Can a jack up barge Engineer convert to a DPO.If yes what courses does he need to take?
My second question is how can one get a barge Engineer job in the US,any one with good clues can please assist with good info.
I would need much more information on your actual license and endorsements to give you much more than a WAG.
Depends on the policy of the company you are working for. If they require a Nautical Institute Cert to be a DPO in that company, either already in hand or eventually, no, you can’t - you need at least a 3rd mate’s license in order to get that NI Cert. You can get a barge engineer job in the US if you are a US citizen and can manage to get hired these days. You have a very, very small shot of a company willing to go try for a USCG exemption if you are not a US citizen.
1 Like
Thank you so much Cchick001 for your response.Am not a US citizen yet but will get to that at some point,but I have work authorization.what other options do I have in the drilling industry here in the US since I can’t function as a Barge Engineer which I was back home in my country of origin.What other job functions can I apply for in Offshore here in US.
There are very, very few expats left in the GOM with authorization to work - reason being, over 200,000 Americans have been laid off in the last four years. Having said that, I’ve seen Philipenos with US marinier’s documents working on some of these big drill ships, as well as other nationalities - guys that had a good history with what ever company they were working for when the down turn hit. So, if you really want to move on to the drill ships, give the crewing agencies a try - Spencer Ogden or Atlas, to name a few. You never know. They’ll throw some temp jobs your way if they can (maybe not in the US at first? Not sure). As for moving from Jack ups to drill ships after having been a barge supervisor - I just worked a hitch with a guy who had about 20 years of barge supervisor experience (from jack ups), and had picked up his AB Unlimited along the way - the guy was a super star for sure and where ever he went he was in high demand - so your particular experience helps a lot! Hook up with as many crewing agencies as you can, as just about all drilling contractors aren’t typically direct hiring (unless you’ve worked for them before) and are using these agencies for a “trial run” before they put you on full time. So by doing this, you have a bit more control over your own destiny. Full time employment is certainly desirable, but there’s a lot to be said for YOU giving THEM a trial run as well (and they understand this).
oh for the love of God…stop encouraging this little darling
You are just God sent to me,I also have drillship experience,I worked with Seadrill in Nigeria (West Jupiter)to be presice as a crane Operator when my jackup rig went on redundancy.Starting afresh now that am in the US is not a bad idea,at least I still have age on my side to catch up.Can I be able to get an AB job if I get the license and take it up from there?Am already used to sea life.Does AB make good money here in the US?
I just keep thinking of that Karma Boomerang when it comes to those searching for work. I’ll help where I can remembering what it was like that year I got laid off.
I kind of doubt you can get a US AB’s license (but check on the National Maritime Center’s Web site). You don’t need one in most cases anyway, as long as you can get a Marshal Island/Panamanian/Vanauatu/etc. equivalent - if you have an AB"s ticket from your home country you may be able to get the foreign flag equivalent depending on where you call home. They will NOT give you any kind of documents unless you have your home country’s documents first. Right now AB’s are paid OK in the US………….
It sounds like he’s saying he’s living in the US, which means he has a Green Card.
Are you a permanent resident? You have a Green Card?
I have work authorization and working on getting my TWIC card.Does it mean I can’t use my experience here in the US till I get Green card?
Most jobs will require USCG documents which require at a minimum being a permanent resident.
That is a more technical question than most of us might think. Very few mariners, if any, would know the answer.
What exactly is your US immigration status?