Creating a New Generation of Mariners—primary and secondary maritime education in America

Excerpt from U.S. Coast Guard “Proceedings of the Marine Safety & Security Council” magazine.

Full article by Captain Arthur H. Sulzer (U.S. Navy, Ret.), Maritime Academy Charter High School, available at www.uscg.mil/proceedings/fall2008.


America’s seafarers used to come from countries or families with a seafaring tradition. At the entry level, mariners were often first-generation immigrants. This has decreased due to the immigration policies of the 1990s and heightened security concerns and requirements for mariners to have citizenship.

The American public has largely forgotten that we are a nation dependent on waterborne commerce. We need to create a new generation of mariners from a new source. That group may be the underserved urban students from our cities. For them, a maritime education can provide a gateway to a career that offers steady employment, excellent pay, further education, and a solid future.

Maritime Education at the Primary and Secondary School Level
In 2003, I had the opportunity to start the Maritime Academy Charter High School in Philadelphia. The school opened with 125 students and has expanded to more than 700 students.

At present, there are approximately a dozen marine or maritime-themed elementary, middle, and high schools open or opening in the United States. The average size of each school is about 350 students.

New York Harbor School (Grades 9-12)—Brooklyn, N.Y.
Started in 2003, the school is one of four theme schools housed in an existing city high school in an economically depressed area of Brooklyn. Demographics are 50% African American and 50% Hispanic. It has a relationship with the South Street Seaport Museum and uses its facility and sail training vessel. It has also developed a partnership/mentoring program with SUNY Maritime College, which provides course material, visiting instructors, and academic and leadership opportunities. http://www.nyharborschool.org/

Palm Beach Maritime Academy (Grades K-8)—West Palm Beach, Fla.
Started in 1999, it is a tuition-free charter school operated by the Palm Beach Maritime Museum. The focus is on maritime studies, science, technology, character education, and life skills. The former USCG Peanut Island facility is used for training, along with historical facilities operated by the museum. The school has a uniform policy and a unique requirement that parents invest a minimum of 20 volunteer hours with the school. http://www.pbmm.org/

Maritime Academy Charter High School (Grades 5-12)—Philadelphia, Pa.
This school opened in 2003. It presently has more than 700 students, with a demographic mix of 70% African American students and the balance a mix of Latino, Caucasian, and Asian students. The school operates as a traditional middle and high school and is developing a model apprentice program with a national tug and barge operator and a partnering/mentor program with SUNY Maritime College. http://www.maritimecharter.org/

Bayfront Center for Maritime Studies (Grades K-12)—Erie, Pa.
This is a non-profit, community-based organization that opened in 1998. Its mission is to deliver hands-on maritime educational opportunities, providing maritime learning experiences within a current curriculum. Programs include environmental studies, maritime history, boat building, sailing, and navigation. http://www.bayfrontcenter.org/

Maritime Industries Academy (Grades 9-12)—Baltimore, Md.
This school opened in 2003 in inner-city Baltimore. It operates a Navy Jr. ROTC unit and has had a Navy career focus option. In 2007 it developed an industry partnering curriculum with local maritime companies. The school has been working with faculty at the Maritime Institute of Technology and Graduate Studies and the International Organization of Masters Mates and Pilots union training school to utilize school facilities for their students. http://www.bcps.k12.md.us/

Mar Vista High School (Grades 9-12)—Imperial Beach, Calif.
This high school, in partnership with the Navy’s Military Sealift Command (MSC), started a program in 2002 designed to have students secure entry-level USCG documents as a wiper for the engine room or an ordinary seaman for the deck department. The students follow a regular high school course of study and use their elective courses to take the U.S. Coast Guard-mandated training. The school sends groups of students with a school instructor to a MSC ship in the summer of their senior year for several weeks. Students who complete the program become eligible for hire by the Military Sealift Command. MSFSC Cadet Shipping coordinator: (757) 417-4223. www.suhsd.k12.ca.us/mvh

Outcome
While there is not a lot of data, since the programs are all fairly new, it appears that students in the maritime programs are sticking with them. In addition, the quasi-military nature of the maritime industry, with its requirements of command, responsibility, accountability, scheduling, uniforms, and required training, is being transferred to the students. This has had a positive effect on the manner in which they behave among their peers and others.

