Joining Your First Vessel

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By Captain Mike · 50 years at sea · former MITAGS faculty
Requirements checked against 46 CFR 15.401, 15.1105 and 16.210 · October 2026

The short answer

Bring your Merchant Mariner Credential (MMC) and medical certificate. You must show both to the Master when you're hired or before you sign the Articles of Agreement (the crew agreement). 46 CFR 15.401
Expect a pre-employment drug test unless you qualify for an exception. 46 CFR 16.210
Before you're given shipboard duties, you'll get safety familiarization: alarms, your muster station, escape routes and where your life jacket is. 46 CFR 15.1105
From day one, keep your own record of your sea time. It's the start of every credential you'll earn after this one.

Before you leave home

Call or email the person who hired you and ask these questions. Companies differ, and the answers decide what you pack.

Where and when do I join, and who meets me?
Who books and pays for travel? Do I keep receipts?
How long is the hitch (the time on board), and how do crew changes work?
What gear does the company supply, and what do I bring? (Safety-toe boots, gloves, coveralls, rain gear, hard hat.)
Is there internet or phone coverage on board?
Are there any training certificates or company forms I need to bring?

Documents to carry in your hand luggage

Never put these in checked baggage.

Merchant Mariner Credential (MMC)
Medical certificate
TWIC card, if you have one. You'll usually need it to get through a secure terminal gate without an escort. TWIC & First MMC →
Passport, if the vessel goes foreign
Training certificates, such as STCW Basic Training
Your job offer or joining instructions, with company phone numbers
Prescription medicines in their original labeled containers, with enough for the whole hitch
Copies or photos of all of the above, stored separately

Pack light. Cabins are small and you may carry your bags up a gangway or a ladder. A soft duffel is easier than a hard suitcase.

Getting aboard

At the gate. Terminals are secure areas. Have your TWIC (or escort arrangements) and ID ready, and know the vessel's name.
At the gangway. Tell the watch who you are and that you're joining. You'll be logged aboard.
Report in. You'll usually be taken to the officer on watch or the Master. Hand over your MMC and medical certificate when asked.
Sign on. On many vessels you'll sign the Articles of Agreement, the written crew agreement with the Master. Read what you sign.
Find your cabin and meet your department head: the Bosun or Chief Mate on deck, the First Assistant Engineer in the engine room, or the Chief Steward in the galley.

Your first 24 hours: safety comes first

Before you're assigned shipboard duties, you must receive safety familiarization, unless your STCW training already covers it. In plain terms, someone will show you: 46 CFR 15.1105

What the general alarm, fire alarm and abandon-ship signals sound like
Your muster station and your duty on the muster list (sometimes called the station bill)
Escape routes from your cabin and your workplace
Where your life jacket and immersion suit are
How to raise an alarm and use a fire extinguisher
What to do if someone goes overboard or is hurt
How to work the fire, weathertight and watertight doors

If no one has shown you these things by the end of your first day, ask. That's not a nuisance; it's what a good shipmate does.

Your first trip

Ask questions. Nobody expects a new Ordinary Seafarer, Wiper or galley hand to know the ship. They do expect you to ask before you guess.
Be on time for every watch, meal relief and drill. Watches run around the clock, and someone is waiting to be relieved.
Wear your protective gear every time, even when no one is watching.
Follow the drug and alcohol rules. You're subject to random testing, and many companies run dry ships. Drugs, Alcohol & DUI →
Keep your space clean and respect shared spaces. You live with these people for weeks.
Write down your sea time: vessel, dates, position and route. Start a notebook or a phone note on day one. What Counts as Sea Time? →

Signing off

Get proof of your service before you leave, such as a discharge or a sea-service letter from the company. Sea-Service Letter tool →
Check it: your name, the vessel, dates, your position and the route must be correct.
Keep the original safe and a copy somewhere else.
Update your own sea-time record and compare the two.

Common mistakes

Packing your MMC in checked luggage. If the bag is lost, you can't sign on.
Showing up with expired or missing documents. Check the dates on your MMC, medical certificate and TWIC before you travel.
Running out of prescription medicine partway through the hitch.
Waiting years to collect sea-service letters. Companies change hands and people move on. Get the letter when you sign off.
Treating the first trip as a test of toughness. It's a test of reliability: show up, pay attention, ask, and work safely.

THE CAPTAIN SAYS…

The crew will judge you less on what you know than on whether you're on time, careful and willing to learn. Do those three things on your first trip and the next one gets easier.

Official sources

For information only. Company rules and vessel procedures vary. Follow the instructions of your employer and the vessel's officers, and confirm credential requirements with the National Maritime Center.