Careers in the Merchant Navy

What is Merchant Navy?

Merchant Navy deals with sea transportation, including all the processes for point-to-point transportation of goods and/or people over water. Merchant Navy transports 95% of all goods around the world. Hence it is a very important aspect of commerce.

The various shipping companies around the world can be classified as Cargo carriers (viz., Oil tankers, Gas tankers, Containers (finished, packed products), etc.), Bulk carriers (viz., carriers of machinery, vehicles, ore, grain, chemicals and passengers), Cruise liners, Livestock and Timber Carriers.

Some well-known shipping companies include:

• Foreign Companies like Maersk, MSC, Seaspan, Dyna Gas, Dyna Com, TK Tankers, Executive Ship Management, Essar, Reuben Brothers, Scorpio, Chevron, V. Group, Wallem, Synergy, BP Shipping, etc.
• Indian Companies like Shipping Corporation of India, Great Eastern, SSL, Reliance, etc.

Note: Merchant Navy is different from the Indian Navy. Merchant ships are non-military ships deployed in commercial trade. Merchant Navy does not form part of the country’s defence forces coastal safeguards.

Function and Organisation Structure

The three major functions are:

• Deck
  Deck deals with navigation and the voyage part of the vessel.
• Engineering
  Deals with the operations and maintenance of the ship’s machinery, including electrical, mechanical, hydraulics, refrigeration, etc.
• Catering
  Deals with preparation of food for the people on board.

The four major job types in the merchant navy include:

• General Purpose (GP) Rating
• Petty Officers
• Deck Officers
• Engineer Officers

The highest on-deck role is Captain of Ship, and the highest engineering role is Chief Engineer.
Captain is the overall Master of the ship. His team comprises officers and crew. A merchant navy voyage could span 30 to 40 days. A cargo ship usually has 25-30 people as crew. Passenger ships or cruise liners sometimes have as many as 2000 crew for 3000 passengers. More cooks are required in these ships.

Typical Organisation Structure

Details of Different Merchant Navy Roles

General Purpose (GP) Ratings

GP ratings are skilled seafarers who help officers with daily tasks. They are the lowest ranking staff in Merchant Navy. They are also called crew. They are on ship doing various petty physical jobs, such as help-men in navigation, steering, help-engineers in machine overhauling, painting, etc. Ratings on board ship can be:

• Deck Rating – also called Deck crew
  They work on deck, help in navigation, getting ship alongside, perform security watch and help in machinery. For deck crew, English is compulsory. Various roles are Bosun (Head of crew), Able Bodied Seaman and Ordinary Seaman.
• Engine Rating
  They help Engineers in operations and maintenance of all machinery. Roles are Motor Man and Oil Man.
• Galley crew
  They perform various roles as cooks, stewards, mess-man, housekeeping helping, chief cook, cleaning cabins, taking care of laundry.

Education Qualification: 10th (Science, Math, English and minimum 40%) OR 12th with (Science, Math and minimum 40%) OR 2-year ITI from DVET / NCVT approved institute (Fitter / Machinist / Welder / Turner) with minimum 40%.
Age limit 18-25 years.
Entry: Online Entrance test depending on Training Institute and Personal Interview (not a common entrance test)

Training:

• 6 months pre-sea training in Directorate General of Shipping (DG Shipping) approved institutes is mandatory. It is residential training only. Visit https://www.dgshipping.gov.in/ for recognized institutes to undergo training. Institutes come under Ministry of Transportation, Central Government. Marine Engineering Research Institute (MERI), Kolkata is one of the very good institutes for this training.
• Medical fitness certificate by DG approved doctor. Need to have 6×6 vision.
• Sponsorship from shipping companies is the best way to get selected. There is lot of competition for the job.
• Salary: Rs 40,000 to Rs 50,000 per month, fee for training: Rs 2,00,000 approximately
• Upon training, one can join either Deck crew or Engine Crew.
• GP Ratings can get promoted up to Captain or Chief Engineer based on sea time, further training and examinations.
• For every promotion, one has to attend college for further training after certain period of sea time, clear exams.
• There is opportunity for knowledge enhancement throughout career. However, Exams are not easy to clear.

Petty Officers

They are fitters, dealing with overhauling of machinery, engines, fuel pumps, water pumps, hydraulic pumps, doing welding, machining jobs.

