Looking to start out on the lakes up north

Professional Mariner Forum
1

Hey guys, I need a little help for my brother in law that lives in Holland, Michigan. I’m a bayou boy (Gcaptain forum stereotype) down here in Fourchon and there’s absolutely nobody hiring down here until gas goes back up to at least $2 (exact quote from my company’s HR director). My brother in law is looking to get started up on the lakes as a cook or OS, deckhand, wiper what you wanna call it. He’s already got his TWIC and MMC but just no experience, although I think its a plus that he can cook. I know companies up there are gonna start hiring for spring soon I just don’t know $hit about any operators up there.

Basically I asking for a list of companies up north that will hire a brand new guy for the season or even permanent employment so I can help him out. He applied with every company possible down here with no luck.

Thanks in advance!

2

http://www.lcaships.com/mobile/#careers Checkout the link. Most companies will start fitting out the ships mid to late March. Liberty steamship is non union. Grand river is MMP top to bottom. ASC and a few others are SIU. Interlake, Great Lakes Fleet are local 5,000 steel workers. Andrie runs tug barges and is non union and the deckhands cook. Biggest thing is apply first part of March and then call them weekly once the season starts up.

3

Interlake does hire direct, though. There’s an application on their website, download, print, fill out and submit with copies of your documents.

4

Yep everyone hires direct except for ASC and the two Great Lakes fleet boats that are SIU.

5

[QUOTE=GLMASailor;151601]Yep everyone hires direct except for ASC and the two Great Lakes fleet boats that are SIU.[/QUOTE]

I’m applying, myself, at least for a relief position.

6

Awesome, that’s a good start. Thanks for the help so far!

7

What kind of rotation do officers work on the lakes?

8

Most are 60 on 30 off with AMO and MEBA, of course that is if you can get a relief. Some of my friends have done 110-150 on, 30 off this past year. Grand river and Andrie have boats that work 28/14, and Grand river has their tug barges work 28/28. Engineers can usually get a relief compared to the mates due to the fact the Mates need pilotage and only one open water mate is allowed per boat.

9

Whats an open water mate? Do thy have mates that do nothing but load and unload?

11

Mates that don’t have pilotage for the Great Lakes. Usually they are allowed to stand open water watches by themselves, but in the rivers and other confined passages the other mates split the watch with them for overtime. Mates on the lakes do the cargo, call the distances, paperwork, pilot, and stand open lake watches. If you’re on a tug barge you are wheeling the rivers too.

12

Join AMO and tell them you want to ship on the lakes.

Interlake/ MEBA, and the 3 MMP/ Great Lakes Fleet boats have taken open water mates in the past as well.

14

Yep it’s just a title given to the mates that come onboard that don’t have pilotage. No endorsement is required. Just an unlimited tonnage mates license for one of the following: Great Lakes, Near Coastal, or Oceans.

15

Can a third mate still get his trips toward pilotage while working as an open water mate? What else would they have to do to finish up a great lakes pilotage endorsemet? I’ve actually given some thought to working on the lakes after graduation. Admittedly, I haven’t done much research yet thus far but if you’d care to offer some insight, I’d be humbly obliged.

16

Yep just stay up during your off watch time to watch the rivers. Captain will sign off on your trips, once you have all 12 round trips on each of the rivers and I forget how many lake trips you can submit to the USCG to write the pilotage for the 5 lakes and 3 rivers.