Where are the nautical jobs in the Caribbean?

 

A 'good' boat (and crew) will be able to do different kinds of work. In this blog, we are focused on Caribbean-based boat activities where there will be employment opportunities for Caribbean youth. You will have more employment opportunities if you plan from the start of your career to get experience on different types of boats.

Port Service Boats

Sea ports are very busy places. On the waterfront and in the port, there will be large, international ships arriving and departing, and either loading or unloading cargo.

Transferring port officials 

Just as passengers have to clear immigration and customs to enter a country, in the same way the passengers, crew and the ship itself has to be 'cleared' in and out of a country. Customs and Immigration officials have often go out on launches to clear arriving passengers, crew and ships at the anchoring area. After the ship is cleared, the launches are employed in transferring passengers and crew to and from the shore. 

Parking for big ships

Towing or towage companies provide small, powerful boats call tugboats or tugs. Tugs are used to escort big ships in and out of port and also help the big ships to turn and park. A tug will typically have a captain, an engineer and a deckhand.

Grocery and gas station

Ports are also the place where ships get groceries, fresh drinking water and fuel for the machinery. The groceries are often delivered when the big ship is anchored near the port. Small workboats are used to deliver stores to ships. Fuel and water are often delivered by a barge. Barges are floating storage and don't usually have engines, so they have to be pulled by work boats or tugs.   

Waste disposal 

Ships and boats operate under very strict environmental regulations. Almost no waste is allowed to be disposed of at sea. All of the waste on a boat and ship is recorded when it is put ashore. Garbage and waste oil are sometimes collected by workboats and barges while the big ship is at anchor.

Ship repairs 

The space on the jetty is prioritised for cargo loading and unloading. As a result, many ship repairs are done in the port anchoring area or anchorage. Everyday workboats are taking equipment, spare parts and technicians to and from the ships in the anchorage.

Port maintenance

The port itself also has to be maintained. The jetty has to be inspected periodically above and below the water. The equipment on the jetty will need maintenance routinely. And the navigation channel leading into the port from the sea has to be kept deep enough for the big ships to enter and leave the port.

Passenger Boats 

One of the definitions of a passenger boat is a boat carrying more than 12 passengers. Passengers boats are guided by different regulations to cargo boats because everyone on a cargo boat has had STCW basic safety training and the passengers on a passenger boat have not.

Crew boats

There are crew boats taking platform workers between shore bases and offshore oil and gas platforms daily in the Caribbean. 

Touring boats  

By touring boats we mean the passenger boats that are used for the passengers to party, fish and sight see. The passengers on these boats are relaxing and having a good time but the crew have a lot of responsibility, and should be properly trained.

Offshore Oil and Gas Fields 

Work boats for exploration 

Exploration is a work use when people look for oil and gas in the sea bed. At all stages of exploration, many local workboats are employed to support the operations. Later when the minerals have been located and the drilling rigs have to be towed into position, set up and supported with the assistance of local workboats.

Work boats for production

Production is the process of removing the mineral from the well and transferring it for storage, processing and shipment. Each platform will have around four platform support boats doing jobs like emergency rescue boats and transporting equipment between the platform and the shore base.

Inter Island Cargo Boats 

SSNT does not know much about the cargo boats trading between the Caricom countries. When we find out, we will do a blog and a podcast. There are job opportunities on the cargo boats. In the Caribbean, people are buying and selling different types of boats regularly. These boats have to be transported from sellers to buyers in different countries and delivery crews are employed to get job done.