What is a merchant marine?

Aboard an merchant marine vessel,how much personal clothing do i need to bring?and what kind of clothing?

• merchant seaman

• Answer:

  Will you wear a uniform when working? If so, will you have time outside working hours to change into your off duty clothing? What I know of sailors, any kind of vessel, is that they work most hours they do not sleep, so they will wear working clothes or uniform most or all of the day. Time ashore is short, to non existent, these days, so no need to bring much for that. So it will depend on whether there will be a washing machine you can use. If so, just a couple of jeans and a hand full of T-shirts and shirts. Maybe one set of 'proper' clothes, for going out in. If you will not wear uniform or work clothes, bring enough for a couple of weeks of the worst weather you can expect. And it is not bad to phone the company and ask how much to bring. It will also depend on the amount of space that you will have and how the others aboard will dress.