How long will I sit in the MMP hall?

**Axelrod** · June 2nd, 2011, 06:04 PM

I'm planning on heading out to Seattle and signing up with MMP. Does anyone have any experience shipping out of this hall? Should I plan on being there for weeks? months? I know there are many variables, I'm just looking for a little encouragement (or discouragement) before shelling out that initiation fee.

**sail2surf2004** · June 2nd, 2011, 11:57 PM

I personally have not shipped out of there but I have had friends get jobs on Matson ships as applicats. No matter what, the sooner you sign up the more time you are accumulating which still puts you ahead of people that are just joining. You got to learn the schedules of the ship you want to get on and make sure you are in the hall on the day they call that port, the day before doesn't hurt either.

**Jeffrox** · June 3rd, 2011, 01:00 AM

Originally Posted by Axelrod

I'm planning on heading out to Seattle and signing up with MMP. Does anyone have any experience shipping out of this hall? Should I plan on being there for weeks? months? I know there are many variables, I'm just looking for a little encouragement (or discouragement) before shelling out that initiation fee.

I depends on your license, i.e. a Chief can fill more positions than a 3rd Mate, etc. Before you lay out your cash, check the required training matrix that shows what "extra special" training each company associated with MMP requires of it's mariners. It could be that you think you're ready to go but you don't have some odd training, like Slow Speed Diesel Control or LMSR Ramp Operations or MSC Small Arms, etc etc and so you can't fill the position.

**dougpine** · June 3rd, 2011, 09:33 AM

I heard they don't even have a hall in Seattle anymore for deep sea. All the guys I know are shipping out of LA now. But don't take my word for it.

**uberTurtle** · June 3rd, 2011, 11:38 AM

For questions about what halls are open and where they are, look at bridgedeck.org.

The third mate on our ship - brand new and out of school a year - spent 9 months chasing ships before getting her first 120 day job. Name of the game is to take what you can get. Face it, a year old applicant card is still an applicant card. It does help if you have greater than a third mate's license - not sure where you sit there.

To answer your question, you could spend months in the hall (been there) or you could spend a couple of days in the hall (been there). Sometimes it just comes down to being in the right place at the right time.

**Axelrod** · June 3rd, 2011, 05:17 PM

Thanks for the replies,

Yep... just a 3rd mate fresh out of the academy. If it comes down to it can I at least keep a little cash in my pocket with a night mate job here and a relief job there? I was a cadet on a Matson ship and there always seemed to be a shortage of night mates, wondering if that is still the case.

**New-mate** · June 3rd, 2011, 09:52 PM

As a just joining applicant it will not just be that easy to get a "night mate job here and a relief job there" depending on where you are. In the L.A hall i know that the applicant without 60 days of sea time have been rarely getting nightmates and relief jobs are not that easy to get either with a new card. Not sure about the other halls. Rags to riches and back to rags again is the life of an MMP applicant.