Objective
Harbor work/Barge work
Experience
2007-Present SEACOR MARINE Hauma, LA
Captain/Mate
-Offshore Supply/Anchor Handeling
Jan 2000-Present Oscar Niemeth Towing Oakland, CA
Mate/Captain
-Vessel retofit
-Harbor Tug operations/tanker operations
-Barge operations/heavy lift/project cargo
April 2007-July 2007 Island Tug & Barge Seattle, WA
Mate towing
-Tug and barge work
-Work boats
May 2006—April 2006 Tide Water Marine Malongo, Angola
Master
-175 foot crew/supply boat
-Operations in close proximity to oil rigs off shore
June 26th -Sept. 27th 2005 Oil Spill Clean Up Dutch Harbor, AK
Mate on three vessels involved in the oil clean up, less then 200 ton
-Vessel demolition/vessel construction/welding
-Towing & Salvage, utility, and fishing vessels
-Oil spill operations, wreck removal, vessel opts. In Bering
Sea/North Pacific
July-Oct. 2004 S.S. Ocean Phoenix Seattle, WA
A.B. Unlimited
-Demanding watch standing environment
-Fish processing operations Bering sea, Gulf of Alaska/North Pacific
April 2001-Present Foss Maritime Richmond, CA
Deck Hand
-Tractor tug opts.
-Tanker berthing opts.
1998-2001 Westar Marine Services S.F. CA
Deck Hand/Engineer
-Barge operations/towing/marine construction/dredging
-Demanding work environment
Education
Certification
Masters License 1600 ton Masters, towing, Oceans
Skils
boat operations
I started California Maritime Academy at 19, directly out of Triple Junction High School. I had a unique background; we traveled a lot as a child, and working in a profession where I could travel appealed to me. Additionally I had only applies to two schools, and the other one was a Junior College, of the too Cal Maritime Academy seemed like a much better choice. I had done some commercial fishing and had worked hard my entire life.
I attended CMA for two years, from 1997-1999 and then took a year off. While at school I joined the MMP Inland Water Ways Union and started working for Westar Marine out of San Francisco. They are a work boat/tug and barge company that deals mostly in marine construction. Their feet also has a lube oil barge, a molasses barge, and a few other flat barges. As for boats they have a range, from the crew boat/launch, at the time they had four, two at 70’ with twin mains, of about 1500 hp, and two at 50’ with about 1200 hp. The also had tugs, about 10 of them, most under 4000 hp, many made from old landing craft and converted at their dock to be push boat/utility boats. I was a deck hand for them and most tug work on the smaller boats consisted of me and a captain moving barges/derricks around the vast bay area water ways. Most of the barges where under 300’, I also worked as a launch deck hand. They also picked up ship work and occasionally did tanker/oil barge escort work. Westar’s main objective other then being profitable was to be in business long enough and have enough of an industry foot print to obtain most if not all of the Bay Areas bridge infrastructure retrofit work. They outbid the competition in 2000 some time, and the last time I worked for them was in 2001.
I was never hired full time at Westar, this is not unusual for this area, or the MMP casual list, most work is call out, with a minimum of four hours per call regardless of time worked. At that time I was already working for about four different companies in the SF Bay Area, all MMP, and had just joined the IBU as well as the SUP union, so that I could pay my bills.
In 1999 I took time off from CMA and went to Alaska to fish for the summer. I worked on the F/V Moon Dance for four months, fishing for salmon in Kodiak AK. I then returned in the fall to work in the SF Bay Area.
In 2001 I was working for Westar (tug boats), Oscar Neimeth (tug boats), Foss (tug boats/buckers fleet), Bay & Delta (tug boats), Blue & Gold Fleet (ferries), Red & White Fleet (bay cruises), and briefly for Brusco (tug boats). Then I went back to school at CMA to complete my education and obtain my 3rd Unlimited even though I had submitted and was approved to sit for my 100 ton masters. At Foss I worked with the bunkering fleet as a deck hand, the barges where about 200’ footers, we had a tanker man so I never really loaded the barges, and I have no idea on capacity. I continued to work as much as possible while at school.
I graduated in 2003 with a BS in Marine Transportation; I how ever did not pass my 3rd mates test. I went to work as an AB for the Ocean Phenix a 700’ fish processor, decided to try deep sea unlimited since I was going to get a 3rd mates unlimited. After four months I got off the Ocean Phenix and decided that I liked tug boat work better then deep sea unlimited. I then took a few months off and then regrouped and enrolled in Crawford Nautical to get prepped for my 3rd mates license. I got my 3rds in 2004.
I was working in the SF Bay Area again as a casual deck hand/mate. I went to Alaska again to work for Magone Marine on their salvage boat on an oil spill as a mate. We moved barges, and did salvage towing and did maritime demolition on grounded ships. I worked for five months, and obtained my mate of towing I then returned to casual union work in the bay area. At that time I was propositioned to work for Tide Water as a master of a Crew Boat in Angola Africa. I worked as master in Angola for about 11 months, I was less then impressed with safety in Africa. I returned to work as mate and captain at Oscar Neimeth. Oscar Neimeth has the American Eagle a 4000 hp and the Silver Eagle a 4000 hp tug that was recently be converted to a aft driven tractor, I helped with the conversion. The tug I have been master on is a 2500 hp boat called the Sea Eagle. Unfortunately they soon ran out of casual work for me, and being 3rd captain in the company, because of seasonal fluctuations in shipping they ran out of work for the Sea Eagle, and for me. At Oscar Neimeth I did ship assist and barge escort work, as a mate I moved mud scows, I participated in the entire process including maneuvering and flopping, talking in and landing barges the average size of the scows where about 250’. I also worked with Western Towboat in a limited capacity when they have extra work in the summer when it gets very busy on the west coast. I also worked for a short time as a mate at Island Tug & Barge in Seattle; there I mostly worked moving gravel scows around the Puget sound.
I sat for my 1600 ton master with the sea time I had acquired and passed the test winter of 2007.
I started working for SEACOR Marine and they sent me overseas at first as a master of a Crew Boat in Brazil, and then moved me back to the Gulf of Mexico when the other captain returned. Unfortunately my license and my schooling indicates I should be on larger vessels and quite frankly a 90’ foot boat is as big as I want to maneuver, or a tug with a barge in front of it. I am on a 200’ plus foot anchor handling boat, it’s a ship really, and I’m really not enjoying anchor handling operations, although the pay is good.