Tugboat and pushboat jobs are attractive for the same reason that
other inland and coastal marine jobs are, such as ferries and water
taxis. The wages can be attractive…but unlike other seagoing jobs,
the work might not require being away from home for months on
end. Prospects for tugboat employment will depend on your Coast
Guard license, whether you hold endorsements for towing, coastal
or other endorsements, your familiarity with specific bodies of water
if you’re applying for a captain or mate position, your familiarity with
a particular plant (CAT, EMD, GM) if you’re an engineer, your level of
experience, your geographic location or willingness to relocate.
Tugboat companies regularly look for captains, mates, able
seamen, deckhands, chief engineers, designated duty engineers,
assistant engineers, marine engineers, and QMED (qualified
members of the engine department). Keep in mind some of these
titles can describe the same position, depending on the company.
Tugboat and towing companies also search for shoreside
positions such as dispatchers, port engineers, maintenance
personnel, human resources staff, purchasing staff, accountants,
bookkeepers, and administrative staff. The inventory of shoreside
positions can vary with the tugboat company. A small company in
upstate New York with two tugs might not post a “help-wanted” ad
for ten years. On the other hand, a large company that operates a
fleet of twenty tugs and runs its own shipyard could regularly seek
qualified personnel to work as port engineers, dispatchers,
welders, AutoCAD operators, electricians, propeller technicians,
designers, marine mechanics, pipefitters, sheetmetal workers,
carpenters and painters in addition to the seagoing positions for
captains, mates, chief engineers, assistant engineers, DDE’s,
QMED’s, able bodied seamen (or able seamen, depending on what
the company calls the position), deckhands, tankermen, cooks and
stewards.
Salaries and wages will vary with vessel size, the size of the
company, hours per week of work, and regularity of work. Payscales
will also depend on the grade of Coast Guard license, limits of
tonnage, limits of horsepower, towing and other endorsements.
Salary and wage information for different geographic areas can be
obtained from the regional offices of state departments of labor,
listed below. Aside from salary and wage information, these offices
may be able to provide other valuable job information and
employment resources.
Good luck and smooth sailing!
Copyright 2006 - Copyright Warning - Rights reserved
Tugboatjobs.net is not affiliated with any tugboat, towboat,
pushboat, or other marine transportation company. Tugboatjobs.net
is not an employment agency. Tugboatjobs.net was created with the
intention of providing links, resources and helpful information to
commercial mariners and job seekers. Information on this website,
whether it is information about job practices, resume writing,
applicable laws in the maritime industry, recommendations for
cover letters, etc. is not provided as professional counseling. The
information on this website is general information and is not offered
as employment counseling advice or services, legal counseling,
legal advice, official legal information, job coaching or any
interpretation other than being general information, about which no
representations are made as to accuracy, timeliness and
completeness. If job candidates seek professional employment
counseling, legal advice and counseling, resume writing
consultancy or other professional assistance, they should seek the
services of a professional in that area.
U.S. Department of Labor - These are contact numbers for Dept of Labor Offices that maintain regional employment, unemployment, wage information
