I am looking for someone to tell me of their experience working for a dredge company. Any dredge companies to steer clear of? You may PM me with your reply if you desire.
I’ve never worked for one but you can try the guys over at The Art Of Dredging. Also, Capt. Kelly at Maritime Headhunters worked aboard one last year. He charges for placements but his advice is free, might be worth giving him a call.
gCaptain’s earliest competitor, MaritimeLinks.net, was run by Casey O’Donnell who is well connected in the Dredging community. Sad to see the site has gone belly up.
10, Ive never worked for a dredge company but I’ve hauled alot of mud barges for Weeks and Norfolk Dredgeing. Looks like hard dirty work but from what I understand the pay is ok. I couldnt give any advice on companys other than Weeks and Norfolk both look ok to me. Ive heard employees with opinions going both ways as with most companys.
I worked on a hopper dredge in New Jersey and it was great. A lot of skills learned working on deck, and the occasional “artifact” or odd sea species dug up from the bottom. Plus having the right of way in the busy channels was kind of nice, though it didn’t make it any less stressful dredging between inbounders 'n outbounders. I was supervised of course.
I cant think of any dredge company that is hiring, and I’d be surprised to hear of any that hasn’t laid off people considering how linked it is with construction, at least the private ones.
The Army Corps of Engineers is also another shot, or only shot maybe, though they have different types of dredges.
As John said, www.theartofdredging.com is a great site. Marc is from Belgium and he is the owner. He is an awesome guy. I have had to sue about four different dredge companies. Depending on your job classification, the work can be very dangerous if not for the actual work, then from the idiot weekend warriors that don’t know their navigation lighting rules and leave out at night and/or return at night.
I Wish You Calm Seas
Argo,
Do you know where to get any info on getting on a dredge for the Army Corps of Engineers. I looked around on their website and a couple job sites, but I couldn’t find anything. I’m at the point where I’ll take any job on the water I can get as long as the pay is decent.
Here’s a link to the USACE and other gov jobs;
http://jobsearch.usajobs.gov/jobsearch.asp?jbf522=5780%2C5782%2C5784%2C5786%2C5788%2C&salmin=0&salmax=100000.00&paygrademin=&paygrademax=&FedEmp=N&tm=&sort=rv&vw=d&ss=0&brd=3876&FedPub=Y&caller=%2Fseries_search.asp&SUBMIT1.x=76&SUBMIT1.y=10
Hello everybody,
it’s me http://www.theartofdredging.com/aboutme.htm
any specific questions on a dredging job, just mail me on artofdredging@gmail.com
(…) I looked around on their website and a couple job sites, but I couldn’t find anything. I’m at the point where I’ll take any job on the water I can get as long as the pay is decent. (…)
“Dredging” is not “just any job on the water”, mind you.
“Dredging” is not “just any job on the water”, mind you.
Oh, of course not, I didn’t mean that it was. I would take it very seriously if I got a job on a dredge, or any vessel for that matter. I was referring to other jobs I’ve applied to, and the fact that I really need any work I can get.
International Union of Operating Engineers Local 25 supplies most of the help for dredges working on the East Coast. Deckhands, engine room, crane and excavator operators, crew boat & survey boat captains.
http://iuoelocal25.org/
United Marine Division Local 333 handles crewing for the larger tugs towing mud scows and tending dredges.
http://www.umdlocal333.com/
While you’re at the 333 web site look at the menu bar on the left side of the page and click on "contracts"
This page lists all of the companies that employ 333 boat captains and crew. Click on a company and about half way through he companies contract you’ll see the individual pay scales for each job category along with travel pay rates, grub money, etc.
[quote=EbbTide;12156]International Union of Operating Engineers Local 25 supplies most of the help for dredges working on the East Coast. Deckhands, engine room, crane and excavator operators, crew boat & survey boat captains.
http://iuoelocal25.org/
EbbTide, I just put in my paperwork with Local 25…do you have any experience working for them? Anyone else here? Currently have 100GT and TWIC, I told them I’m willing to work on deck or on the crew boats as I don’t have a towing endorsement yet. I know theres a huge dredge project up the hudson…anyone in on that??
Ran a tug for a dredging outfit a few years ago.
I liked the work as it’s usually informal with lots of rust and mud in motion.
We worked without union but at prevailing wage terms.
Worst moment occured on a night in winter and gale force when the scow captain decided to open the hoppers on the way to the designated dump site.
We arrived with an empty scow which made the corps. inspector pretty unhappy. He was relieved to be headed for home an hour sooner though!
Great Lakes is a pretty big outfit and union-ed. They seem to be a pretty good Dredging company from talking to the guys who are on the dredges working. We were tending the 54 before they went to Charleston, now we are tending the Dredge New York.
[QUOTE=10talents;10380]I am looking for someone to tell me of their experience working for a dredge company. Any dredge companies to steer clear of? You may PM me with your reply if you desire.[/QUOTE]
I have worked with most all the major players in the dredging industry. Starting out as a field engineer, project engineer, project manager, QC, etc. I can tell you without reservation that no one can touch the professionalism or resources of Great Lakes Dredge and Dock Co. Both the office staff and the dredge staff are held accountable and they will accept nothing but near perfection. The project engineers for the majority of the companies couldn’t hold a light to the knowledge of GLDD’s project engineers…and I’ve worked with a lot of them. The contract managers and site managers (formerly titled “superintendents”) have the full cooperation of the home office to do and get whatever necessary to do the job right. I worked for GLDD for nearly 10 yrs and wish I hadn’t have burned that bridge, but hey, the grass is always greener. Mistakes are not acceptable and they pride themselves at being the best…deservedly so. I have to add that my tenure there was when they were privately owned, and are now publicly traded.
I have worked for Manson Construction in Houma La. They seem to be a fair company and have a lot of resources through out the west coast. Our last super was a tool and did not fit into the scheme of things. All though I was a lowly AB I still think that the upper level was pretty sound.
Ray
Did some relief chief work on a Manson dredge at the mouth of the Columbia a few years ago. It was not bad at all. Long 12 hour day but excellent pay and food.
But, it is construction work, not marine work is the bottom line and maybe except for the CofE, dredge companies are construction companies first so it’s a different culture.
one of the big international players now is the Belgian/Luxemburg group Jan De Nul. They are all over the globe with an ever expanding fleet. Some are even going to be involved in a big port project in the north of Russia some time soon.
They keep hiring folks non-stop.
I work for a dredging company and am laid off right now. I have been a dredge tender operator and a deckhand. The tender operator is stress full job and I think with dredging the smaller the dredge the easier it is. The last dredge I was on way 30k lbs anchors.
I used to work for GLDD on there tugs. It was a great job. They had a lot of that safety bullshit going on but it was fun work. Way better then moving oil barges around. But all good things must come to an end right.