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Article: On the water: training mates--Part I.(AT A GLANCE)
- Article from:
- Workboat
- Article date:
- January 1, 2007
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2007 Diversified Publications. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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How much time does it actually take to train someone to be a qualified mate on a towing vessel?
I'm referring specifically to someone who possesses the Coast Guard-required documents and license to legally operate a towing vessel in the U.S. It's possibly the most pressing issue of our time as companies scramble to man up their vessels. The personnel crisis grows worse by the month.
It all depends on which license track you take. Using the towing vessel-specific system of apprentice mate/steersman to mate, it can take a motivated seaman as little as three years and four months of total elapsed time while working an equal-time schedule (and only ...