Military Sealift Command (MSC) met with the public during a job fair in the Top o’ the Mar reception center at the Nimitz Hill Annex, in Asan, Guam, Dec. 10-11.
The job fair was facilitated by MSC Ship Support Unit Guam, while an MSC recruiter travelled from Norfolk, Va., to meet with prospective applicants.
“My job is to canvass the local area and try and find qualified individuals that would be interested in getting hired on by MSC,” said Michael Mack, one of five field recruiters for MSC. “There’s not a lot of [MSC] presence sometimes in certain areas, and not a lot of people know about MSC being an option for employment. So, my job is to go out and provide awareness. These job fairs allow folks to learn what we have to offer and allow people to learn about a new option in their lives to get employed.”
About 300 interested people attended the two-day event and were informed about the many benefits of becoming a civilian mariner (CIVMAR) for MSC.
According to Mack, no experience is required for MSC entry-level jobs, and each applicant is different so they may require a different screening process; however, there are minimum requirements each applicant must meet: at least 18 years old, a U.S. citizen, and able to pass a security clearance background check.
Once all requirements are met, the applicant must be able to provide three credentials: a U.S. passport book, a Transportation Worker Identification Credential (TWIC), and a Merchant Mariners Credential (MMC).
“They don’t need experience, but we always screen them to see if they have any commercial experience, or experience in life can help qualify them for a higher critical position,” said Mack. “They don’t need military experience, but any could also help them obtain a higher critical position.”
As with many jobs affiliated with the U.S. Armed Services, many attendees had a lot of misconceptions about what it’s like living on a ship, or life as a CIVMAR.
The biggest misconception was the assumption that a CIVMAR is on the ship all the time.
“Our minimum is four months at a time; four months on and two months off,” said Mack. “But when you’re on a ship, that ship could be in port, or pulling in and out of ports all the time. So, you’re not always sailing a straight four months.”
According to Mack, during the two-months off, CIVMARs still collect a base salary.
To help serve as a proof source, CIVMARs with dry cargo and ammunition ship USNS Matthew Perry (T-AKE 9) and submarine tender USS Frank Cable (AS 40), stood by and spoke to attendees to answer any questions about life as an MSC CIVMAR.
“Our chief mate asked if I wanted to speak at a job fair,” said Devin Dydasco, deck engineer machinist, Matthew Perry. “Being a local from Guam, I said absolutely, I would love to help future mariners come aboard.”
Dydasco’s journey to becoming a CIVMAR also started at a job fair in Guam, so he was aware of the value he could provide as a proof source.
“I had everything at the time, a passport, TWIC card and MMC, but I didn’t know how to apply or what to expect,” said Dydasco. “I came to the job fair, and all my questions were answered. It was very understandable. After the job fair, I knew where to apply, and what to expect.”
Dydasco spoke to the group and answered many of the questions from the attendees. Most questions surrounded pay and advancement opportunities. Dydasco was able to speak from his experience applying for the job in Guam, hiring on as entry level, and advancing to a deck engineer machinist in just a few years.
“These CIVMARs serve as good proof source,” said Mack. “We can’t always have them here because some of the job fairs are in locations that don’t have our ships nearby. But CIVMARs can give real time experiences on what it’s like to live aboard a ship: mess decks, berthing, typical workdays, and others.”
Although, there’s a general shortage of merchant marines across the shipping industry, and all are competing for the same pool of qualified applicants, MSC offers a distinct advantage over most commercial companies, according to Mack.
“A lot of these commercial shipping companies don’t have a lot of ships,” said Mack. “We have over 140, where some of the other companies may have 15 or 20 ships. So, if they don’t have the availability for folks to sail, they’re not making money, because they don’t get paid if they don’t sail.”
MSC directs and supports operations for approximately 140 civilian-crewed ships that replenish U.S. Navy ships at sea, conduct specialized missions, preposition combat cargo at sea around the world, perform a variety of support services, and move military equipment and supplies to deployed U.S. forces.
Celebrating its 75th anniversary in 2024, MSC exists to support the joint warfighter across the full spectrum of military operations, with a workforce that includes approximately 6,000 CIVMARs and 1,100 contract mariners, supported by 1,500 shore staff and 1,400 active duty and reserve military personnel.
Visit https://sealiftcommand.com for more information on how to become a CIVMAR.