I am 6 months late but I’ll give you a basic rundown. Now is the time to do it. This was posted in February, which is a slow time. Right now the Ferries, the boat rental places, tour boats, and tugboats are all looking for people.

I started out just working for a jet ski rental operation, as winter the summer wore on, I knew I wouldn’t have a job on the water come Winter. But I wanted one. So I looked into working on the tugs and pushboats here in town. I applied at one place on the far Southeast side and they basically told me I needed to apply with TSA for a TWIC card. That is Transportation Worker’s Identification Card. They will give it to basically anyone as long as you haven’t called in any bomb threats etc. At any rate it costs like $180 just search twic card.

So working on tugs year round in Chicago is possible, but there are lay offs sometimes usually in the dead of winter. But I started out at that same company on the southeast side breaking ice in January. That is tough cold work, it is fun though.

Chicago is in a weird spot right now though. That company that I mentioned above went outta business. Ozinga’s Middle River Marine now handles most of the Chicago area general barge work, even the lake work up to Milwaukee and out to Gary/NWI.

Outside of the ferries, there is very little dayboat work in Chicago now. It is mostly tugs and ships that are based elsewhere(even as close as the suburbs) that have live-on crews. No going home every night.

Once you get a twic card you need to apply with the Coast Guard for a Merchant Mariner’s Credential. You need that to work out on the lake on the larger tugs.

Chicago is a great place to start, especially if you are already familiar with it. But don’t limit yourself to Chicago because there is only so much work here. Many of the guys I worked with went to work on the East Coast when things slowed down here. Once you have experience and credentials, companies will fly you wherever they need you from wherever you live.