Education Qualification: 2-year ITI Mechanical course, minimum 50% marks.
Entry: Online Entrance test depending on Training Institute and Personal Interview (not a common entrance test)
Age limit: 18 -25 years

Training includes:

• 6 months pre sea training in Directorate General of shipping (DG Shipping) approved institutes. Visit www.dgshipping.gov.in for recognized institutes.
• Sponsorship from shipping companies is the best way to get selected.
• Salary: Rs 40,000 to Rs 50,000 per month up to $2000 in foreign companies.
• Fee for training: Rs 2,00,000 approximately
• Medical fitness certificate by DG approved doctor

With sailing time & after clearing further exams, GP Ratings and Petty officers can raise to the rank of Captain and Chief Engineer.

Galley Staff

This is the kitchen staff of the ship including Chief Cook, cooks, messmen, and stewards.
Eligibility: Diploma or Degree in Hotel Management or Catering courses.
Cooks rise from messmen, steward ranks. Chief cooks should have prior experience and are preferred to have had experience in star hotels.

Recruitment process includes an online test and personal interview, followed by 6 months of training from DG approved institutes on clearing. Training includes safety training. Medical fitness examinations are mandatory from DG approved doctor.

Deck Officers

Deck Department staff are the navigators and also called as navigating officers. They plan the voyage and do the navigation. They are responsible for loading and discharge of cargo. There are four Deck Officer levels – 3rd Officer, 2nd Officer, Chief Officer and Captain.

Entry Level is 3rd Officer or 3rd Mate. This is the junior most role for Deck Officer. There are two types of entry:

• Option 1 for 3rd officer appointment
  Age limit is 25 years
  Entry is through a Diploma in Nautical Science – a 1-year pre-sea course (residential).
  Education Qualification is either Engineering Diploma BSC in PCM or Physics, Electronics or BE/BTech from any AICTE recognized institute.
  Entrance exam is CET, conducted by Indian Maritime University
  Medical fitness certified by DG approved doctor.
  Next Steps:
  After 1 year of Diploma on shore, 18 months of sea time (on sailing) training as deck cadet has to be completed. One can approach shipping companies for cadetship and if selected one has to complete 18 months of sea service for onshore training as deck cadet. One gets stipend during this period. Cadetship will be followed by exams and viva. Then, one can appear for the Certificate of Competency exam. Upon clearing the exam, one is posted as 3rd officer.
• Option 2 for 3rd Officer appointment:
  Age Limit: 25 years
  Entry is through BSc in Nautical Science – 3-year pre sea course (residential).
  Education Qualification is either BSC with PCM, or BE/BTech from any recognized institute. Arts / Commerce stream students cannot opt for this course.
  Entrance is through CET, conducted by Indian Maritime University
  Medically fitness must be certified by a DG approved doctor.
  Next Steps:
  After 1 year of Diploma on shore, 12 months of sea time (on sailing) training as deck cadet has to be completed. One can approach shipping companies for cadetship and if selected one has to complete 12 months of sea service for onshore training as deck cadet. One gets stipend during this period. Cadetship will be followed by Certificate of Competency exams and viva.

Career Progression:

There are three Certificate of Competency (COC) exams for Deck officers. They are 2nd Mate, Mate and Captain. Exam includes written and oral.

• 2nd Officer: One has to complete minimum 12 months of sea time as 3rd Officer. No need for additional exams.
• Chief Officer: One has to complete minimum 12 months of sail time as 2nd Officer/ Mate and obtain Chief Officer COC
• Master or Captain of Ship: One has to complete minimum 24 months of sail time as Chief Officer, as well as complete Master Certificate of Competency with 2 months at college.
• It takes a minimum of 11 years to become Captain from 3rd Officer. However, promotion depends on factors like competency, performance, demand, maritime experience etc.
• There are about 2,00,000 officers in Indian companies.

Engineer Officers

Their primary responsibility is to keep the ship running. They handle engine room, generators. It is a purely technical job. They take care of maintenance of the entire ship’s machinery – mechanical, refrigeration, electrical, and hydraulics. An engineer on ship has to attend to all engineering needs; they do not specialize in any one particular area.

There are two options for entry level engineer officer.

Option 1: B.Tech in Marine Engineering by Indian Maritime University (IMU), a 4-year residential program (Needs PCM with 60% and English 50% in 12th; Lateral entry possible from Diploma mechanical/electrical); entry via CET by IMU
Age Limit: 17-25 years
Entrance Exam: CET conducted by Indian Maritime University
Medical fitness certified by DG approved doctor.

