Needing some ideas on my career path. Right now I have a 100 ton inland master, Ab-special,tankerman/barge/pic, STCW-95, and working as an AB Tankerman in the northeast. I have my 200 ton near coastal mate, radar unlimited, and AB-limited pending with the USCG, and should have it in a few weeks. I want to get in the wheelhouse of a boat asap. The company I work for is good, but I think I’m kinda stuck as a tankerman here, and don’t see being able to move into a wheelhouse training position. I’m looking for ideas on classes to take to keep improving my chances of landing a wheelhouse training position somewhere. I thought bridge resource management and maybe an arpa class would be next. Also what about the gulf? Is the slowdown just a winter thing and will improve in the spring or does this go further than that? I like tugs but not gonna limit myself to them. A crewboat,fsv, osv, psv or something like that would be great too. Where should I go from here…open to suggestions. Thanks guys.
[QUOTE=bell47;148874]Needing some ideas on my career path. Right now I have a 100 ton inland master, Ab-special,tankerman/barge/pic, STCW-95, and working as an AB Tankerman in the northeast. I have my 200 ton near coastal mate, radar unlimited, and AB-limited pending with the USCG, and should have it in a few weeks. I want to get in the wheelhouse of a boat asap. The company I work for is good, but I think I’m kinda stuck as a tankerman here, and don’t see being able to move into a wheelhouse training position. I’m looking for ideas on classes to take to keep improving my chances of landing a wheelhouse training position somewhere. I thought bridge resource management and maybe an arpa class would be next. Also what about the gulf? Is the slowdown just a winter thing and will improve in the spring or does this go further than that? I like tugs but not gonna limit myself to them. A crewboat,fsv, osv, psv or something like that would be great too. Where should I go from here…open to suggestions. Thanks guys.[/QUOTE]
You are making good money as a NE tankerman, Tankermen are in high demand. If you leave tanking, you will take a significant pay cut. Apparently, you are getting Mate 200, but not Mate of Towing. That really limits your options for getting into the wheelhouse on tugboats. I do not know which companies are good about training tankermen for the wheelhouse, but as a guess I would say maybe Crowley or Kirby. If you are not working on ATBs, you might want to try getting on an ATB, or a real tanker, for the unlimited tonnage seatime.
This is not a good time to look for a non-tankerman job in the Gulf with only a new Mate 200 license.
As for classes, that depends on what license(s) you will have enough seatime for, and when. What have you already taken? Do you have Lifeboatman and Radar? Do you have enough seatime to get Mate 200, Oceans? If so, why not take celestial and add Oceans to your license?
[QUOTE=tugsailor;148884]You are making good money as a NE tankerman, Tankermen are in high demand. If you leave tanking, you will take a significant pay cut. Apparently, you are getting Mate 200, but not Mate of Towing. That really limits your options for getting into the wheelhouse on tugboats. I do not know which companies are good about training tankermen for the wheelhouse, but as a guess I would say maybe Crowley or Kirby. If you are not working on ATBs, you might want to try getting on an ATB, or a real tanker, for the unlimited tonnage seatime.
This is not a good time to look for a non-tankerman job in the Gulf with only a new Mate 200 license.
As for classes, that depends on what license(s) you will have enough seatime for, and when. What have you already taken? Do you have Lifeboatman and Radar? Do you have enough seatime to get Mate 200, Oceans? If so, why not take celestial and add Oceans to your license?[/QUOTE]
Unlimited licenses are so overrated. “Real tankers” are for sissies.
You know, this is why I posted this, getting “oceans” never really crossed my mind. Just about all the wheelhouse guys I work with have a near coastal, so I kinda focused on that. I’ll take a look at that celestial class. Thanks! I should also say that I really like the company that I work for, but I’m stuck on a manned barge and on the NMC checklist, anything over 200 tons says "self propelled " for seatime. I do have lifeboatman-restricted already and my Radar unlimited is on its way to the REC now. I’m just trying to keep moving ahead for myself and my family. I dont want to settle with a position that I can’t keep moving up. Hopefully, I can stay with this company and move up here, just seems like slim chances. Time will tell.please keep the info coming!!!
