Quick background… I have taken a huge leap at a career change after 10 years in the Army as a helicopter crewmember and 7 years as a civilian in sales. Like most veterans, I became really bored and decided to combine my love of crewing on a large complex machine and my joy of being on the water. So, from April to October of 2024 I used my VA benefits to take 28 USCG classes at MPT down in Fort Lauderdale. I was able to knock out STCW95, all but 2 of the AB to Mate classes (Tnav and Cnav), plus PSCRB and Tankerman Assist. Why did I do it this way? Simply because I had the time and money so why not. I also have 350 documented small vessel sea days, most in the Great Lakes and a handful in the ocean.
My MMC was mailed on Jan 17th but I am still mailbox watching for that. I am looking to work on the GoM/A on OSV’s and I am not really interested in the unions or MSC whatsoever. So far, I have applied to 8 different Gulf companies, but I am concerned because everyone really seems to want Unlimited AB’s, which of course is my goal.
I am reaching out to y’all to poke holes in my logic and my plans and hopefully receive some helpful advice on where to go from here if I don’t hear back from any of the Gulf companies. I live in Michigan and would like a 28/14 or 28/28 schedule. Thank you in advance!
Just throwing some names out, Moran of NY,
Vane brothers , Us Army Corps of Engineers
dredging vessels like the hopper dredge Wheeler-guessing your military service would aid you with this route, Crowley, Dann Marine, Dann Ocean, Kirby.
You have 10 years with the new rule change to get the sea time for 3rd Mate (if that’s what you’re aiming for) before your classes expire and you have to retake them. It took me 10-11 years total before I got my license. I suggest getting that seatime as fast as possible. While I’m never one to reccomend Military Sealift Command, it may work in your favor as you will quickly get the 1080 days you need. For 3rd Mate, 50% of that time needs to be on greater than 1600grt vessels. Since you already have 350 small boat days (if the small boats are greater than 100grt), you need 730 more days, with only 190 more days being on small boats (still greater than 100grt) being acceptable. It use to be that with Cel Nav and classes that required assessments or something along those lines, those classes had to be submitted within a year of taking them, though that doesn’t seem to be the case as it is now under the section of expiring within 10 years on the checklist.
The Gulf Coast OSV companies usually do NOT hire based upon online or mailed applications. They hire based upon who walks thru the door ready to go when they need someone.
Most tug companies everywhere are hiring.
You need to start accruing seatime on vessels over 100 tons.
Most tug or OSV seatime will count as 1.5 days for each day worked. Most tugs are between 100 and 200 tons. Most of the modern OSV seatime will count as over 1600 tons.
Thanks Gmoney. There’s a few companies you mentioned that I have never heard of. I have heard that Crowley is vet friendly but for the life of me I cannot find a link to submit a resume other than for a specific posted job such as AB-U or Engineers. Last time I tried that with HOS I immediately got a rejection email for being unqualified for the posted position.
Jnx, this was VERY helpful, and you just answered a lot of other questions I had. The goal is to earn my 3M. I did the math on a 28/14 schedule and if everything goes right (no downtime for injuries, layoffs, etc.) it will take about 4.4 years to accumulate 1080 days. That gives me a good buffer to test before my classes go pumpkin in 10 years. Regardless, knowing that 100grt and above rule is what I needed.
Tugsailor, I just had a friend get hired at Harvey 2 months ago via an online app, but he is also way more qualified than me. I have read that knocking on the door with seabag in hand is the best way to go and that will be my plan B in 2 weeks if this online blitz comes up empty handed.
Not assessments, and not the celestial navigation course required fror STCW. Only courses that substitute for taking a Coast Guard exam and a small few that are limited in the CFR (e.g. First Aid/CPR for a national endorsement/license) are now and have ever been limited to one year.
Most courses are limited to 5 years. The courses for OICNW, OICEW, Chief Mate/Master, and Chief Engineer/Second Engineer Officer are valid for 10 years. Others, like tanker courses, Proficiency in Survival Craft, Basic Training and others are still limited to 5 years.
Lots of ways to skin a cat in the maritime industry, the reason I mentioned the Corps.
dredging divisions is part of that job once in the wheelhouse is learning & working multiple harbors, rivers, waterways etc. & learning them like the back of your hand, once that is done if you were young enough
than becoming a harbor pilot is the top of the food chain in this industry regarding pay,
although it’s not an easy path, but none are.
