I am currently the captain of an Offshore Suppy Vessel and upgrading from 100 Ton Near Coastal to 500 Ton Inland. I hope to get on with a harbor tug company. What do you have to do to get your towing endorsement?
When you get your 500 ton. Go ahead and complete a Towing Officer Assessment Record (TOAR). Get 30 days of sea time and that’s it (that’s what people call the 30 days wonder). If you do it now then you will have to get an Apprentice mate steersman license sailed on that for a year and then get your Mate of towing. Because in order to qualify for the 30 day wonder you must hold a license higher than a 200 ton.
Good luck!
Good luck is right. Finding a place to get it signed off is a challenge.
Why? You make now twice what you ever will in the harbor.
The oilfield really sucks right now. I can’t wait to get the heck out of here! The GOM petro industry is hurting bad.
Hmmm. I’m trying to get out of harbor work to go work there…
You are going to be limited to towing vessels inland. Once you get the 500 ton all you need is to complete a TOAR and document 30 days training aboard a towing vessel. HOWEVER the big problem will be finding a job where the Master is a DE (designated examiner) which you MUST have to get the aforementioned TOAR and signoffs. You can’t get a towing vessel endorsement with your current 100 ton license.