There are strict attendance and academic standards—merely showing up in class will not earn a passing grade. Once students realize this, they attend classes, study the material, and earn passing or high grades. For many, this is a new experience. By learning how to study and bring up their grades, they gain confidence and pride in their accomplishments.

So far, it appears that employment will be strong. Many schools report offers of summer internship programs and offers of employment for their graduates.

About the author:
Captain Arthur H. Sulzer, a graduate of SUNY Maritime College, is an actively sailing mariner who holds a USCG master’s unlimited license and third assistant engineer’s license (steam motor and gas turbine). He also completed 30 years of active and reserve duty with the U.S. Navy. He holds an M.S. in transportation from SUNY Maritime College, and an MBA in finance from Hofstra University. In addition to his involvement in maritime education, he is a professional marine surveyor and consultant in the Port of Philadelphia.

For more information:
Full article and 124-page “Focus on the Mariner” edition of USCG Proceedings is available at www.uscg.mil/proceedings/fall2008. Subscribe online at www.uscg.mil/proceedings.

Direct requests for print copies of this edition to: HQS-DG-NMCProceedings@uscg.mil.

Mariner Credentialing

Excerpt from U.S. Coast Guard “Proceedings of the Marine Safety & Security Council” magazine.

Full article by Mr. James W. Cratty, Marine Transportation Specialist, U.S. Coast Guard Mariner Credentialing Policy Division, is available at www.uscg.mil/proceedings/fall2008.


The Coast Guard issues mariner credentials (please see “definitions” after “about the author”) to individuals found qualified as to age, experience, professional qualifications, physical fitness, character, and lifestyle habits. All applications for a mariner credential must be submitted to a Coast Guard regional exam center (REC). Evaluation of these applications is performed at the Coast Guard’s National Maritime Center (NMC). There, applications are reviewed for:

Age—An applicant must have attained the minimum age required for the holder of the requested credential. For most licenses and certificates of registry (CORs), the minimum age is 21 (in some instances 18). A merchant mariner document (MMD) may be issued to a person at age 16 with parental consent; however, by law an able seaman must be at least 18 years old. There is no minimum age for any other qualified rating.

Citizenship—Licenses may be issued only to U.S. citizens, with the lone exception of a license as operator of uninspected, undocumented passenger vessels. This license is limited to domestic near-coastal waters not more than 100 miles offshore. An MMD may be issued to a U.S. citizen or to a foreign national who has been lawfully admitted to the United States for permanent residence.

Character—The Coast Guard must assure that the holder of a mariner’s credential can be entrusted with its inherent duties. All applicants are fingerprinted and the results are reviewed through national databases to determine if they have criminal backgrounds or terrorist affiliations. In addition, the national driver register is reviewed to see if the applicant has been convicted of certain vehicular offenses within the three years preceding application.

Physical competence—Mariners must be in good health and physically able to perform the duties required by their licenses or MMD endorsements for a rating (such as able seaman, qualified member of the engine department, or tankerman). All applicants for these positions must submit a report of a physical examination. A person applying for an “entry rating” as an ordinary seaman, wiper, or member of the steward’s department does not need to undergo a full physical examination. Deck officers and able seamen must be able to distinguish colors to identify aids to navigation, colored lights that provide information about the course of a nearby vessel, and colors printed on navigational charts. Engineering officers, qualified members of the engine department, and tankermen are required to distinguish between the colors red, green, blue, and yellow.

Training and experience—Applicants must provide proof that they have completed the required training and/or assessments to qualify for a credential. Many licenses, CORs, and qualified ratings require the applicant to present evidence of seagoing service. This may be submitted as certificates of discharge, letters, or other documents certifying the vessel’s name, amount and type of experience, tonnage, route, and horsepower and propulsion type. Foreign and military sea service may be acceptable.

Fees—User fees are required to process mariner credentials, and are divided into three areas: evaluation, testing, and issuance. The typical fee for most license and merchant mariner document transactions is either $50.00 or $100.00. Checks, money orders, and credit cards are accepted. Applicants may also pay online at http://www.pay.gov/.

