A Shipshape Career: U.S. Merchant Mariners
If you love the sea, and want to make a living from it, then this is your chance.
With the U.S Merchant Mariners' Act of 2000 in place, there are more than 6,700 jobs for merchant marines in United States ports alone. This Act made it legal for an individual to work on a U.S.-flagged ship without being sponsored by any specific shipping company as long as they have some other means of income and meet certain requirements (age restrictions vary by state).
The U.S Merchant Marine is in need of skilled and experienced technicians, engineers, deckhands, navigators and even doctors.
As a licensed mariner you can:
Some of the things you will learn include:
In 2010 more than 5.8 million people were employed in the United States Merchant Marine. Of the 5.8 million people employed on U.S.-flagged vessels over 20 percent were women while the other 80% were men. The top three jobs were: Engineers (1.3), Deckhands (1.2) and Captains (.9).
More than 210,000 people were employed in the United States Merchant Marine in 2009.
The U.S Merchant Mariners' Association is an international trade organization of licensed mariners and their employers whose primary purpose is to assist its member employers and mariners with national and international issues that affect the activities of licensed mariners. It is also responsible for promoting the goals and core principles of the U.S. Merchant Marine, including safety, security, marine resources protection, innovation, safety and sound navigation practices.
The MMA was founded in January 1877 by a group of maritime professionals interested in running the U.S. Merchant Marine. The MMA's first headquarters was located in New York City but later moved to Washington, D.C.. In 2012 it had over 20,000 members and continues to grow each year.
Requirements for employment as a licensed mariner include:
To obtain a license an individual must undergo a training program that varies by state and varies from six weeks to two years depending on the position you seek. Training is done through an approved maritime academy or an apprenticeship with a licensed mariner . Upon completion of your training program you must also pass a licensing exam specific to your desired position in addition to passing a physical exam (which may include drug testing) administered by the U.S. Coast Guard.
The cost to obtain a U.S. Merchant Mariner's license varies by state and position being held, but all training programs are accredited by the Marine Training Council (MTC).
Marine training is administered in schools or apprenticeships that are accredited by their respective state Maritime Commission or the MTC. All mariners training programs must be approved by U.S. maritine headquarters at U.S. Coast Guard District Command Centers or on-the-job training must be supervised by an approved school instructor and meet minimum requirements for accreditation with its respective regional Maritime Commission or MTC .
The U.S. Merchant Marine offers several career paths:
<nowiki>*</nowiki> Previously established as a Coast Guard Auxiliary vessel. This is a photo gallery of the vessels that have been retired and the companies that acquired them. Also included are photos of exide, shark and verito class vessels that were later sold to other companies or scrapped.
All fleet requirements, such as cargo hold dimensions, size of cranes, etc., are established by the Maritime Administration (MARAD). If you wish to work on ships operated by MARAD you must be an enrollee in MARAD's "Employee Incentive Program" (EIP).
For those who are not interested in working in the U.S. Merchant Marine, there are still other maritime related jobs that can be found. In the U.S., there are approximately 15,000 maritime companies and about 4,500 of them have more than 100 employees and another 110 with more than 50 employees. In addition to these there is also approximately 1,000 large shipyards that employ an average of 5,000 people each and employ a total of 30,000 to 60,000 workers from all over the country as well as from other countries .
Most people who work for these companies prefer to live close to the state they will be working at, especially if they have families. For example, if you live in California and work for a shipyard in Louisiana, you would probably want to live near the shipyard in Louisiana.
There is also the option of working at one of the many private maritime ports that are located across the United States. For example, there is a large petroleum port located on the Gulf coast that employs more than 500 men and women to keep its ships running smoothly.
There are also thousands of marinas throughout the country that employ some type of maritime personnel to help with their marina business, including boat mechanics and marine surveyors. The U.S. has a rich mariners' culture, and the maritime industry is a major component of the U.S. economy; in 2009 it contributed $60 billion to the country's gross domestic product (GDP).
In addition to the U.S. Merchant Mariner program, there are two other qualifications that are required for most positions:
Under the Foreign Affairs Port Security Program, individuals must be in possession of U.S. citizenship or permanent residency status to be qualified for employment with MARAD-regulated activities at ports and other Foreign Affairs-related facilities. Individuals working at a foreign-owned facility engaged in direct support of security operations at PPS-protected ports are subject to an alternative qualifying process .
All personnel working with radioactive materials must be in possession of a security clearance issued by the Department of Energy.
There are several maritime job boards that help job seekers find jobs and employers find qualified employees:
At the completion of your coursework, you will be awarded a "United States Merchant Marine Officer's License" or an MMC (Merchant Mariner's Certificate). This license acts as a passport for any merchant mariner who works on U.S.-flagged vessels. The appropriate license is required for every position on board a vessel, from the captain and chief engineer to the deckhands and cooks .
The U.S. Merchant Marine is a licensed profession regulated by the United States Maritime Administration (MARAD) under the authority of the Federal Maritime Commission.
Applicants may be eligible for veterans' preference points in the application process and must appear poised to qualify under veteran's preference requirements. Those who are eligible based on service or disability are exempt from passing a licensing examination and receiving a license as long as they have a qualifying license/permit/certificate .
A "plebe" is an applicant that has passed the Basic MMC Exam but has not attended any maritime training academy, yet. A plebe is considered to be "in-training" and may only be paid in accordance with applicable state laws .
Conclusion
The U.S. Merchant Marine has been an integral part of the United States for the last hundred years and training for this profession can be obtained through several maritime academies and schools within the United States. It is important to remember that there are many different roles in this field, each requiring its own license or certification, whether federal or state-issued. It is also important to remember that maritime employment is only available through established companies/universities and not directly from the government/naval academy .