Great tips, thank you!
I see they are on the west coast. Do they offer travel pay? Being from Michigan that is a big factor for me.
@FreshSalty They cover flights and travel time.
A point here:
There is travel pay, where you are paid some wage while traveling, as opposed to reimbursement for airfare or mileage.
Some companies might pay one or the other, or both. But they are two different things.
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None. There is no tonnage limit for AB unlimited. Only limited has a tonnage requirement and it is 100 GRT. See 46 CFR 12.403.
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That is what I assumed from the CFR but I always hesitate to assume. Even reading the CFR is confusing because it states 3 years of service, which is 1095 days and not 1080. Have to love government regs. I am used to cross referencing field manuals, technical manuals, army regulations, and policy letters to get to the right answer. This is just a new planet for me, but it’s still the federal government so at least it’s the same solar system.
You need to dive deeper into the CFR. For example, look at the definition of “year” in 46 CFR 10.107:
Year means 360 days for the purpose of complying with the service requirements of this subchapter.
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And deeper and deeper and deeper lol. Yes, I have a lot to learn. Thanks for the help in speeding up the process.
Right now is the time time to apply for Great Lakes work. You will work the schedule you want. I would suggest working for Grand River because they are with MMP. They have an AB to Mate training program. When you qualify you will have a free Mates school, housing and food at MITAGS in Maryland. From there friend, the world is your oyster.
Currently under the 2023 NDAA the seatime required for AB has been halved. This lasts until 2026 (unless it rolls over onto the new NDAA). so 540 for unlimited, 360 for limited and 180 for special.
That’s why I urged my son to get in the OS advancement program at MSC and take advantage of this window.
Couple reasons why I would not prefer that route. First is I don’t wanna bust ice of deck rails lol. It’s cold up here and the warmth of the Gulf sounds amazing to this Michigander during the winter. Even 50 degrees is T-shirt weather. It was -5 two weeks ago. I also already completed all my AB to mate classes, less T/C-nav, down at MPT. When I have enough sea days, I just need to take my remaining classes, which are free with housing using my veteran benefits, and then test.
While all the tug guys’ info is correct, if you want to go big boy license, it’s best to play with the big boys from the beginning. The tugs and OSV do have the advantage of 1.5day credit for 12hour watches, but make sure the paperwork lines up (ship/company specifically approved by USCG for 12hr watches, or whatever the details are).
If you want to go deep sea and enjoy the best possible life/pay, you will be going union eventually. On the west coast, SUP has pretty good contracts.
For somebody coming from the outside, time and efficiency is of primary concern. You want to get your 3m license as quickly as possible. And to do this, MSC may be the overall best pathway. Hell, they may even encourage you to get your 3m license by helping with classes and assignments (and your vet status may help). And all your time as an unlicensed will county toward your tenure/retirement as a federal employee…if you go private sector union, you’re likely gonna change from unlicensed to licensed union (unless you go SIU).
If you want unlimited license, the best time to aim for it is from the very beginning.
Oh and lastly, the very best way, especially if you have GI bill is the MITAGS apprentice program: Maritime Apprenticeship Programs - Maritime Institute of Technology and Graduate Studies (MITAGS)
If you do it on an OSV working 28/14 it will only take 3 years.
Why not?
That’s incorrect.
That’s talking about ATB sea time counting towards the unlimited tonnage time required for an unlimited license. Time on an ATB with a combined tonnage greater than 1,600 grt can be counted as up to half the required sea time on vessels over 1,600 grt required for an original or upgrade of an unlimited license.
In all other cases time on an ATB counts just like time on any other tug, including getting 1.5 sea days for every 12 hour day worked.
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I have recently figured out it gets even better than that. 1080 less my 350 documented small vessel sea days = 730 needed to test. Divide that by 1.5 = 487 days needed. If I work 28/14 I could submit to test in 2 years.
Did you ever say what your small vessel sea days were on? All time for a third mate license needs to be on vessels over 100 grt.