About the author:
James W. Cratty is a marine transportation specialist in the mariner credentialing program policy division at Coast Guard headquarters, and is a licensed mariner.

Definitions:
Merchant mariner document—Merchant mariner documents (MMDs) are issued to the crewmembers of commercial vessels for two purposes. The MMD serves as an identity document by depicting the photograph and other personal information about the mariner. It also serves as a qualification document by noting the unlicensed capacities in which the mariner is qualified to serve. Because service on vessels of more than 100 gross tons on other than inland waters requires an identity document, license holders engaged in such service must also have an MMD. This rather confusing array of credential requirements means that some mariners have only a license record, some have only an MMD record, and some have both.

License—Licenses are issued to people responsible for the safe navigation and propulsion of a vessel. The license certifies that the holder has the experience and knowledge to serve in a specified position of a particular vessel.

Certificate of registry—A certificate of registry (COR) as a staff officer is a mariner credential issued to individuals who serve aboard vessels as a purser, medical doctor (formerly surgeon), or professional nurse. For a COR as a medical doctor or professional nurse, that person must hold a valid medical license issued under the authority of a state or territory of the United States, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, or the District of Columbia.

Radio officer’s license—This mariner credential is issued to an individual who serves aboard a vessel to operate the shipboard radio equipment. That person must hold a valid first- or second-class radiotelegraph operator’s license issued by the Federal Communications Commission.

Merchant mariner credential—This is a general term that may refer to a merchant mariner document, license, certificate of registry, STCW certificate, or radio officer’s license.

For more information:
Additional information about mariner credentialing may be found at www.uscg.mil/nmc or http://homeport.uscg.mil/ under “merchant mariners” in the list of missions.

Full article and 124-page “Focus on the Mariner” edition of USCG Proceedings is available at www.uscg.mil/proceedings/fall2008. Subscribe online at www.uscg.mil/proceedings.

Direct requests for print copies of this edition to: HQS-DG-NMCProceedings@uscg.mil.

Careers Afloat

Excerpt from U.S. Coast Guard “Proceedings of the Marine Safety & Security Council” magazine.

Full article by Ms. Anne Dougherty, Director of the Office of Maritime Workforce Development, U.S. Department of Transportation Maritime Administration, is available at www.uscg.mil/proceedings/fall2008.

“Salaries are up and many seafarers are receiving multiple job offers.
Employment opportunities are particularly robust in the offshore energy industry, the inland river system, and in the coastwise trades. The largest single employer of American mariners, the Military Sealift Command, is also aggressively seeking seafarers.” —U.S. Department of Transportation Maritime Administration

Our nation has a large pool of highly trained licensed and unlicensed mariners, but the demand continues to outpace supply. Why? Sailing is not for everyone.

The physical labor involved in making and breaking an inland tow, or in mooring a 65,000-ton tanker, or tying up to an offshore drill rig is demanding, and the work is done without regard to time of day or weather. If your vessel is out of range of the cell network, calling home is very expensive, if it can be done at all. And “What’s for dinner?” is generally answered by “Dinner is what’s on the menu.”

On the other hand, the opportunities at sea are almost unlimited. A young person starting at sea can be a skilled unlicensed mariner in a year afloat and a captain or chief engineer in not much more than a decade. Additionally, mariners on vacation usually have anywhere from two weeks to a few months off.

You’re Never Too Young to Start
The Maritime Administration and the Propeller Club of the United States run the Adopt-A-Ship program to inform young Americans about the maritime industry and the need for educated merchant marines. Students gain maritime industry learning experience by communicating with ships via e-mail or written correspondence. They learn about the activities of the vessels at sea, which fosters interest in geography, history, transportation, science, math, and English.

Maritime programs are offered in various middle and high schools around the country. These programs provide rigorous academic programs with a focus on maritime studies, science, and technology. They also provide students the opportunity to enter maritime careers upon graduation or to pursue more advanced maritime education at a vocational school, community college, service academy, or maritime academy.

Getting Started
Basic information can be found in “Information Concerning Training and Employment in the U.S. Merchant Marine,” available for free from the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Maritime Administration.

Primary shipboard employment categories include high seas, Great Lakes, inland and coastal waters, and offshore and mineral operations. Other areas include shipbuilding and ship repair, longshoring (cargo handling), port terminal administration, and intermodal logistics. Part-time or summer employment is available in some sectors, such as the passenger vessel industry.

