could have possibly been, I have no idea. But as a few of you and others have pointed out, I feel it may have been drug related.

Throughout today, it got weirder and weirder until it was so bizarre it was laughable.
I spoke with “Mike” around 11-1200 and he told me a little more about the boat. He once again stated that it was under the ownership of Marco Island Sea Tow. However, he no longer claimed to own the company, rather, his Girlfriend did. So after hanging up, I called Marco Island Sea Tow. They had never heard of Mike nor the vessel (other than the one owned by TowBoat in Jersey).

Throughout all this I had been in touch with the national head of SeaTow Franchises who was obviously a little concerned that someone might be using the good name of SeaTow in vain. Around 1400 I heard back from Sea Tow. They had called the same number I had. The voice of the man that picked up was the same as the one I described. However, the narrative was totally different! “Mike” had never heard of any tug. In fact he had [I]just been released from a Pennsylvania Jail![/I]
Can’t get much crazier than that right? Wrong. We called the police in PA and they had never had a Michael Baxter in their custody.

Wanting to give the guy the benefit of the doubt, I continued to call and message him but it seemed he had made himself scarce. SO, I am nearly 100% certain that this was a scam.

After all the research and digging, the SeaTow guy and I joked that we might take up investigative journalism rather than sailing…

Needless to say, I will not be going to Florida! Unfortunately, before this all started going downhill, I already sent him copies of my credentials so he has all my info.

So, for all of you that might be on the Tug Boating Facebook page, I suggest you do not contact “Mike”. You’re welcome for being the guinea pig.

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[QUOTE=tugsailor;188783]

I can see how a foreign built tug operating out of Florida might be able to find profitable work serving the Bahamas, Latin America, and the Caribbean. Its actually an interesting concept, but there are innumerable potential pitfalls. I hope they have someone that really knows what he is doing and most importantly, plenty of cash.

They might be off to a good start with a tow to Panama. Also,Panama does not have a Jones Act, so foreign flag tugs can work there in the coastal trade. Not that there is much coastal trade in Panama.[/QUOTE]

Perhaps we should all band together, purchase a tug and give it a go? I humbly offer myself as deckhand.
:slight_smile:

19

[QUOTE=farmerfalconer;188788]What the final goal could have possibly been, I have no idea.

Unfortunately, before this all started going downhill, I already sent him copies of my credentials so he has all my info.[/QUOTE]

I think you just answered your own question … identity theft.

20

[QUOTE=Steamer;188790]I think you just answered your own question … identity theft.[/QUOTE]

Well… crap. I certainly hope not. I didnt give out an SS# but the MMC certainly has a good deal of info.