Next Steps:
After 1 year of Diploma on shore, 6 months of sea time (on sailing) training (with stipend) as engineer cadet has to be completed. Cadetship is followed by exams and viva. Then, one can appear for exam for Class 4 certificate of competency. Upon clearing the exam, cadet is posted as 5th or 4th Engineer depending on the shipping company.

Option 2: Graduate Marine Engineer Program – a 1-year residential PG Diploma in Marine Engineering (PGDME). Eligibility is BE /B Tech in Mechanical / Naval Architecture with min 50% marks. Age Limit: 28 years. Entrance Exam: CET conducted by IMU. Medical fitness certified by DG approved doctor.

Next Steps:
After 1 year of Diploma on shore, 6 months of sea time (on sailing) training (with stipend) as engineer cadet has to be completed. Cadetship will be followed by exams and viva. After completion of all the basic trainings and sea time prescribed, one can appear for exam for Class 4 Certificate of competency. Upon clearing the exam, a cadet is posted as 5th or 4th Engineer depending on the shipping company.

Career Progression:

• 3rd Engineer: One has to complete minimum 12 months of sail time as 4th Engineer. No COC exams are necessary.
• 2nd Engineer: One has to complete minimum 12 months of sail time as 3rd Engineer and clear MEO Class 2 COC after 6 months of courses at college.
• Chief Engineer: One has to complete minimum 24 months of sail time as 2nd Engineer, followed by 2 months of college and MEO (Marine Engineer Officers) Class 1 certificate of competency.
• It takes a minimum of 11 years to become Chief Engineer from Engineer Cadet. However, promotion depends on factors like competency, performance, demand, sea time experience etc.

Electrical Officers

They are responsible for electrical and electronics maintenance of the ship.
The qualification is BE Electrical / Electronics, Electronics and Telecommunication or Electronics and Instrumentation Engineering.
Age limit: 28 years.
Entry Criteria: Online Entrance Test and Interview

Next steps:

• 4 months residential training from DG approved institutes
• ETO Certificate of competency
• They join the ship as trainee for 9 months, then as Assistant Electrical Engineer for next 9 months, then they become ETO/Electrical Engineer.
• There is only one level. People will remain as ETO throughout career.

Salary

This is a high paying profession. At the same time, risks, demands and challenges of a Merchant Navy career are high.

Job opportunities are offered by number of foreign shipping companies as well as Indian companies. Salary depends on performance, sea time experience, nationality, supply and demand.

Salary on Cargo ships is lower than tankers. LNG (Liquified Natural Gas) ship’s crew and officers are among the most highly paid in the shipping industry, followed by oil tankers. It is not easy to get a post on LNG ships. Specialized ships require additional training as they are high risk carriers. Top officers in Cruise liners are also paid well, but not like LNG ships.

Salary is paid only at-sea. Normally, people do minimum 6 months of sail time in a year. Salary is tax free for more than 6 months of sea time. Joining reputed companies is important for job security.

Many companies offer campus placement. Some shipping companies have their own training institutes or colleges, hence prefer in-house candidate selection. The cream layer is guaranteed placement. So, one has to take academics seriously and take campus placement seriously. One has to be passionate about the career as competition is high. The best way is to get sponsorship from shipping companies. There are many unrecognized institutes offering training but only DG shipping approved institutes are recognized by shipping companies. One has to choose the institute carefully.

Opportunities and Challenges

Risk and reward go hand-in-hand in Merchant Navy.

The benefits are many – world travel, being outdoors at sea, adventure, exposure to multinational crew, working with different teams, opportunities to learn.

The flipside is long separation from family, loneliness at sea, sea sickness, extreme weather conditions, physically demanding job, the dangers of sea travel. It is a tough job with strict rules and regulations.

Naval ex-servicemen also have opportunities with Merchant Navy.

Physical fitness is very important. Medical tests are stringent and are conducted throughout one’s career.
For joining Merchant Navy: For Deck side: 6/6 vision is mandatory and no color blindness.
For Engineers: 6/6 vision or 6/12 in both eyes or 6/9 in better eye 6/18 in other eye.
It is better to check fitness requirements before undergoing training.

Indian Maritime University (IMU)

Indian Maritime University sets curriculum and standards for all pre-sea and post-sea courses for all its government and private affiliated colleges. They set the eligibility criteria and conduct exams.