Improving Opportunities
Opportunities in the maritime industry are good—and improving. Rapid growth in global trade has dramatically increased the worldwide demand for seafarers.

Some industry associations estimate that the licensed officer shortage is currently at 10,000 and will grow as more ships enter the marketplace. The demand for skilled mariners is high, and the towing, passenger, and offshore operators are reporting shortages of mariners.

Education
The United States is currently the world’s leading producer of third mates and third assistant engineers. This tremendous responsibility of graduating highly educated and skilled merchant marine officers is being successfully accomplished by, among other institutions, the six state maritime academies and the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy.

The state academies and the Merchant Marine Academy graduate between 600 and 700 U.S. Coast Guard-licensed merchant marine officers annually.

About the author:
Ms. Anne Dougherty is the director of the Office of Maritime Workforce Development at the U.S. Department of Transportation Maritime Administration. She is a Texas A&M University at Galveston graduate and sailed eight years as a licensed deck officer aboard numerous commercial vessels. She subsequently spent six years working ashore for the U.S. Navy Military Sealift Command prior to joining the Maritime Administration.

For more information:

Maritime academies:
U.S. Merchant Marine Academy, Kings Point, N.Y.
http://www.usmma.edu/

California Maritime Academy, Vallejo, Calif.
http://www.csum.edu/

Great Lakes Maritime Academy, Traverse City, Mich.
www.nmc.edu/maritime

Maine Maritime Academy, Castine, Maine
http://www.mainemaritime.edu/

Massachusetts Maritime Academy, Buzzards Bay, Mass.
http://www.maritime.edu/

State University of New York Maritime College, Bronx, N.Y.
http://www.sunymaritime.edu/

Texas Maritime Academy, Galveston, Texas
http://www.tamug.edu/corps/


U.S. Department of Transportation
Maritime Administration
West Building
Southeast Federal Center
1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE
Washington, DC 20590
(800) 996-2723
Office of Workforce Development
(202) 366-5737
http://www.marad.dot.gov/

Full article and 124-page “Focus on the Mariner” edition of USCG Proceedings is available at www.uscg.mil/proceedings/fall2008. Subscribe online at www.uscg.mil/proceedings.

Direct requests for print copies of this edition to: HQS-DG-NMCProceedings@uscg.mil.

Rear Admiral Kevin Cook, Director, Prevention Policy

Friday, June 19, 2009 was my last day as Director, Prevention Policy. I will be reporting in to my new assignment, Chief of Operations, CG Atlantic Area/OPCOM in about two weeks. I enjoyed my 18 months in this assignment, where my duties included re-energizing the Marine Safety mission. I now leave those responsibilities to my able successor, Rear Admiral Kevin Cook. For those of you who don't know him, here is his bio:

Rear Admiral Kevin Cook is currently Director of Prevention Policy for Marine Safety, Security and Stewardship, Coast Guard Headquarters, Washington, DC. Before coming to CGHQ, he was assigned as the Director of the Operations Command Implementation Team in Portsmouth, Virginia. In that capacity, he led the effort to integrate oversight of all Coast Guard operations into a single Operations Command.

Rear Admiral Cook has held a variety of field positions supporting the Marine Safety, Security, and Environmental Protection mission areas. He was assigned to CGHQ as a staff engineer in the Hazardous Materials Division, and then was a mid-grade officer at Marine Safety Office Hampton Roads, Virginia. Afterwards, he returned to CGHQ as the Division Chief of the Hazardous Materials Division. As such, he served as the Coast Guard's leading policy advisor for commercial transport of hazardous oil, chemical, and liquefied gas cargoes, including duties as a U.S. delegation leader for related work at the International Maritime Organization.

Later he was assigned at Marine Safety Office Houston-Galveston, Texas, as Executive Officer, and subsequently Commanding Officer. There Rear Admiral Cook served the ports of Houston, Galveston, Texas City, and Freeport, and offshore waters, as Captain of the Port. For two years following 9/11, he also directed maritime homeland security operations through command of the regional Task Unit that included 800 members serving in Coast Guard units and Navy patrol boats spanning from Freeport, Texas, eastward to Lake Charles, Louisiana.
At the time of his flag officer selection, Rear Admiral Cook was serving as Chief of Staff for the Thirteenth Coast Guard District, Seattle, Washington.

