How to Become a Water Transportation Worker in 2024
Water Transportation Worker – The training and education needed for a given job type varies. Entry-level sailors and marine oilers are optional to have a certain degree. Still, other water transportation personnel usually finish a training course certified by the U.S. Coast Guard.
A Merchant Mariner Certification (MMC) from the U.S. Coast Guard, a Transportation Worker Identification Certificate (TWIC) from the Transportation Security Administration, and any related endorsements are needed for most water transportation occupations.
Know about How to Become a Water Transportation Worker
Instruct
Most of the time, formal schooling is optional for marine oilers and sailors. To help them get the necessary certification, other water transportation personnel frequently finish a training course authorized by the U.S. Coast Guard.
Workers having a bachelor’s degree from the Merchant Marine Academy may be given preference by employers. A bachelor’s degree and a Merchant Marine Crew Certificate (MMC) with a third assistant engineer or third mate accreditation are available through academy courses.
Additionally, graduates of these programs may be eligible to commission in the U.S. Coast Guard, U.S. Navy Reserve, or US Merchant Marine Reserve reserves.
Rail
From six months to a year, ratings, wipers, and other entry-level sailors undergo on-the-job training.
The size and kind of ships and rivers they operate on determine how long the training takes. Employees operating deep-sea vessels, for instance, need more advanced training than those on rivers. (Water Transportation Worker)
Registration, Certification, and Licensing
The Transportation Security Administration issues Transportation Worker Identification Certificates (TWICs), which are required for all seafarers operating on American flag vessels.
This document certifies that the bearer has cleared a security check and is either a citizen or permanent resident of the United States. Every five years, TWIC needs to be renewed.
High seas vessel crew members must hold accreditation from the Standards of Training, Certification, and Watchkeeping (STWC). U.S. Regional Coast Guard offices offer instruction and cover subjects, including lifeboat safety and first assistance.
Every five years, STWC training needs to be completed. The STWC does not accredit sailors who operate on Great Lakes or inland waterways.
A Merchant Marine Crew Certificate (MMC), required for most seafarers, can be applied at the U.S. Coast Guard Regional Examination Center.
Entry-level workers can skip the written exam to work as sailors or workers. To receive MMC, certain individuals must, however, pass health, hearing, and vision examinations and a drug test.
They have to complete board safety courses as well. Every five years, the MMC also needs to be renewed. Please visit the U.S. Coast Guard National Maritime Center for further details on MMC and associated endorsements.
The state in which they operate issues licenses to pilots. In the Great Lakes region, pilots are approved by the U.S. Coast Guard. Depending on where the pilot works, different licenses have different requirements. (Water Transportation Worker)
Experience working in a related field
Waterborne employees frequently advance from lower-level to higher-level roles, and gaining work experience is necessary for many professions.
A colleague may have previously worked as a sailor, but a marine engineer may require expertise as a marine oiler. Sometimes, employees complete the necessary hands-on training as a requirement of their educational program.
Advancement
Crew members can seek endorsements after receiving an MMC, which may allow them to advance into more senior roles.
After six months of experience and passing a written exam, qualified Engine Division (QMED) members are eligible to get wipers.
Ordinary seafarers must pass a written exam and accrue three years of experience to become unrestricted seafarers. However, depending on the kind of vessel the seafarer works on, multiple competent seafarer endorsements below the general level can be earned after six months to a year of experience.
A seafarer may advance to third Mate after working in the deck department for three years or longer. It must occur on a boat comparable to the one they want to work on as an officer.
To accept their MMC, the third Mate must complete several training courses and pass written and in-flight assessments. The complexity and size of the vessel increase the difficulty of these requirements.
Likewise, following three years of engine room work and the fulfillment of multiple training and testing requirements, QMED is eligible to be recognized as a third Assistant Engineer. The more intricate the vessel, the more experience and testing are needed.
Depending on the department in which they are taught, officers who graduate from the Maritime Academy are awarded an MMC acknowledged by the 3rd Mate or 3rd Mate Engineer.
A minimum of 365 days of prior experience are needed for each position up the career ladder, from third mate/third engineer to second mate, chief mate, captain, or chief engineer.
To advance to Chief Mate/First Assistant Engineer, Second or Second Associate Engineers must pass an exam and finish a 12-week training program. (Water Transportation Worker)
Crucial attributes
Ability to serve customers. In their constant interaction with guests, jet ski operators must ensure they are having a good time.
Hand-eye synchronization. Officers and pilots piloting ships must stay aware of their surroundings when operating many controls.
Aural perception. To be eligible for MMC, sailors must pass a hearing exam.
Manufactured agility. Crew members must have a good balance in confined places and on damp or uneven surfaces.
Technical abilities. The intricate machinery is maintained in operating order by members of the engine department.
Physical potency. On a cargo ship, sailors load and unload cargo. The majority of seafarers must perform some heavy lifting.
Visual aptitude. To be eligible for MMC, sailors must pass an eyesight exam. (Water Transportation Worker)
Employment Opportunity
From 2020 to 2030, the total employment of waterborne workers is expected to expand by 12%, faster than the average for all occupations.
This decade, there will be about 8,400 openings for workers on waterways. It is anticipated that many of these openings would result from the need to replace employees who change careers or leave the workforce (retire, for example).
Workplace
The anticipated rebound from the COVID-19 recession, which started in 2020, is largely responsible for the anticipated job growth in these occupations.
The demand for goods like wheat, iron ore, and gasoline varies, significantly impacting jobs in these sectors.
Waterway workers are in greater demand when the market is doing well; conversely, there is less worker demand when the market is not doing well. Furthermore, fewer aquatic personnel are needed on larger ships that can transport more cargo.
Nevertheless, these jobs will remain necessary as long as federal regulations and subsidies guarantee a fleet of commercial ships flying the American flag. It is believed that having a commercial fleet is essential for national security. (Water Transportation Worker)
Pay
The median annual salary for water transport workers was $62,760 in May 2021. When half of the employees in a given occupation make more money than that amount while the other half make less, it is the median wage. The top 10% earn over $133,620, while the bottom 10% make less than $30,490.
Water transport workers’ median yearly salaries in May 2021 are as follows:
- $82,410 Marine Engineer
- Watercraft captains, mates, and pilots 81,640 Mariners and oilers 46,720 Motorboat operators 38,670
The following are the key industries in which water transport workers are employed, together with their median annual salary as of May 2021:
- Activities to Support Water Transportation 77,680.
- Transportation of water in the deep sea, coastal, and huge lakes 77,220
- Federal Government inland water transportation 75,560 (not including postal service) 52,920 Waterway 43,540, scenic sightseeing transportation
Deep-sea vessel workers may be gone from home for months at a time.
Shorter excursions, often from a few hours to a month, are experienced by workers on supply ships.
Crews on tugs and barges usually depart for two to three weeks as they travel along the coast and Inland Rivers.
Workers in the Great Lakes region typically take longer trips—roughly two months—and are off throughout the winter when the lakes freeze.
Every ship’s crew usually puts in a lot of overtime seven days a week. (Water Transportation Worker)
Jet skiers and ferry workers usually only go out for a few hours, returning home each evening. Numerous seasonal timetables for tourist destinations are served by ferries and Jet Ski providers.
