Some info/advice pls

Hi,

Is it a full STCW 95 Class 3 CoC you have there?

What's your horsepower limit as Chief?

It might be unlimited as Watchkeeper on a Motor Driven ship but won't have much more than 750 kW as Chief if my memory serves me correctly

Neither your NZ Merch Ticket or a Yacht Endorsed one will do you any good in the US on anything not foreign flagged. I am guessing your partner is from the MA area and not that you are just chancing finding a job there.

Although I was born and bred here I am not usually here but I am this time dealing with a bit of business.

Will her transfer give you the right to work in the US?

I do not believe tnhere is any way especially not for the Y3 Ticket, you need to be a US Citizen to hold a US Licence except for a 6 Pak I believe.

There is another YF Member who seems to have encyclopedic knowledge of the ins and outs so I am sure he will have some comment on this matter better informed than mine.

What have you been on so far Deep Sea Fishing or the Inter Islander?

You're probably not going to get a job on your engineers ticket in Boston. The good news is, you won't need a license for most of the boats you'd be working locally, just a Greencard and experience. Your licenses will be a good selling point on interviews and applications though. There aren't any foreign flag large yachts that hang out in Boston. The jobs you'll get are on tour/dinner boats which are typically under 100 ton GRT ( 200 GT, all tonnages I'll list as GRT rather than GT since that's what you'll deal with in the US). US boats don't require a licensed engineer until 500 tons, and until you get into larger oilfield boats in the Gulf of Mexico, most all the work boats will be 499 or under for multiple reasons. There are also tugs working around there that are a good deal. Check around the docks, Boston is pretty much a union town, and I'm not sure which union runs the harbor there. MM&P is pretty much the lamest Maritime union in the states with SIU pretty much the best, at least in my experience. Expect to pay around $2000 union initiation fee.

None without a green card. Certainly none that require a merchant mariner's document because that ain't gonna happen without a green card. Citizenship is required for an engineer officer license and a yacht license has no equivalency in the US license scheme. There are no commercial maritime jobs available to a non-resident alien.

Again, without a green card and at least an MMD and TWIC there is no room in the union inn.

?? That is certainly comparing apples to watermelons ... MMP is a licensed deck officer's union and SIU is an unlicensed union for deck, engine, and steward's department rates. And it is far down the list of "best" unions for unlicensed sailors, it's just the biggest and will let anyone in so they can collect government training subsidies. There is no way to compare them any more than you can compare a nurse's union to the AMA. And without a green card and a MMD even SIU is not an option.

Merchant Mariner's Document; Transport Workers Identification Credential, both issued by Homeland Security,

That is the long and the short of it.

The MMD is your ticket and you MUST be a US citizen. Green card won't do. Not totally sure on the TWIC, but you can pick up that info through a Google search.

Here's a link to the source: http://www.uscg.mil/nmc/ peruse the pages and all will be revealed.

I am curious about the ease with which you believe you can obtain a green card by accompanying your girl friend to the US. Is she coming over as a high ranking diplomat or something?

Based on the information you've provided so far, if you can get a greencard and live in the US, you could sail unlicensed or you can get a yacht job based on your MEC. If you want to spend the time and money applying for an MCA CeC or the Y3 go ahead but you don't really have to since most yacht flag states will simply endorse your NZ MEC for service on the yacht. You need to look at the maritime authority web sites for Caymans and Marshall Islands for specifice information and application requirements.

Good luck and let us know how it goes.

The misinformation above is why you MUST go to the source for which I provided a link. Please be very careful basing your career decisions on things you read here or other similar sites.

The holder of a "green card" may obtain a Merchant Mariner's Document or MMD.

A MMD is not a "ticket" or license. It is simply a mariner's identification and is required for employment on a US flag vessel of more than 100 GRT.

The MMD (MMC these days) may be endorsed for qualified ratings or entry level ratings in the deck, engine, or stewards departments.

Not enough sleep last night. You are, of course, absolutely correct on that. My appologies although I do have some question. Where a license used to be issued that is now contained in the MMC. Would that not in fact make the MMC the "ticket"?

http://www.uscg.mil/nmc/Whats_new_to_NMC/MMC_Release_Mar16_09.pdf

Call it whatever you like. Ticket is the colloquial term for a license. It is also commonly used by unlicensed mariners holding a qualifying rating such as AB, as in "I have an AB ticket" or even "I have a QMED license" when in fact they have an endorsement.

If the mariner does not hold a license or STCW, the MMC is just a replacement for the old card. If he or she does, then those certifications are listed along with the limitations. There is nothing new in MMC, it is just a single document that is now similar to what the rest of the world's maritime authorities have issued for ages.

No sir, your MMD is not your "ticket". Your MMD is your Merchant Mariners Document issued at the USCG-REC, aka your Z-Card. It lists your qualifications on a ship from entry level, OS (ordinary seaman)-Deck, FH (food handler)-Stewards and Wiper-Engineering and goes up to the highest unlicensed ratings for each department. My MMD lists me as AB Unlimited(although I hold a 3000GT Ocean Master "ticket" as well)-FH-Wiper. Citizenship is not required for an MMD, but a Green Card is. If he has documented at least 120 days of seatime on vessels over 100tons he can ask to sit an AB test. Depending on times, tonnages and STCW courses completed, there are various levels of AB he will be issued. OS requires no test, just a current DOT drug screen and I believe $90. Not sure if STCW-95 basic is a prereq now or not, I don't think it is.

TWIC is your Transport Workers Identification Credential which requires a security check done by the TSA (Transport Safety Administration). When you apply they take your biometric data and issue you a chip card with your pic and prints and info that can be scanned to verify your identity. I think they're charging $125 for them now. I slid in under the deadline when they were doing them for free. One benie to having the TWIC is that even when I had a "Secondary Inspection" flag on an airline boarding pass, using the TWIC card as my ID got me through without getting the full exam.

He said he's getting a Green Gard, and I sailed for Crowley on blue water tugs as an officer through SIU, I've been with SIU, IBU, MM&P and Operators 3 all as a licensed deck officer (O-3 also as a crane operator).