He also has had three tours afloat: CGC MADRONA as a deck watch officer; CGC BITTERSWEET as the Executive Officer; and CGC COWSLIP as the Commanding Officer.

A native of Freehold, NJ, he graduated from the Coast Guard Academy in 1979 with a Bachelors of Science Degree in Ocean Engineering. Rear Admiral Cook also earned a Masters of Science Degree in Chemical Engineering from Princeton University. He is a 1999 graduate of the U.S. Army War College. In 2003, he was appointed as the Coast Guard Fellow to Chief of Naval Operations Strategic Study Group. His military decorations include the Legion of Merit, Meritorious Service Medal, Coast Guard Commendation Medal, and Coast Guard Achievement Medal. Additionally, he was recognized by the National Propeller Club as the Port of Houston Person of the Year for 2003.

Military Sealift Command—the largest single employer of American mariners

Excerpt from U.S. Coast Guard “Proceedings of the Marine Safety & Security Council” magazine.

Full article by Captain Thomas Finger, U.S. Navy Military Sealift Command, is available at www.uscg.mil/proceedings/fall2008.

The U.S. Navy’s Military Sealift Command (MSC) provides ocean transportation services for the Department of Defense and delivers equipment, fuel, supplies, and ammunition to sustain U.S. forces worldwide. This growing fleet includes:

· ammunition delivery ships;
· combat stores ships that transport food, dry provisions, repair parts, and mail;
· dry cargo/ammunition ships that deliver ammunition, food, fuel, repair parts, and expendable supplies;
· fast combat support ships designed to carry fuel, ammunition, and supplies;
· underway replenishment oilers that deliver fuel to ships and jet fuel for aircraft aboard carriers at sea;
· fleet ocean tugs that provide towing services and operate as platforms for Navy divers;
· hospital ships that serve as emergency onsite trauma centers;
· rescue/salvage ships that assist in rescue and salvage missions;
· cable ships that install ocean cables.

CIVMARs
Seafarers aboard this diverse range of ships have careers as civil service mariners (CIVMARs) of the federal government. CIVMARs have excellent job security, opportunities for merchant marine license and document upgrades, promotion potential, and good pay. Benefits include health and life insurance, retirement plans, and annual and sick leave programs commensurate with their civil service counterparts ashore.

Uniquely, CIVMARs also accrue shore leave. Shore leave is accrued at a rate of one day for every 15 calendar days on one or more extended voyages on MSC oceangoing ships. The combination of annual and shore leave provides for vacation periods between assignments.

With an afloat CIVMAR workforce of approximately 5,000, there are a wide variety of positions and promotion opportunities available to the mariner. To apply for employment with the Military Sealift Command, all candidates must be:

· at least 18 years of age;
· a United States citizen with a valid U.S. passport;
· capable of speaking, understanding, reading, and writing English;
· able to obtain a merchant mariner’s document issued by the United States Coast Guard;
· able to obtain a TSA Transportation Worker’s Identification Credential;
· capable of passing a Military Sealift Command-administered physical examination;
· drug-free;
· able to obtain and maintain a security clearance.

How to Apply
Stop by MSC’s recruiting website, http://www.sealiftcommand.com/, which provides information about job fairs, vacancy announcements, and application assistance.

MSC provides initial training, which is conducted at Military Sealift Command schools in Freehold, N.J., or San Diego, Calif. Additional paid training and upgrade opportunities are based on position held, ship requirements, initiative, and ability to advance to the next higher-rated position through the merit promotion process.

Once Aboard
CIVMARs generally have private or semi-private staterooms and three meals a day. The majority of Military Sealift Command ships also have lounge, library, and weight room facilities. E-mail is also available.

A shipboard tour is a minimum of four months. Civil service mariners are paid a base salary and earned overtime for work performed in excess of eight hours per day or on weekends and holidays.