ALABAMA - Montgomery, AL - (334) 242-8859 ALASKA - Juneau, AK - (907) 465-4518 ARIZONA - Phoenix, AZ - (602) 542-3871 ARKANSAS - Little Rock, AR - (501) 682-4500 CALIFORNIA - Sacramento, CA - (916) 262-2160 COLORADO - Denver, CO - (303) 318-8898 CONNECTICUT, Wethersfield,CT, (860) 263-6255 DELAWARE - Wilmington, DE - (302) 761-8052 DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA - (202) 671-1633 FLORIDA - Tallahassee, FL - (850) 488-1048 GEORGIA - Atlanta, GA - (404) 232-3875 GUAM - Tamuning, GU - (671) 475-7062 HAWAII - Honolulu, HI - (808) 586-8996 IDAHO - Boise, ID - (800) 772-2553 ILLINOIS - Chicago, IL - (312) INDIANA - Indianapolis, IN - (317) 232-7460 IOWA - Des Moines, IA - (515) 281-0255 KANSAS - Topeka, KS - (785) 296-5058 LOUISIANA - Baton Rouge, LA - (225) 342-3141 MAINE - Augusta, ME - (207) 287-2271 MARYLAND - Baltimore, MD - (410) 767-2250 MASSACHUSETTS - Boston, MA - (617) 626-6556 MICHIGAN - Detroit, MI - (313) 456-3090 MINNESOTA - St. Paul, MN - (651) 282-2714 MISSISSIPPI - Jackson, MS - (601) MISSOURI - Jefferson City, MO - (573)
|
U.S. Department of Labor - These are contact numbers for Dept of Labor Offices that maintain regional employment, unemployment, wage information (cont'd)
MONTANA - Helena, MT - (406) 444-2430 NEBRASKA - Lincoln, NE - (402) 471-9964NEVADA - Carson City, NV - (775) 684-0387 NEW HAMPSHIRE - Concord, NH - (603) 228-4123 NEW JERSEY - Trenton, NJ 08625 - (609) 292-0099 NEW MEXICO - Albuquerque, NM - (505) 222-4683 NEW YORK - Albany, NY - (518) 457-6369 NORTH CAROLINA - Raleigh, NC - (919) 733-2936 NORTH DAKOTA - Bismarck, ND - (701) 328-2868 OHIO - Columbus, OH - (614) 752-9494 OKLAHOMA - Oklahoma City, OK - (405) 557-7265 OREGON - Salem, OR - (503) 947-1212 PENNSYLVANIA - Harrisburg, PA - (717) 787-3266 PUERTO RICO Hato Rey, PR - (787) 754-5340 RHODE ISLAND - Cranston, RI - (401) 462-8767 SOUTH CAROLINA - Columbia, SC - (803) 737-2660 SOUTH DAKOTA - Aberdeen, SD - (605) 626-2314 TENNESSEE - Nashville, TN - (615) 741-2284 TEXAS, Austin, TX UTAH - Salt Lake City, UT - (801) 526-9401 VERMONT - Montpelier, VT - (802) 828-4153 VIRGIN ISLANDS, Charlotte Amalie, VI 340 776-3700 VIRGINIA - Richmond, VA - (804) 786-7496 WASHINGTON - Lacey, WA - (360) 438-4804 WEST VIRGINIA - Charleston, WV - (304) 558-2660 WISCONSIN - Madison, WI - (608) 267-2393 WYOMING - Casper, WY - (307) 473-3807
|
Bouchard Transportation 58 South Service Rd Melville, New York, 11747
Brusco Tug & Barge Columbia River Longview, WA
Crowley Maritime 155 Grand Avenue Oakland, CA 94612 510 251 7500
Donjon Marine 1250 Liberty Avenue, Hillside, New Jersey 07205
Foss Maritime Company 660 W. Ewing Street Seattle, WA 98119
Great Lakes Group 4500 Division Avenue Cleveland, Ohio 44102-2228
K-Sea Transportation 3245 Richmond Terrace Staten Island, NY 10303
McAllister Towing 17 Battery Pl - Suite 1200 New York, New York 10004
Moran Towing Corporate Office 50 Locust Avenue New Canaan, CT 06840
Reinauer Transportation 1983 Richmond Terrace Staten Island, NY 10302
Roehrig Maritime L.L.C. One School Street Glen Cove, New York 11542
Stevens Towing Company 4170 Highway 165 Yonges Island, SC 29449
Vane Brothers Company 2100 Frankfurst Avenue Baltimore, Maryland 21226
Although we didn't notice employment pages at the time we visited, these are other companies that operate tugs in the United States:
Island Tug and Barge Campbell Maritime Dana Tugs Fremont Tugboat Company Gaelic Towing
|
When you visit the tug and towing company links, job postings include:
Captain or "Master”, under these US Coast Guard license qualifications: ▪ 100 Ton Master ▪ 200 Ton Master ▪ 500 Ton Master ▪ 1600 Ton Master and sometimes seeking other qualifications such as towing endorsements, coastal, ocean endorsements, GMDSS or STCW 95.
Mate , under this United States Coast Guard license: ▪ 100 Ton Mate ▪ 200 Ton Mate ▪ 500 Ton Mate ▪ 1600 Ton Mate and sometimes seeking towing endorsements, coastal, ocean endorsements, GMDSS and STCW 95.
Barge Captain
Able Bodied Seaman, or Able Seaman or AB
Deckhand May require STCW 95.
