Sea Time Equivelancy

[MattyB]

I just started a new shore side job with about 75 days needed to upgrade my license to Master. Due to family issues I cannot travel for long stretches anymore. I was wondering if anyone knew of course that would count for upgrade time. The AMO STAR center has a class I know, but it is only good for upgrade to 2/M. Any advice would be really appreciate.

[c.captain]

I personally think you are trying to game the system here. Do the 75days at sea or just be happy with a chief mate's license.

[KPEngineer]

46 CFR 11.211 has the equivalents. It's likely going to be tons easier to do the 75 days though. Chief Mate is no slouch and nothing to be ashamed of especially if you have C/M time. That's more than lots of people have. You wouldn't be the first person to forgo a terminal license in favor of family and you won't be the last.

[MattyB]

I appreciate the information. It will be very helpful. My feeling is, and I suggest to everyone. That if you can get that next license, or extra degree...do it. They will come in handy down the road.

[MattyB]

I personally think you are trying to game the system here. Do the 75days at sea or just be happy with a chief mate's license.

Any real sailor will game the system to his advantage at every opportunity. That was the first lesson they taught us at school.

[KPEngineer]

Any real sailor will game the system to his advantage at every opportunity. That was the first lesson they taught us at school.

Not to mention that the NMC games the system against us the mariner.

[c.captain]

Any real sailor will game the system to his advantage at every opportunity. That was the first lesson they taught us at school.

I cannot believe you just said something so utterly revealing of the character of many young mariners of today coming from the academies. How old are you...even 30? I certainly think you just made a whole shitload of friends with all the hawsepipers on here who never received lessons at school in how to "game the system" and had to EARN their seatime. And you call yourself a "real sailor"! Let's see...you say you're from Long Island...eh?

EFF THIS....now I AM pissed!


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[KPEngineer]

I'm all for taking anything I can get from the NMC and pushing the limits of the CFR, but it still has to be allowable under the CFR. I don't consider that gaming the system.

[c.captain]

I'm all for taking anything I can get from the NMC and pushing the limits of the CFR, but it still has to be allowable under the CFR. I don't consider that gaming the system.

I'm sorry but this whole thread just smacks of these young punks who come right out of the academies onto drillships and rigs with high 5 figure salaries and rapidly move into the 6 figure range still under 25 and keep upgrading their licenses to master without ever having been on anything other than a rig or anywhere other than the GoM the whole time getting more and more of an entitlement attitude that "I deserve". If it was up to me no punk would ever get an unlimited master's license for only MODU time, but say to them that you feel their seatime should be discounted or restricted and they will HOWL with protest at how unfair that is to them!

There's what permitted by the regulations and then there's what's right!

[Tcaptain]

Of course were I 25 and could make drillship pay right out of school, why wouldn't I ?

[c.captain]

Of course were I 25 and could make drillship pay right out of school, why wouldn't I ?

But you should feel damned grateful, humble and never forget how easy your life is compared to the guys spending their entire careers working damned hard on small old dirty vessels. And always remember that your job no matter how well paying does not make you special or more deserving than all the others who weren't so lucky to have gotten your sweet deal. Lots and lots of guys out there begging for such a break and I honestly wonder why the HR departments at some of these drilling contractors pick such "aces" to be jdpo's? I mean there have got to be smarter & more capable people to hire? Hell, it should be like picking men to become F-22 fighter pilots for the kind of money these kids end up getting!


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[jdcavo]

I just started a new shore side job with about 75 days needed to upgrade my license to Master. Due to family issues I cannot travel for long stretches anymore. I was wondering if anyone knew of course that would count for upgrade time. The AMO STAR center has a class I know, but it is only good for upgrade to 2/M. Any advice would be really appreciate.

There are almost none. Sea time equivalencies are generally not recognized or acceptable under STCW, so those courses that grant sea time credit are for licenses not more than 200 GRT, for imnalnd only, or for 3rd mate to 2nd mate. Before STCW 95 when there were some courses for sea time for unlimited licenses, they could not be used to meet a requirement for service on a specific type of ship (e.g. tankers) or for service in a specific capacity (e.g. chief mate). That policy continues, so there is no way to get around the requirement to serve 6 months as a chief mate to upgrade to master unlimited.

[jdcavo]

Any real sailor will game the system to his advantage at every opportunity. That was the first lesson they taught us at school.

When I was a new third mate, the sailors never though they had to hide all their trick from the idiot new guy. Years later, that new guy was chief mate and remembered what he saw as a new third.

Now I write policy and course approvals...

[MattyB]

There are almost none. Sea time equivalencies are generally not recognized or acceptable under STCW, so those courses that grant sea time credit are for licenses not more than 200 GRT, for imnalnd only, or for 3rd mate to 2nd mate. Before STCW 95 when there were some courses for sea time for unlimited licenses, they could not be used to meet a requirement for service on a specific type of ship (e.g. tankers) or for service in a specific capacity (e.g. chief mate). That policy continues, so there is no way to get around the requirement to serve 6 months as a chief mate to upgrade to master unlimited.

Sir, your reply and information is truly appreciated. It is easier. to decide what to do next with the proper information.

[MattyB]

I cannot believe you just said something so utterly revealing of the character of many young mariners of today coming from the academies. How old are you...even 30? I certainly think you just made a whole shitload of friends with all the hawsepipers on here who never received lessons at school in how to "game the system" and had to EARN their seatime. And you call yourself a "real sailor"! Let's see...you say you're from Long Island...eh?

EFF THIS....now I AM pissed!


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Sir,
If my sense of humor was offensive to you, I apologize. but I am not hear to get into an argument or a pissing contest with anybody.

[c.captain]

Sir,
If my sense of humor was offensive to you, I apologize. but I am not hear to get into an argument or a pissing contest with anybody.

Just be a bit more circumspect about what you write here son...there's a lot of hawsepipers here in this forum who need to be given all due respect for the efforts they have made to establish and advance their careers. You have to remember that fewer that 10% of all US mariners come from an academy. These guys always put in more years to get to where they are that a school guy does and frankly, it is more often than not a much harder road for them to travel. There's alot of small tired old dirty boats out there they have to run year after year.

I'll leave it at that...good luck in your new shoreside career and family. You're a smart man to decide to get off the ships while you're young enough to make the break. At some point you stay out here too long and you just have to see it out till the end...*

*or get divorced when the kids are old enough and hook up with a hot old lady with the jingle...that's my plan I'm workin on all the time but not findin it so easy to make happen? Come on Match.com...looking for boxcars...daddy needs a new pair of shoes and a Mach 1 convertible!