Military Sealift Command Shipboard Departments
Deck
Members of the deck department are responsible for the underway replenishment rigs, dry/liquid cargo handling, forklift operations, and helicopter flight deck operations. They also stand watch while in port or at sea, and perform routine deck maintenance such as cleaning, painting, chipping, and preserving the ship.
Licensed positions (requiring a USCG Merchant Mariner Document):
· second officer
· third officer
Unlicensed positions:
· able seaman
· ordinary seaman

Engine
Engine department members are responsible for the maintenance and repair of the ship’s machinery, including material-handling equipment, elevators, and winches. They also fabricate replacement parts utilizing various types of machinery and stand watch in the engine room.

Licensed positions:
· second assistant engineer
· third assistant engineer

Unlicensed positions:
· unlicensed junior engineer
· refrigeration engineer
· electronics technician
· electrician
· second electrician
· engine utilityman
· pumpman
· deck engineer machinist
· wiper

Supply
Members are responsible for the daily provision of food and supplies; for cooking, baking, and food preparation; for performing inventory; and for storekeeping duties such as cargo handling, recordkeeping receipt, and stowage and issuance of all stores. The supply department also cleans and maintains the staterooms and passageways, and is responsible for the ship’s laundry.

Positions:
· junior supply officer
· yeoman storekeeper
· assistant yeoman storekeeper
· steward cook
· chief cook
· second cook
· cook/baker
· assistant cook
· supply utilityman

Communications
Members are responsible for the operation and maintenance of the ship’s military communication suites and for communications planning, administration, and watch.

Positions:
· first radio electronics technician
· second radio electronics technician

Other Shipboard Positions
· medical services officer
· purser

About the author:
Captain Thomas Finger has been a Military Sealift Command civil service mariner for 29 years and a master of 14 ships during his career.

For more information:
Military Sealift Command
CIVMAR Support Center
6353 Center Drive, Building 8
Suite 202
Norfolk, VA 23502
(866) 562-7672
http://www.sealiftcommand.com/

Marine Employment Opportunities:
(877) JOBS-MSC

U.S. Coast Guard
National Maritime Center
100 Forbes Blvd.
Martinsburg, WV 25404
(304) 433-3400
Help Desk (888) 427-5662
www.uscg.mil/nmc

Full article and 124-page “Focus on the Mariner” edition of USCG Proceedings is available at www.uscg.mil/proceedings/fall2008. Subscribe online at www.uscg.mil/proceedings.

Direct requests for print copies of this edition to: HQS-DG-NMCProceedings@uscg.mil.

A View From the Bridge—a career as a ship pilot

Excerpt from U.S. Coast Guard “Proceedings of the Marine Safety & Security Council” magazine.

Full article by Mr. Paul G. Kirchner, Executive Director and General Counsel, American Pilots’ Association, available at www.uscg.mil/proceedings/fall2008.

What is a Ship Pilot?
There are many uses of the term “pilot,” even within the maritime industry. The type addressed here is an individual who is not a member of a vessel’s crew, but one who comes aboard to help navigate the vessel in or out of port.

Pilots are independent contractors, but belong to an association with other pilots in the port or pilotage region and earn fees paid by the vessels that use them according to published tariff rates.

Pilots are highly trained experts whose role is to protect the people, economy, and environment of their area by guiding ships safely and expeditiously through the waters of their regions. This is a difficult, demanding, and dangerous job with heavy responsibilities. It is, however, rewarding and highly respected.

A pilot can be dispatched to a job at any time of night or day. This means that pilots work irregular hours, often at night and on weekends and holidays. The pilot typically boards an inbound vessel by transferring from a pilot boat and climbing a ladder rigged over the side of the vessel. In some places, pilots may use a helicopter for boarding and disembarking, so the pilot transfer can be a dangerous operation, particularly in severe weather.

The pilot then directs the navigation of the vessel, typically giving helm and engine commands directly to the bridge crew. Pilots often serve on vessels they have never encountered before and must work closely with foreign crews with cultural differences and limited English language skills.

Despite those challenges, pilots must quickly establish a smooth, cooperative working relationship with the people they encounter on the bridge and must project a calm, reassuring command presence. This is considered part of the “art” of piloting.

