Many would mistake Merchant Navy for Indian Navy, which protects our sea shores and high seas that surround our country. Indeed Merchant Navy has nothing to do with defense, it is the navy which is entirely trade oriented.
Merchant navy as an entity dates back to 17th century. It was an offshoot of the British Royal Navy’s attempt to get all the names of seafarers into a single registry, which could be used during the times of conflict.
Though its origins were in Britain, today India has become the source for skilled seafarers and Indians are working in Merchant Navy fleets across the globe. There are hundreds of European and Asian shipping companies that do manning from India for several valid reasons, cheap labour, huge work force and communication in English. Shipping Authority of India is the governing body for shipping operations mainly based in Mumbai with offices in other parts of India.
Despite its lion share in work force, Indian companies do not really own merchant fleet in commensurate proportion. A huge part of the fleets belong to European and far East Asian countries. Manning in India by shipping companies is not as young as IT industry, but it dates back to 3-4 decades and the potential has been increasing at a rapid pace. The meteoritic rise of Merchant Navy is not only confined to India; but it has been the trend all around the world.
Following are some of the renowned merchant navies of the world:
- British Merchant Navy
- Canadian Merchant Navy
- Greek Merchant Navy
- Indian Merchant Navy
- New Zealand Merchant Navy
- Pakistani Merchant Navy
- Polish Merchant Navy
- Swiss Merchant Marine
- United States Merchant Marine
Honestly, life in high seas is something that you can never happen to experience being a civilian. Though this author is a professional seafarer, it his personal opinion that one must experience sea life at least once in their lifetime. However, having said that, every coin has its two sides, if you choose to be a seafarer you must have extraordinary strength to be happy about what you are doing, otherwise you will become skeptic and your life will become tough.
Typically, merchant navy contracts lasts from 3-9 months; each time you will be entering into a new contract or agreement. You always have satellite communication which is quite expensive to make calls but going back to home during an emergency is quite a long road. If you do not have any social responsibilities at home and your family do not entirely depend on you to live and all you want is to earn money then this profession might be for you. Never the less personal passion towards working on board a ship plays a major role too.
Salaries in shipping seems very high for an land jobbed officer, but when compared to people who excel very well at what they do, money is the big thing that this career has to offer. I know many a seafarer who quit their jobs in the middle of the career and found some other avenues of their interest than just driving ships around.
There is a saying - “seamen are the finest people on the planet”. For an instance, I find it true, because having gone through those rough patches to progress in career, for sure they might have become storehouses of finest experiences, one can gain in his life time. Again it is about what you want from your profession and it all comes down to your personal choice. I strongly suggest you to find a Merchant navy officer and listen to their personal experience before you make your career choice.
Job Profiles
A typical merchant vessel contains 3 departments, with the following positions-
- Deck Department
- Master
- Chief Officer
- Second Officer
- Third Officer
- Deck Cadet
- Boatswain
- Able Seamen
- Ordinary Seamen
- Engineering Department
- Chief Engineer
- Second Engineer
- Third Engineer
- Fourth Engineer
- Electrical Engineer/ Electrician
- Fifth Engineer/Junior Engineer
- Oiler/Motorman
- Wiper/ Utility man
- Steward’s Department
- Chief Steward
- Chief Cook
- Steward’s Assistant
Eligibility Criteria
To have look at eligibility please CLICK HERE.
Salaries
Deck Department
| Profile | Salary |
| Master | 10000-12000 USD/month |
| Chief Officer | 8000-10000 USD/month |
| Second Officer Third Officer | 5000-7000 USD/month |
| Deck Cadet | 500-1200 USD/month |
| Boatswain | 1500-3000 USD/month |
| Able Seamen | 1000-2500 USD/month |
| Ordinary Seamen | 800-1500 USD/month |
Engineering Department
| Profile | Salary |
| Chief Engineer | 10000-12000 USD/month |
| Second Engineer | 8000-10000 USD/month |
| Third Engineer | 5000-7000 USD/month |
| Fourth Engineer | 3000-4000 USD/month |
| Electrical Engineer/ Electrician | 3000-4000 USD/month |
| Fifth Engineer/Junior Engineer | 500-1200 USD/month |
| Oiler/Motorman | 1000-2500 USD/month |
| Wiper/ Utility man | 800-1500 USD/month |
Steward’s Department
| Profile | Salary |
| Chief Steward | 1500-2000 USD/month |
| Chief Cook | 1000-1500 USD/month |
| Steward’s Assistant | 800-1500 USD/month |
Certificate of Competency
Seafarers need to get the Certificate of Competency (CoC), which is a license of competency of a skilled officer to perform his task onboard a ship. Many countries issue licenses and the most famous and well recognized licenses are of India, UK, Singapore and New Zealand. You can try anyone of these licenses depending on the shipping company requirements.
You can also check out CoC criteria of International Maritime organization (IMO), Maritime and Coastguard agency, UK (MCA) and United States Coastguard (USCG), which are internationally recognized maritime bodies.
