A sea contract has an end date, and in July 2020 most of Maersk’s seafarers were past theirs. CEO Soren Skou gave the figure on the second-quarter earnings call: the company has 6,500 people aboard at any given time, and two-thirds of them had been out longer than their contracts allowed. Anyone weighing shipping industry jobs at sea can learn from how that happened. In 2020 contracts were extended by several months because COVID-19 restrictions on travel and transit stopped relief crews reaching ships.
In 2020, crews stayed aboard past their contracts
Seatrade Maritime reported Skou’s remarks in August 2020, when one-third of seafarers were still onboard longer than their contracts allowed. To get relief crews out, Maersk had rented hotel rooms in Mumbai and Manila, where crew signing on quarantined and were tested before flying to Denmark and on to their ships.
The IMO press briefing of 25 September 2020 counted some 400,000 seafarers who could not be relieved and another 400,000 who could not join a ship, and named COVID-19 restrictions on travel and transit as the cause. Some seafarers had been at sea 17 months without a break. The Maritime Labour Convention sets the limit at 11 months. Secretary-General Kitack Lim said overly fatigued and mentally exhausted seafarers were being asked to keep operating ships.
Ask the employer how relief is arranged and in which ports crews change.
A carrier named in a job posting can be looked up in Navo24’s carrier directory, which has one page for every ocean carrier it tracks, with their codes and fleet.
Entry-level shipping industry jobs at sea need no professional exam
Under the US Coast Guard rule on entry-level ratings, endorsements for Ordinary Seafarer, Wiper and Steward’s Department are issued without a professional examination. An Ordinary Seafarer may serve in any unqualified rating in the deck or steward’s department, except food handler, and a Wiper in the engine or steward’s department.
The US application is form CG-719B. MARAD’s workforce page lists the SIU Paul Hall Center Apprentice Program, tuition-free with room, board and a union job included, and Military Sealift Command, which hires entry-level civilians as Ordinary Seaman, Wiper and Steward.
Two licensed shore roles: customs broker and freight intermediary
A customs broker has to pass an exam, and the customs broker licensing rule asks an individual to be a US citizen, at least 21 and of good moral character. The passing grade is 75 percent or higher, within the 3 years before applying. A corporation needs at least one officer who is a licensed broker.
Forwarders and NVOCCs answer to the Federal Maritime Commission. Its licensing rule requires the applicant’s qualifying individual to have 3 years of experience in ocean transportation intermediary activities in the United States (for a foreign-based NVOCC, the experience may be acquired in the United States or abroad, for shipments in US oceanborne foreign commerce), and for a corporation that individual is one of its active corporate officers.
Frequently asked questions
Can a 17-year-old apply for a merchant mariner credential?
The form allows it, with parental consent. CG-719B has a section for applicants under 18, who attach a statement of parental or guardian consent following the instructions on the form's first page. Confirm the details for the rating you want with the National Maritime Center before you apply.
Can an expired mariner credential still be renewed?
For a limited time. Under 46 CFR 10.227(b), a credential may be renewed at any time during its validity and for 1 year after expiration. The renewal application needs, among other items, proof of a valid TWIC or an application for one, evidence of having passed a chemical test for dangerous drugs or of qualifying for an exemption, and the fee.
Does holding a mariner credential get you a job?
No. The National Maritime Center's credential FAQ (January 2026) says an MMC is not a guarantee of finding work. It is a certification that allows you to work in the shipboard merchant marine industry.