If you’re going for AB unlimited, over 100 tons is fine. However, if you are going for 3rd mate unlimited, 50% of your 1080 (540 days) days must be on vessels over 1600t.
The Crowley West Alaska fleet is usually hiring deck hands. I believe you only need an AB special to work there. Those vessel would be over 100 tons but less than 200 tons.
This is a general job posting, but the hiring managers share resumes.
Unfortunately, pilot is probably off the table as I am now 43, but I can still do some damage in the next 20 years. I really like the idea of 2nd Mate because I really like route planning. I excelled at it in the army and enjoyed it in my OICNW classes. Thankfully I had a small recreational background on charting prior to going down to MPT otherwise I would have been lost in the sauce. Plus, all my peers were really helpful and willing to share their knowledge with me. But first I should probably crawl before I run lol.
Quickest route while optimizing for money(haven’t worked dredges) and time in my opinion would be:
Apply for AB special with your seatime, tugs don’t differentiate between the ABs for the most part. Depending where you go AB pay is in the 400s now.
I’d go work ATBs that’ll give you the schedule you’ll want 21/21 at somewhere like Centerline Vane Rose Cay etc… think only Crowley and OSG ATBs do 28/28. You’ll also benefit from the larger tonnage down the road for licensing.
You’ll only need 127 1.5 days to get to AB-U.
While accruing this time get your RFPNW watch and ASD assessments signed off. You should be able to get STCW Able Seafarer deck as well with the new rules.
Then you can either
Try out deep sea as an AB and see if you even want to get your 3rd Mate Unlimited
Become a tankerman(get signed off while working prior to this) and get a nice pay raise on ATBs
Keep working as an AB but move to a better paying/more opportunity outfit and work towards your TOAR and 1600 ton mate at the 720 day mark or also apply for Mate OSV and go work the Gulf.
You could get to a spot where you could be a mate on tugs in 2yrs since the industry is short ppl.
Where I work they are hurting for people to move up.
Would not recommend ATBs if he’s aiming to be a deck officer on anything other than ATBs, which he has stated he’s going for 3rd Mate.
Sea time only counts on a two for one basis for a deck officer endorsement. 2 days of sea time on an ATB = 1 day of sea time, and only 50% of the required time is counted and that’s only if the ATB is over 1600GRT. See 46 CFR 11.211 part D.
Thanks for filling in the holes for me! Though I must say, when I took my original 3M test, they substituted the Cel Nav class in lieu of the CG exam, so that would follow the rule of the class expiring in a year? I had to take 7 modules as a hawsepiper instead of 8 as the academy kids do. It blew my mind. Here I was prepping to test Cel Nav in the USCG exam room just to get the letter back saying the class would be good enough. Don’t understand how that happened but I’m not the only one. It’s like saying you don’t have to do chart plot because you took T. Nav.
@FreshSalty Look at Curtin Maritime. We are always hiring. We have both tugs and OSV’s they won’t quite get you to unlimited tonnage as the biggest is 996 GT, 1201 ITC. We do hire with minimal experience as long as you have some credentials, typical schedule is 28/28 at least that is what they try for, but you can always work more. Maritime Jobs, Maritime Careers, Marine Career Opportunities
Only the acceptance in lieu of the Coast Guard exam should be limited to one year. If it was approved to meet other things in addition tp the exam, those would still be valid after one year.
You got lucky. Those courses are only approved for an “increase in scope” to go from near coastal to oceans at the same license level. You should not have been able to get out of one module of a multi-module exam.
Thank you for all this! I submitted my paperwork for AB - Special. Let’s see how long this one takes. My original application took over 100 days and I am on day 14 of mailbox watching since it was mailed.
Question for the group as I am still learning how to navigate the 46 CFR… In regard to AB-U, how many days of the required 540 have to be 1600 grt and above? Or am I completely off?
Just refer to the checklists, no need to complicate it with CFRs at this point. Google whatever rating or endorsement you’re going for followed by checklist and pull up the PDF. ie “AB Unlimited checklist.” It’s even better to pull it up from the NMC website as Google may pull up some outdated ones for certain things.
The checklists reference which CFR they are going by. For example, national AB unlimited checklist references 46 CFR 12.403 for sea time. You can google “46 CFR 12.403” and pull up the eCFR, and then from there go back in the hierarchy to get related stuff.