Joining the Merchant Navy at a mature age

[Louis Henry]

Hello all,

I am writing to you for advice towards training and working as a merchant navy officer (deck and/or engineer), given my age, academic background and experience.

I am a 48 year’s old British citizen holding a Master’s Degree in transport and a Baccalaureate in Sciences (Maths, Physics, English majors).
Over the last 25 years, I have worked in transport operations, in airport management and in teaching. I currently teach transport in Canada.

My passion however has always been the Sea. I have sailed extensively both as crew and skipper. I have owned and renovated a class 3 sailing boat (cross-Channel).

I have come to realize that I still deeply aspired to the life and responsibilities of a deck/engineer officer on board merchant navy ships (navigation, logistics, admin, security and safety, etc.) and that I wished to become a Merchant Navy Officer, even at 48.

I guess it is a late "wake-up" call but I would still like to make it happen. My medical is OK.

What advice can you give me in terms of cadetship, sponsors, schools (I would be ready to cover part or all of my training costs) and Maritime firms that I could contact? Do you think any will be interested in somebody with my profile?

Thank you for your help and sharing your experience

[j.sabourn]

There may be no need to do a cadetship. First you have apparently a certain amount of seatime. Check with your local authority i.e HM Coastguard DTI whatever, you may have sufficient sea time for one of the Class certificates I believe are still in force, these go from 1 to 5. This will enable you to at least apply for a job at sea in some capacity as a watchkeeper. These lower grade certs, such as 4 and 5 should be no trouble to you with your background as indeed they should be no problem to anyone wishing to attain. I sailed with one bloke when I was 3rd. mate and he was a 56 year old 2nd Mate, an ex bosun in the Company, he went up for his masters and I sailed as his second mate and he as first trip master at 62. Age nowadays is immaterial. I have put in one post myself after retiring received a phone call for a job as master on a ship running round the Pacific Islands. When I told the bloke I was 68 and retired, he said so what the bloke you will be relieving is 82. First check your seatime you may get a surprise. Good sailing John S.

[Louis Henry]

Dear Sir,

Thank you for your message and for your encouraging advice. You have had a really interesting career as a Master Mariner!

To be more specific, and I hope my message was not mis-leading, I do not hold currently any certificate of competence as a sailor or yachtsmen. I have achieved Level 3 (3 weeks of sea training on cruise sailing ships, done in France at "Les Glénans" sailing school in Brittany, where I lived for a few years) and sailed purely for leisure on sailing boats (in all conditions and very seriously) of the coast of Brittany. What I meant by Class 3 is in fact "3rd category" sailing boat, equipped to sail 60 miles from a shelter. The skipping I have done, although significant in terms of experience, was only done in the framework of leisure sailing. So I do not think this can give me any professional qualification.

Given this, how should I approach a Maritime Firm for employment/sponsorship? Can I still hope for a cadetship at 48? Should I do the STCW and watch keeping training with a Maritime College before applying to shipping firms? What firms would you advise me to approach? I understand that I am not too old at my age (and have transport/logistics experience) but how would maritime firms view an aspiring officer with my profile?

Best wishes

[j.sabourn]

Apart from advice already giving maybe one of our members who taught at such a nautical establishment as you suggest will advise. However as I suggested for one of the lower class certificates is what these skippers and such on pleasure craft on the rivers and close coastal vessels have to have, whatever seatime and training you may have had may make you eligible for taking the examination for such. They have to at least know the rudiments of the Rule of the Road, which you already will have used in your sailing. A shipowner is really only interested in getting his vessel manned legally. I see no reason if you want to go the long way about it as per book that a shipowner will be worried about your age. 40 years ago he might, but today he knows legally and commercially he cant afford to be. You get that piece of paper and see how quick he may grab you. You will only find out by doing. All the best John S.

[Dmitry Gorbatsevich]

Hello Louis Henry,
I am very much intrigued with your case, mind you advise if you succeed in your aspiration to seamanship please? The point is that I've got this thread from a search machine now, in 5 years after it had been made, and I am 48. And I've got my first COC as OICNW. Another side of the coin is that crew managers are not so optimistic about the employment prospects for the junior officer at the seniority age...