Chief Engineer , need to hold this Coast Guard license: ▪ Chief Engineer Limited ▪ Chief Engineer Unlimited
Designated Duty Engineer under USCG license: ▪ Designated Duty Engineer Some companies call their position Marine Engineer
QMED Tankerman Utility Worker Electrician Marine Mechanic Cook Steward Green Trainee or Trainee
Companies may require STCW, MMD (merchant marine document, or Z Card) Where a larger company operates its own shipyard or maintenance facility, they may seek the following:
Welder, Marine Electrician, Pipe Fitter, Carpenter, Electronics Technician, Painter, Administrative, Accounting, Personnel, Laborer and more.
Work on tugboats can take one around the entire United States. We are trying hard to make sure this site helps people looking to work on boats in the Northeast, New England, Long Island, Jersey Shore, Chesapeake Area, Mid-Atlantic, Southeast, Gulf of Mexico, West Coast, and Pacific Northwest.
|
Welcome to tugboatjobs.net.
This website was made to help
people find work in the
maritime industry aboard
tugboats, towboats, pushboats
and other workboats engaged
in towing, transportation,
salvage and environmental
work. This website is free. You
don’t have to buy anything from
us. We'd like to think of it as a
"bailout" for the working person
who hasn't been getting any
bailouts these days.
It's Your Move...
ferries fast ferries water taxis commuters shuttles
|
Interviewing - Mates - Chief Engineers - Designated Duty Engineers - Deckhands - Able Bodied Seamen - Tankermen - Dispatchers - QMED
|
findmaritimejobs.com is worth
checking out. It has tons of
information, links to almost every
corner of the maritime industry
where you can find a maritime job,
including ocean carriers, cruise
ships, fishing industry, shipyards,
yachts, megayachts, and more.
Do you have what it takes to
teach? Are you confident enough
about your skills that you could
pass them along
in a school setting?
If your answer is
"yes", look into
academic positions
at L.E. Fletcher
Community College
in Houma, Louisiana.
They are seeking
Marine Operations
Adjunct Instructors.
Go to the Grab Bag section on the
menu bar at left to learn more.
We support our friends who are struggling to find work out there. Don't despair... this economy is an
equal opportunity abuser, punishing those of all ages, levels of education, and skills... hang in there.
See developments with Marquette Transportation and Weeks Marine, at East Coast Employers .

Today's tugboat officer is a unique
professional. He or she is warehouse
of knowledge about navigation,
meteorology, engineering,
seamanship, and practical law. For
the uninitiated, it's difficult to explain
what life on a tugboat is like, but
Working Aboard the New Jersey
Sun, does it well. It's on our Life at
Sea page, which also features a
tugboat accident with a bridge
(footage of another tugboat
accident... being capsized while still
in ship assist mode). For those guys
and girls who want to step back from
the helm or throttle and share their
knowledge, there is the New York
Harbor School, a special school for
giving kids an introduction to working
on the water. Some of the positions
require teaching certifications. There
is also L.E. Fletcher Community
College, featured in our grab bag (see
the text below, underneath the deck
license question, with the woman
pulling down the rolling screen).

The tug and salvage industry is a close cousin of the
environmental remediation industry. That became
clear from the oil spill clean-up in the Gulf. Above is a
NOAA animation used to speculate oil spill migration
as a result of winds and currents. Clean-up costs
will be astronomical. See environmental related
opportunities .
Image Usage Notice If we have mistakenly displayed an image in
violation of your copyrights, please notify us.
Turbocharger vs.
Supercharger. Is
there a difference?
Find out at Diesel
Engine Jobs.
Do you need hearing
protection aboard
tugboats? Go to Is
This Job Right For
You? Take the 30
second engine room
tour and then tell us!
Deck Question
The distance a
vessel travels from
the time that the order to
put engines full astern
until the vessel is dead
in the water is known
as _________.
a. advance
b. surge
c. head reach
d. transfer
The NTSB is currently
investigating the tragic accident
between a barge and tour boat
in Phiadelphia. The 5th
Amendment has been invoked
and questions are arising about
many legal issues. Read more
at Important Laws .
A New Book about
working in the industry.
It covers how to put
together a winning
resume and how to get
hired in this competitive
job market. The book is
called So You Want to
Work on a Boat . New
on Amazon Books
What vessel is this? Its the Grand Tower, operated by the Army
Corps of Engineers. They're looking for Deckhands. NOAA is
seeking Able Seamen & Oilers.