Courses offered by Indian Maritime University include Diploma, Degree, PG Diploma, PG courses in
– Nautical Science (sail on ship) pre sea courses
– Marine Engineering (sail on ship) pre sea courses
– Naval Architecture and Ocean Engineering (Ship building, supervises ship building)
– Ship Building and repair (ship building)
– Maritime Management (MBA in shipping and logistics)
– Doctoral Programs
– Post Sea Courses (after stint at sea)

Common Online CET is conducted by IMU for UG courses like B Tech in Marine engineering, BSc in nautical science and Diploma in Nautical Sciences. The Test has English, General Aptitude, Physics, Chemistry, Mathematics at plus 2 level.

Visit https://www.imu.edu.in/ for all courses, eligibility criteria, exams and affiliated institutes. It is important to obtain latest information for various courses time to time.

IMU Campuses
• Indian Maritime University at Chennai (HQ), Kochi, Kolkata, Visakhapatnam, Mumbai and Navi Mumbai

7 Premier Govt Institutions affiliated to IMU:
• National Maritime Academy, Chennai,
• T. S Chanakya, Navi Mumbai
• Marine Engineering Research Institute,
• Marine Engineering Research Institute, Kolkata (One of best institutes)
• Marine Engineering Research Institute, Mumbai
• Indian Institute of Port Management
• National Ship Design and Research Centre, Visakhapatnam
• L B S College of Advanced Maritime Studies and Research (Advance research)

Private Maritime Universities:
• Tolani Maritime Institute Mumbai/ Pune (Issues B. Tech from IMU & BITS Pilani)
• AMET Chennai, Vels
• Hindustan Institute of Maritime Training (HIMT), Chennai
• BP Marine Academy, New Bombay
• Anglo Eastern Maritime Academy, Karjat, Maharastra
• Great Easter Institute of Marine Studies, Pune
• Port trusts also give apprentice training.

Note: Many engineering colleges have Marine Engineering branch. However, most of these colleges are not recognized by DG Shipping. Many training institutes also offer pre-sea trainings. It is important to confirm if it is approved by DG Shipping to join Merchant Navy. Several foreign companies offer marine courses too.

Note:

Ladies are recruited for all job positions in Merchant Navy. Especially on Deck, ladies are preferred. They can become Masters/Captain of the ship. Women are enthusiastically opting for Merchant Navy in India.

Essential Skills and Qualities

• Engineering crew should have good aptitude for technology and engineering skills,
• Deck crew should be good at navigating, chart work, study rules and regulations.
• Entire crew has to strictly adhere to all regulations, especially relating to pollution of waters, else are liable for severe punishment.
• They have to demonstrate flexibility in job, work with multinational crew, work under harsh conditions. Job pressures are high like bad weather or hold-ups or machinery breakdown; there is no room for delays.
• Port authorities inspect the ship periodically. They check if the ship is sea-worthy and check if all regulations are followed.
  It is done by companies like Classification Society, Lloyd’s Register, IRS (Indian Register of Surveyors). They check for maintenance, standards, sea worthiness, Cargo Weight, etc.

Shore Jobs for Seafarers

Officers and engineers after few years of sea service get the opportunity to shift to onshore job in shipping companies, ports, port related operators, ship building industries, cargo surveyors, classification societies, etc. Shipping companies need ex-sailors for various job onshore. People take up career as trainers, marine or technical superintendent and consultant. They also work in crewing department of a shipping company which is like a corporate job in an office. Typically, Engineers join classification society, become surveyors. People can sail until 60 years of age if medically fit, sometimes up to 65-70 years. If they retire or resign earlier, they take up onshore jobs.

Post-Sea Courses

One can take post sea courses while on the job to get promotion to higher roles. Typically, most common countries to do post sea courses are India, UK, Australia, Singapore, New Zealand. UK is most popular followed by Australia, Singapore and New Zealand,
One can aspire for better chances of job too if one takes exams abroad. The choice of place depends on affordability of fee, and the exposure one wants.

Sea time Contracts are typically time bound and depend on one’s role. Between two contracts, a sailor is expected to take leave at least for a month. Most people take or are expected to take 4 months.

• Captain, Chief Engineer, Chief Officer, 2nd Engineer are usually given 4 months contract.
• 2nd officer, 3rd officer, 3rd Engineer, 4th engineer, ETO are given 6 months of contract.
• Cadets serve minimum 9 months on a contract.
• Chief Cook, Fitter, Ratings crew serve for 9 months at a stretch on a contract.