Employers
Water transportation workers hold 83,400 jobs. The majority of merchant marine jobs are at private companies, although some are employed on government-owned ships. Others work on coastal freighters or on tugboats or barges on inland waterways. Jobs are concentrated in coastal areas.
Starting Out
An inexperienced person usually gets a first job at sea by applying at a union hiring hall in a major port. An applicant is given a shipping card on which is stamped the date of registry. In the hiring hall, dispatchers announce job openings as ordered by shipping companies. The best-qualified worker who is longest out of work gets the job. New applicants may have to wait months to get jobs, and may have to keep in daily contact with the employment center. To become a higher-ranking merchant mariner, such as a captain or an officer, it is best to attend one of the maritime academies.
- Ambassadors
- Antiques and Art Dealers
- Automotive Dealership Owners
- Boilermakers and Mechanics
- Buyers
- Commodities Brokers
- Cultural Advisers
- Customs Brokers
- Customs Officials
- Diesel Mechanics
- Economists
- Engineers
- Ethical Sourcing Officer
- Export-Import Specialists
- Federal and State Officials
- Fish and Game Wardens
- Foreign Service Officers
- Grain Merchants
- Industrial Traffic Managers
- Internet Transaction Specialists
- Interpreters
- Logistics Analysts
- Logistics Engineers
- Management Analysts and Consultants
- Marine Engineers
- Marine Services Technicians
- Purchasing Agents
- Retail Business Owners
- Ship's Captains
- Stevedores
- Supply Chain Managers
- Translators
- Transportation Engineers
- Transportation Planners