How do Mariners get out to their Ships?

Getting to the Ship's Location

If you’re reading this, you may be a fresh new 3 Assistant Engineer or 3rd Mate looking for some guidance on how to get out to your first ship. Whether you are in this category, or are someone who is curious about life at sea, you may find this article informative if you are curious about how mariners go about getting out to ships, no matter where they are at on the globe.

First Steps First

Depending on who you work for, you will most likely start your journey to meet your ship from where you will be located on the day you leave for your hitch. Companies coordinate with mariners to schedule flights and ensure that they fly you to the destination where the ship will be located on a specific date and time (aka ‘meeting the ship’).

You pack up your stuff and be sure to bring whatever paperwork you will need to sign on to the ship, as well as any tools or wrenches you want to bring. Most of the time, it is a good idea to bring a flashlight (most important), multi-tool and an adjustable wrench (for engineers at least) with you because you typically will ALWAYS carry these items with you when working, and they may or may not be provided to you by your company, depending on how stingy your company is.

It is also good practice to wear a set of work clothes while traveling, including your steel-toed boots. You might ask, “Why is that?”. Let’s face it, luggage gets lost, especially in remote, under-developed locations, it is not unheard of for luggage to just ‘go missing’ or ‘walk-away’ during your travels, never to be seen again. Therefore, it is important to carry any critical paperwork or clothing in a carry-on bag or backpack to keep with you on your person the whole time. I mentioned that a set of work clothes should be worn, especially your boots, because ships may not provide that gear for you and may turn you away if you do not have proper safety gear.

Upon arrival in your destination, it’s time to go meet the ship. You take a taxi, rental car, a ship’s agent (a local representative who is hired to work with the ship when it is in a foreign location), or even a helicopter (for those people who work on oil rigs), who then will take you to the vessel. You grab your stuff, walk up the gangway (the stairs that provide a bridge from the pier onto the ship), and stop at what is called the quarterdeck. The quarterdeck is the general name for wherever people enter the ship from the gangway (or ship’s brow) and serves both to screen and keep track of people who go on and off the ship, and as security if an unauthorized person should attempt to get onto the ship from the gangway.

What if the ship is not at the pier? There are many reasons a ship may not be at the pier. If you’re trying to get on, it is most likely sitting at anchor somewhere close by. In that case, you would take what is called a launch boat, which would take you to the ship. The ship then typically picks your bags up with an onboard crane and would drop a ladder down for you to walk up and get onboard. As mentioned before, if your vessel is too far offshore, such as an oil rig, a helicopter would transport you out to your oil rig or vessel.

What could go wrong?

You may be asking, this process seems easy enough, what could go wrong? Well, there are many things that could go wrong when simply trying to GET to the ship before you even start working. Below are some examples of things that go wrong when a mariner is trying to get to a ship:

Flights get Cancelled/Delayed: The air travel system is good but, often, flights get delayed or cancelled for whatever reason. This fact, combined with the fact that ships are always on the move and, for the most part, are not in-port for long, causes mariners to arrive at their destination only to find out that the ship is no longer there. Should this be the case, the mariner must work with the company to arrange travel to the new destination. There are many locations in the world where there is only a limited number of flights as well which often causes issues should a connecting flight not be on schedule.
Passport/Paperwork issues: It is not uncommon for foreigners to be held at various airports and have their gear inspected or be questioned by local authorities. Yes, this is a pain in the ass, but it is not uncommon. This can cause enough of a delay that mariners then miss their window to board a vessel.
Work Clothing – As mentioned before, if you do not have proper attire, the Captain or Chief Engineer have the authority to turn you around and kick you right off the ship before you even start working! This happens, albeit not very often because people tend to learn their lessons.
Physical Boarding Issues - Choppy or heavy seas can be extremely dangerous for personnel trying to board a vessel, especially when trying to board via a Pilot Boat (boat who brings the 'Pilot' on board when the vessel is maneuvering into or out of a specific area, more details will be provided on this in a further article) or a lowered gangway. To do this, the person embarking or disembarking the ship must often time their entry to or exit from the ship's gangway or ladder due to the rocking of both the ship and the launch/pilot boat. There are instances every once in a while where people get crushed or fall into the water during this process.

Checking In

Once you’re at the gangway, they will usually notify the Mate on Watch (the 3rd Mate that is currently on watch) who will usually send someone to come get you and take you to your living quarters. Once you drop your stuff off in your room, you typically then get your Billet Number, go check in with the Chief Mate, Captain, and Chief Engineer, or any combination of those three, depending on what time it is and what’s going on currently on the ship.

From there, you’ll want to check the Station Bill, which is a big chart that is posted at various, well-trafficked places on the ship that lists where each Billet is to go and what their tasks are during the various emergency situations that are listed. These situations include Fire, Abandon Ship, Man Overboard…etc. Your position on board usually determines your Billet Number and your duties during all those emergencies listed on the Station Bill.

As soon as possible, usually over the first few days, you will be taken through various shipboard-familiarization procedures to make sure you know where all the safety gear is, as well as where you are to report to during an emergency. From there, it is your job to know your duties and work with the other members of your department and the rest of the ship’s crew to ensure that both you and your coworkers are proficient in all tasks related to safety and shipboard familiarization. There is a lot of this details to the process of boarding a ship, but hopefully, after this quick and dirty rundown, the process of arriving for your ship and checking in is a bit clearer.