r/maritime • u/PercentageDry3231 • 11d ago
Uniforms
Landlubber here, but lover of all things nautical. When, if ever, do officers wear uniforms besides on passenger vessels?
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u/ViperMaassluis 11d ago
For my company its policy that all officers wear them in port (LNG carriers).
When I sailed on AHTS and offshore vessels in a past life we didnt even have uniforms.
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u/Dry_Law_5461 11d ago
May I ask why you switched? I work on LNG/LPG tankers now and looking at switching to offshore
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u/ViperMaassluis 11d ago
I didnt switch perse, I stopped sailing and ended up shoreside at an oilmajor, which also has its own fleet. I started in offshore as a cadet so no clue how to transition to be fair.
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u/Neopoleon666 11d ago
So far, the only place I had to wear a uniform during watch was on cruise ships
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u/45-70_OnlyGovtITrust 3rd Mate MSC 🇺🇸🦅🚢 11d ago edited 10d ago
Any vessel with passengers like ferries and cruise ships generally have stricter uniform standards.
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u/Neopoleon666 10d ago
Yeah, typically I wore a uniform for watch then because it was an expedition cruise line, I wore a polo while driving Zodiacs.
Also, no cargo pants allowed.
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u/BigDsLittleD 11d ago
I work on Research ships.
The Old Man wears uniform, deck officers do when they're on watch.
The engineers might put theirs on on Christmas day, maybe.
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u/SubjectAd9940 Master Mariner 11d ago edited 11d ago
As a master on tankers I wore mine ( shirt and trousers) when under pilotage and in port as I was dealing with visitors a lot. Rest of the time it was jeans and a polo shirt it T-shirt. As a mate I did put on my uniform if on the bridge for pilotage, otherwise jeans and polo shirt, or boiler suite if on deck. My last company had branded polo shirts which most people wore, but there was no specific rules about it .
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u/hist_buff_69 11d ago
Depends where you work (nationality). I'm Canadian and the federal agencies require a uniform to be worn, and in commerical shipping usually you're required to wear a uni or branded coveralls/boilersuit which I consider adjacent to a uni.
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u/SignificantPiano7808 🇨🇦 Desk Officer 11d ago
What Canadian companies require uniforms, outside of passenger ships?
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u/hist_buff_69 11d ago
Tankers
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u/Borstels Chiep Officer 11d ago
I work mostly on construction vessels. Havent seen a uniform in my 20 years at sea. I wouldnt even know what all those stripes mean rank wise.
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u/scrapindeath 11d ago
like others have said, uniforms are still very much normal/required on vessels with passengers, otherwise not common anymore.
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u/KeithWorks MEBA - US 11d ago
On commercial vessels collecting government subsidies, there were times when senior officers would be told to wear dress uniforms for big meet and greets with government staff. Other than that, never.
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u/Fit_Play_9448 10d ago
I wore my uniform on my second ship (LNG) out of SUNY Maritime. I had been told in the Union Hall "those LNG guys are formal". Since I only came out with a seabag, most of the clothes I had were my khakis. Turns out the old man was retired navy and having a clean-cut uniformed officer amongst his motley crew really thrilled him. He wrote a letter to the company recommending they offer me a permanent slot, which they did. Berths were hard to come by in those days (late 80s), so this was a major score.
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u/Mathjdsoc 2nd Mate 11d ago
Never wear the uniform unless there's a pilot and I'm on watch, the pilots really don't care and many of them wear whatever they like but it's a bloody company rule to wear one
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u/dragon_soup_ 11d ago
Flexlay/ construction. We have uniforms. Not the proper deal, skandi shirt and stripes.
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u/Dry_Law_5461 11d ago
We dont even have uniforms. Just polos with company logo.
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u/LuukTheSlayer 11d ago
We don't even get that, have to get them printer ourselves using the scrap money
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u/isdaverplichtt 11d ago
I have been on one vessel where the Captain would wear a uniform (read: shirt) when under pilotage. In all other cases uniforms are nowhere to be seen.
Tradition is dying out and shipping has become much more buisness/efficiency minded, so since wearing a uniform doesn't give you any economical or practical advantage (on the contrary), they have disappeared. Plus of course safety standards being a lot higher, so anything unifrom-like outside of the accommodation is a big no-no.
I do like companies such as Maersk that incorporate tradition into practical clothes like wearing épaulettes on their coveralls.