Do we have to take training course for Merchant Marine if we were prior military? and how is the job different from the navy?
Generally speaking you have to have enough sea time to qualify you for any position that you are testing for. I had 8+ years at sea, but the USCG only counts 40% of your time, I still had enough to qualify for AB Unlimited. That being said, you are not going to pass that exam without a good working knowledge, and the only place to get that is in 1st or 2nd Div in the Navy or Coast Guard. n If you wanted to go as an engineer then you’d need experience in the engine room.
There has not been a merchant marine in the US since after WW2. If you want a job on a merchant ship, and there are not that many of them that are US flagged these days then you’d need to get a Z-Card from the USCG and join the NMU to see what ships are open.
To join MSC as Boats said, you still need the Z-Card. But you can get a job as an unliscensed member, either a steward or wiper or ordinary seaman that works in the deck dept