I may be wrong, but to get oceans on a 200 ton license you need to get all the other prerequisite courses I think. Being a tankerman you already have advanced firefighting? You have radar, and pretty sure you will need bridge resource management. Check the nmc for the checklist for 200 oceans before you commit to a celestial course. Like I said I may be wrong.
[QUOTE=Ctony;148897]I may be wrong, but to get oceans on a 200 ton license you need to get all the other prerequisite courses I think. Being a tankerman you already have advanced firefighting? You have radar, and pretty sure you will need bridge resource management. Check the nmc for the checklist for 200 oceans before you commit to a celestial course. Like I said I may be wrong.[/QUOTE]
I think that the biggest question is what licenses or endorsements do you have enough of the right kinds of seatime to get, or that you will have enough seatime for, within the next year? The course certificates from many (but not all) courses are only valid if presented to the NMC for a new license or endorsement within one year.
Service on non-self-propelled vessels (if that’s even how your sea time letters are written up) is a very peculiar oddity. As far as I know, none of the OICNW courses (such as BRM) are required for any 200 ton license. However, these kinds of questions are a good example of why its worth it to pay $300 to have a license consultant advise you, and prepare and present your application to the USCG. Some schools, like Crawford or MPT, do a good job of advising you for free, but other schools just do a good job of selling you anything that they can. I am not aware of any reason that you could not add oceans, if you have at least180 days of coastwise or oceans seatime, but I’m no expert.
Personally, if I were getting “non-self-propelled” seatime letters from my company, I’d be looking hard for a new job on an ATB or tanker, even if it meant working for a shitty company and taking a pay cut.
Yeah, paying a licensing consultant is the way to go. According to the checklists, for the OICNW less than 500 ton oceans (which I am assuming the 200 ton falls under) BRM is a requirement. For the master less than 500 ton oceans leadership and management skills is on the list.
So perhaps one could get oceans on their 200 ton national only, but without some of the courses we are talking about it wouldn’t be on your STCW. I think I saw medical care provider in there too somewhere.
[QUOTE=Ctony;148902]Yeah, paying a licensing consultant is the way to go. According to the checklists, for the OICNW less than 500 ton oceans (which I am assuming the 200 ton falls under) BRM is a requirement. For the master less than 500 ton oceans leadership and management skills is on the list.
So perhaps one could get oceans on their 200 ton national only, but without some of the courses we are talking about it wouldn’t be on your STCW. I think I saw medical care provider in there too somewhere.[/QUOTE]
As I understand it, but I may be very wrong, you would not need the STCW courses to add Oceans on your Mate 200 GRT, STCW II/3 500 GT because your training for mate started before March 24, 2014, so you would be grandfathered out of those STCW courses. Again, its a great question for a license consultant. On the other hand, you are going to need those STCW courses eventually — when you move up to 200 Master, or go for Mate 500, or maybe Mate of Towing, so it might make sense to start taking some of those courses.
You need VPDSD or better now. VSO is another course that you should have to go with a license. If you think that there is any chance that you might become a shoreside tankerman, you might want to take the combo VSO, CSO, FSO course.
At this stage of your career, it might also make sense to either be working through a union that provides free courses at a union school; or working for an employer that will pay for the courses. As an experienced tankerman (at a time when tankermen are in strong demand) you can find a company somewhere that will help you advance.
Ok, looks like a licence consultant is in the near future. Now, let’s say that it doesn’t work out in a few months where I work, as far as any clue of getting on a boat. Let’s say I’m able to have a 200 mate oceans, AB-limited, 100 ton NC master, radar, stcw-95, lifeboatman-restricted, FCC Radio operator… what companies would you suggest I take a hard look at trying to get on with as a training mate? I have heard Crosby tugs in the gulf may be a good place to move up. I figured where ever I go I’d probably have to go in as an ab. Any ideas as where to go would be helpful. HOPEFULLY I won’t have to go anywhere. Hoping for the best, but planning for the worst. Thanks guys for all the help and advice!
I’ve heard high reviews for Holly Chetta ( license consultant)