How to Become a Pilot
Each state maintains its own process for soliciting and accepting applications for new pilot positions and selecting among the applicants. In addition, each state limits the number of pilot positions so that all pilots get sufficient experience, and the pilot association can be assured of the revenues needed to maintain a modern public service pilotage operation.

Pilot trainees learn in a traditional apprenticeship-type format with hands-on training under the direction of senior pilots. A trainee may make hundreds or, in some cases, thousands of instructional trips before being allowed to pilot “solo.”

The length and content of the training program varies from state to state and, in some places, from pilotage area to pilotage area within a state. Some states require prior experience as an officer—or even as a master—on oceangoing vessels. Some states require service on a towing vessel or allow that as an option. Some states will accept individuals without any prior mariner experience.

The time it takes to complete a state training program and become a full pilot may range from one to two years in areas with considerable prior vessel experience requirements. In places that train pilots “from the ground up,” this process may take up to nine years.

About the author:
Mr. Paul Kirchner is the executive director and general counsel of the American Pilots’ Association in Washington, D.C. He is a frequent speaker and writer on various aspects of the piloting profession.

For more information:
American Pilots’ Association
499 South Capitol Street, SW
Suite 409
Washington, D.C. 20003
(202) 484-0700; Fax: (202) 484-9320
www.americanpilots.org

Full article and 124-page “Focus on the Mariner” edition of USCG Proceedings is available at www.uscg.mil/proceedings/fall2008. Subscribe online at www.uscg.mil/proceedings.

Direct requests for print copies of this edition to: HQS-DG-NMCProceedings@uscg.mil.

National Centers of Expertise: Civilian Marine Inspectors & Investigators

The Coast Guard is pleased to announce the posting of the latest set of civilian Vacancy Announcements for the five new National Centers of Expertise (NCOEs).

The NCOE civilian employees (GS-12s and GS-13s) will be marine inspectors/ investigators whose duties include training student inspectors, coordinating/ conducting relevant courses and seminars, and advising policy-makers, regulation developers or operational program managers on trends, best practices, leading indicators, problematic issues or other functional area concerns.
The five centers hiring are: Towing Vessel Center, Paducah, KY, Liquefied Gas Carrier Center, Port Arthur, TX, Outer Continental Shelf Center, Morgan City, LA, Vintage Vessel Center, Duluth, MN, and the Investigations Center, New Orleans, LA.

The employees are expected to have significant experience in the functional areas and significant understanding of the maritime industry by virtue of memberships in commercial occupational and technical arenas and possess either licenses, advanced degrees/ certificates or experience either through work in the commercial sector, the broad experience in CG marine inspections/ investigations, or a combination of both.

Those interested in finding out more and how to apply for these positions should go to the following Internet site: http://www.usajobs.gov/ , Key words: Maritime, Coast Guard, Marine Inspector

Proceedings of the Marine Safety and Security Council

In USCG Commandant Thad Allen’s iCommandant blog on May 24, 2009, he mentioned the Coast Guard Marine Safety blog to improve awareness of this communication channel. Admiral Allen said, “Rear Admiral Jim Watson, Director of Prevention Policy, has truly embraced social media and understands how it improves his ability to communicate with his stakeholders/customers.”

Today’s blog entry will be the first of many provided by Proceedings of the Marine Safety & Security Council, the Coast Guard Journal of Safety & Security at Sea. We are honored that Rear Admiral Watson has asked us to collaborate with him to provide additional content.

So … just what is Proceedings of the Marine Safety & Security Council? Proceedings is a quarterly print magazine that focuses on topics of importance to the U.S. Coast Guard Marine Safety & Security Council. Which begs the next question: Just what is the Marine Safety & Security Council? It is a group of senior Coast Guard officials, of which Rear Admiral Watson is a member, that acts as policy advisor to the Coast Guard Commandant and provides oversight, review, and guidance for all Coast Guard regulatory activity.

Proceedings, launched in 1944, is produced as an outreach effort to inform the maritime industry about the Coast Guard’s operations and marine safety, security, and environmental protection policies, regulations, and goals. Although it has evolved over the decades, and continues to evolve via this online forum, we hope Proceedings will continue be of value to the maritime community. Subscribe online at www.uscg.mil/proceedings.

We welcome your comments, questions, and suggestions.

