Sea time from the navy does not count because its older then 5 years. So I can not get able seafarer deck. I was trying to get a job with them but you can not sail without that on your MMD. I am in houston texas. I talked to a AB that was on a GH tug and he said all the tugs are on lock down and no one is hiring right now. What are my options? wait till the end of the year maybe it will pick up? SIU said they might be able to send me out as a Utility hand working in the galley but those are so few and far between it would take about 2 months to go out.
I guess my question is
Will sea time on a ship count if I sail as a galley hand or only if i sail as a AB?
Generally, this is not true. However, in order to be grandfathered to Able Seafarer-Deck (AS-D) you needed to have one year of service as a watch stander in the previous five years. That option closed on January 1, 2017, and is no longer available.
Now that grandfathering for AS-D has closed, the requirements for the AS-D endorsement are:
If you held a national rating endorsement as Able Seaman before January 1, 2017, you may qualify for AS-D if you:
Held an endorsement as Rating Forming Part of a Navigational Watch (RFPNW) and have completed approved training for Proficiency in Survival Craft (PSC) or Proficiency in Survival Craft -Limited (PSC-Ltd); and
Have currently valid Basic Training.
-OR-
If you did not hold a national rating endorsement As Able Seaman before January 1, 2017, you may qualify for AS-D if you:
Hold an RFPNW endorsement or meet the requirements (sea time and assessments) for RFPNW. Sea service and/or assessments required for RFPNW must be met before accruing the sea service for AS-D;
While qualified as RFPNW, have either 18 months of seagoing service in the deck department;
Meet the standard of competence specified in Table A-II/5 of the STCW Code (assessments);
Complete approved training for PSC or PSC-Ltd; and
Have currently valid Basic Training.
Most likely, no. See the service requirements I described above, the service has to be in the deck department.
See 46 CFR 15.1103(c). If the vessel his required to have Abs, and is operating where STCW applies, they need to hold an STCW endorsement as AS-D.
James D. Cavo
U.S. Coast Guard
Mariner Credentialing Program
Policy Division (CG-MMC-2)
Depends on the tug company and if they sail int’l. Many tugs are under 200 grt so a lot of the smaller companies aren’t sticklers for the stcw endorsements, because technically they may not be required. Caveat to that some of the bigger companies are sticklers i.e. crowley
It looks like tugs is my only in for now. But How do you get AS-D if all the companys require it to even work? That is a question for James D. Cavo. But yes Ctony it looks like i will have to find a company that does not require AS-D and that is going to suck ass because i don’t think there are going to be many.