Possibly, but also remember that West Coast tugs and East Coast tugs are run very differently so where you do your co-ops vs where you want to work after graduating matters.
Find a way, any way, to get with a union company that has facilities to give you the ugrade training you seek. Much less cost .You will start as an OS no matter where you go. It aināt easy in the begining, but pays better as you advance in the āsystemā.
Very good point!
With tugs even the companies run very differently from each other so itās good to get exposure to different company cultures too.
Well all. I dont really want to go through a boot camp to be on a ship. Im 47 and daylight is burning. I believe I want to go somewhere and get on as an OS . Im on my last paycheck after leaving my current job and moved to atlanta area. Im looking for some advice on what comapnies i should be looking for. Good ones. I have appt to get twic on monday and will get the mmc soon as well.
Older guy, fresh start, wants to run boats? I say go to the Gulf of Mexico like soneone else said. Get on large crewboats or mini-supply. Its a small crew, and youāll get time on the bridge/pilothouse hopefully with someone willing to teach you.
12 hour shifts give you 1.5 days seatime credit per day, so you build time fast. I think you need 360 ādaysā for a 100 GRT Mate license. Thatās only 240 work days (12 hour days) and you can knock that out in a year easily. That will also get you enough time for one of the limited AB tickets, which may open other doors on larger vessels.
My experience is ALL on smaller boats (up to 200ā) and less than 500 GRT. The lifestyle on these smaller boats/ships is drastically different than serving on deep sea/blue water ships. The climb (time) to a mate or captain position is (usually) shorter also.
Iāve always enjoyed, and been skilled at boat handling. I think most would agree that with the exception of some very specific tug work, the most boat handling intensive work is in the GOM oil fields. That type of experience is within the grasp of almost anybody who has the will, can pass a drug test, and doesnāt have the time or money to go to a two or four year program.
Note: Iām at my second round in the industry. After serving in the USCG, I worked on and ran crewboats, tugs, passenger vessels and research vesselsā¦then did 20 years in LE. Retired, and back running passenger vessels. Get in, get a license, keep upgrading, and hopefully one or the other energy sector (oil or wind) will provide you with a nice career.
2 Likes
Try the Great Lakes.
Thanks for this information. I am no longer in the great lakes region. GOM it sounds like. Someone said go to Louisiana. I have been researching and did one application. Bottom line i know i need the Twic and mmc before anyone would touch me. Chipping and painting . I can prove my worth by doing that. Will i enjoy it? Probably not. Gotta start somewhere right!
When I worked the GOM, I was a captain on a 110ā aluminum quad screw crewboat. There were 4 crew; Captain, mate (2nd Captain, its a GOM thing), and two deckhands. While the deckhands did do some painting, there isnt a whole lot of āchippingā going on with an aluminum crewboat.
Most of their time was spent cleaning, or loading/discharging cargo or passengers. Plenty of down time during the 12 hours, especially if we were moored or tied off to a rig. They had to know or learn some basic engineering stuff since there wasnt a ārealā engineer.
I enjoyed that work, and spent plenty of time with deckhands in the pilothouse who were trying to learn.
See if anybody has something to say about Guice Offshore. Theyāve got a bunch of mini supply boats and I think they contract out to SpaceX.
1 Like
I was offered an overnight gig once on a supply boat that had to go out to the Houston deep tanker anchorage to make a delivery. The company told me 2 masters were required since the overall trip would take more than 12 hours. Iām guessing thatās why a nominal second captain is required on those boats?
Thereās only one Master (so says the Master). I have never heard of a COI issued that required two āMastersā. Usually the number of required mates is specified. Iāll look at the COI but I think even the T-boat I run requires a (licensed) mate over 12 hours.
I know most of the boats Iāve worked on required one Master, and one mate, except a larger casino ship, and research vessel required 2 mates.
I could be wrong, and somebody with more experience will let us know, but Iāve never heard of that requirement.
Sounds like hogwash.
Thanks Rick
Maybe they just wanted someone to keep an eye on their boy. His demeanor bordered on paranoia like when he came in to the wheelhouse for his watch while I was talking with the tanker to confirm coordinates; he got upset like he was afraid I wanted to steal his job.
Anyway, what is the reason for having 2 masters instead of a master mate team?
1 Like
Ego.
Maybe the client wants two licensed Masters onboard. Itās definitely not the COI though.
I could see the odd client requesting it but according to @RickD, (2nd Captain, its a GOM thing) itās a āGOM thingā. I know the bayou crowd is different but you canāt be both a captain and a mate at the same time. Is the second captain collecting the same pay as the first captain? Do they sleep together or do they have duplicate captain staterooms to avoid feelings of jealousy? It could lead to complications.
AB: āThereās a fire. Find the captain!ā
OS: āWhich one? Captain Thibodeau or Captain Boudreau?ā
AB: āI donāt know. Which one of them has the watch?ā
Captain Boudreau shows up with Captain Thibodeau on his heels and orders the AB and OS to grab fire extinguishers.ā
Captain Thibodeau grabs his shoulder and spins him around, āWait a darn minute mon ami, Iām the captain, Iāll give the orders.ā
Boudreau puts up his fists, āI was hired before you so Iām the Captainā
Thibodeau screams back āThatās bullshit, I have more seatime.ā
Boudreau takes a swing at him āIāll kick your ass. I guarontee it!
The argument breaks into a fist fight as the lights go out.
In their investigation following the tragedy, the Coast Guard found the source of the fire to be a cigarette left unattended by the OS smoking in bed but were unable to establish the reason why no one escaped before the boat burned down to the water line.
Correct. Itās also an ego thing aside from any possible client requirements. I worked with a guy that as soon as he came back to work with his masterās license after upgrading labeled his coffee cup on the bridge āCapt. Lastnameā even though he wasnāt even really the mate on watch let alone Captain. There was a guy that used to work at Chouest (maybe he still does) that legally changed his name to Capt Mack.
So, I was out there in the 90ās. I assume they still use that terminology (2nd Captain), but I donāt know for sure. And it was on the crewboats. Not sure they did that on the utility or supply boats.
Like i say. I moved to Atlanta a week or so ago. Went for my twic appt within days. If i had stayed in Michigan i didnt even have an appt to get one until March. Already on a path to shipping. I will get an mmc shortly. What would you do next with no experience? I will get the mmc i dont do drugs or alcohol. Looking to make some cash. Like i say. Police dont get paid enough.
Apply online to every company in the country once I have that MMC in hand. For now, find a way to make some money while you wait.
1 Like