Focus on the Mariner

We begin our entries with a series that focuses on the mariner, excerpted from articles in the—you guessed it—“Focus on the Mariner” edition of Proceedings.

For this online offering, we have gleaned the most important take-away points from the originals and updated the information with new statistics and robust links to more resources.

We welcome your comments.

Earn up to Six Figures, With No College Degree—careers in the tugboat, towboat, and barge industry

by Ms. Krista Reddington, former Government Affairs Associate
The American Waterways Operators

Excerpt from U.S. Coast Guard “Proceedings of the Marine Safety & Security Council” magazine.

No Degree Necessary
The maritime field enables those who do not have a college degree to engage in a skilled and rewarding profession with an unrivaled chance to learn a unique trade. The industry is an exciting alternative to a 9-to-5 job.

Jobs in the maritime industry provide a secure and stable career path for those who are ready to be a part of the maritime family. These positions present the opportunity to make a good living with family wages and great benefits.

Careers
Deckhand or ordinary seaman. The entry-level position on a towing vessel is called a “deckhand” on inland towboats, an “ordinary seaman” on coastal tugboats. These crewmembers prepare barges for loading and unloading cargo, build tows, and perform basic vessel maintenance and housekeeping duties on coastal tugboats.

Experienced ordinary seamen on coastal tugboats graduate to “able-bodied seamen.” On most towing vessels except those operating on rivers, deckhands require a Coast Guard-issued Merchant Mariner’s Document, or MMD.

According to U.S. Department of Labor statistics, able seamen and ordinary seamen earn a median salary of $34,390 per year; wages top out at $51,890 (2008 statistics).

Cook. The cook buys and prepares food for the crew. Some cooks also work on deck between meal preparations, in which case they may be called cook/deckhands. Cooks on towing vessels (with the exception of those working on rivers) require a Merchant Mariner’s Document.

According to 2007 Dept. of Labor statistics, the Inland Water Transportation industry is among the five highest-paying industries for cooks, who earn an average (mean) salary of $29,340.

Tankermen. These mariners work on towing vessels that move liquid cargo in tank barges, and are specially trained for the environmentally sensitive job of transferring oil or chemical cargoes between barges and tanks on shore. Tankermen require a Merchant Mariner’s Document with a tankerman endorsement, which entails training and experience in handling liquid cargoes.

These water transportation support workers earn an average of $47,140 annually (Dept. of Labor 2008 statistic).

Engineer. The engineer is in charge of the operation and maintenance of the boat’s engines and machinery and the barge cargo pumps. A deck engineer is an engineer who also performs deckhand duties. Engineers are trained, experienced personnel who may or may not be required to hold a Coast Guard-issued license, depending on the size and location of the vessels on which they work.

According to U.S. Department of Labor statistics, engineers earn an average of $60,690 per year; wages top out at $102,850 (2008 statistics).

Masters, mates, and pilots. The crewmember who drives a towing vessel is the “master” (or “captain”), and his or her second-in-command is known as a “mate” on coastal tugboats or a “pilot” on inland towboats. Unlike the independent contractors who typically guide larger vessels in and out of coastal ports, this type of pilot is a crewmember. The master and mate or pilot alternate shifts navigating the vessel. The master is the manager of the vessel, responsible not only for operating the boat safely and efficiently, but for managing the crew as well.

Masters, mates, and pilots earn an average of $61,960 per year; wages top out at $108,120 (2008 Dept. of Labor statistics).

About the author:
Ms. Krista Reddington is a former government affairs associate for The American Waterways Operators. AWO is the national trade association representing the owners and operators of tugboats, towboats, and barges serving the waterborne commerce of the United States.

For more information:
Merchant Mariner Document information available at: www.uscg.mil/nmc.

The American Waterways Operators
801 North Quincy Street, Suite 200
Arlington, VA 22203
(703) 841-9300
Fax: (703) 841-0389
http://www.americanwaterways.com/
AWO jobs portal: http://www.awojobs.com/

Full article and 124-page “Focus on the Mariner” edition of USCG Proceedings is available at www.uscg.mil/proceedings/fall2008. Subscribe online at www.uscg.mil/proceedings.

Direct requests for print copies of this edition to: HQS-DG-NMCProceedings@uscg.mil.