My experiences and prospects: Bon Voyage
I am a mechanical engineer and then did my pre-sea training from ARI, New Delhi for 6 months then joined my first vessel from UK and sailed for 9 months to be eligible for the class 4 exams from UK. There are different paths to be a seafarer and choose which one suit you best. I had a good time on my first ship and every ship from there is new and unique, however the basic working principles remain the same no matter how big the ship is.
Every early morning wake up evidences new place. You live, work there and make your ship home for the next 4 months from the date of joining. Work environment of a ship is not so different from a regular office as ships are mandated and designed for highly safe working environment. For a ship owner, time is money, so ships are pushed to their limits to deliver the goods on time. And officers on board, makes sure that the ship stays fit and up for the next voyage. The cycle repeats every day but what makes the difference here is the types of challenges nature throw at you. Life at sea is challenging in every possible way- mentally, physically, technically, morally. One simple mistake on board could costs lives of men and environment. So the ship demands highly skilled individuals, but on the other hand sea demands brave and strong person to conquer the great oceans.
You would see a million places on earth and finally you come home every time it feels like as if it’s the first time and realize that home is the most beautiful place you have ever been.
Sandeep Eranti, 4th Engineer, Transco Pvt. Ltd
About shipping companies:
Shipping Corporation of India:
SCI in short a government body owned and operated by the Indian government, this is not so different from other foreign companies, and the only difference is the medium of currency the salary is being paid. More or less the SCI falls in to typical category of shipping companies.
There are many other foreign and a few Indian companies owned by respective governments of the countries and corporate and for the list of approved manning agencies of shipping companies can be found on DG shipping website
www.dgshipping.gov.in/
Shipping Companies offering Jobs:
Ref: DGSHIPPING
- Maersk Line India Pvt. Ltd
- CMA CGM Group
- British petroleum
- Pacific international limited
- Anglo Eastern Ship Management (India) Ltd.
- Fleet Personnel Pvt. Ltd.
- Shipping corporate of India
- Bernhard Schulte Ship management (India) Pvt. Ltd.
- Tanker Pacific
- Dynacom Tankers Management Pvt. Ltd.
- Executive Ship Management Pvt. Ltd.
- Shell shipping
- Sea landia Group
- Transocean Pvt. Ltd.
- Bibby Ship Management
- Chellaram Shipping Pvt. Ltd.
Ref: DGSHIPPING
| Name of Institute | City/State |
| C.V. Raman College of Engineering | Bhubaneswar |
| AMET University | Chennai |
| Balaji Seamen Training Institute | Chennai |
| Chennai School of Ship Management | Chennai |
| Chidambaram Institute of Maritime Technology | Chennai |
| CMC Maritime Academy | Chennai |
| Cosmopolitan Technology of Maritime | Chennai |
| Hindustan Institute Of Maritime Training Post Sea Training Centre | Kilpauk, Chennai |
| HIMT College Hindustan Institute Of Maritime Training Pre-Sea Training Centre | Kalpakkam (Chennai) |
| School of Seamanship and Nautical Technology | Kancheepuram |
|
| (Tamil Nadu) |
| GKM College of Engineering & Technology | Chennai |
| GKM Institute of Marine Sciences & Technology | Chennai |
| Indian Maritime College | Chennai |
| Indus Seafarers Training Academy | Chennai |
| International Maritime Academy | Chennai |
| Maritime Foundation | Chennai |
| MASSA Maritime Academy | Chennai |
| Indian Maritime University (National Maritime Academy) | Chennai |
| Perunthalaivar Kamarajar Institute of Maritime Science & Engineering | Chidambaram |
| S.B. Vignesh Marine Training Centre | Chennai |
| Southern Academy of Maritime Studies | Chennai |
| School of Maritime Studies (Vels University) | Chennai |
| School of Maritime Studies (Vels University) | Chennai |
| Coimbatore Marine College | Coimbatore |
| Park Maritime Academy | Coimbatore |
| SeaSkills Maritime Academy | Coimbatore |
| Marine Training Academy | Daman |
| Centre for Maritime Education and Training | Dehradun |
| Mumbai Maritime Training Institute | Dehradun |
| Oceanic Maritime Academy | Dehradun |
| Agnel Maritime Academy | Goa |
| Francon's Marine Academy | Goa |
| Institute of Maritime Studies | Goa |
| Institute of Petroleum Safety, Health & Environment Management | Goa |
| NUSI Maritime Academy | Goa |
| Seascan Marine Services Pvt Ltd | Goa |
| Natcom Education & Research Foundation | Gurgaon |
| Haldia Institute of Maritime Studies & Research | Haldia |
| Anglo Eastern Maritime Academy | Karjat |
| Indian Maritime University (Kandla Campus) | New Kandla |
| Amer Maritime Training Academy | Kanpur |
| Noorul Islam University | Kanyakumari (Tamilnadu) |
| U. V. Patel College of Engineering | Kharva (North Gujarat) |
| MMTI's Education & Research Trust | Khopoli |
| Mohammed Sathak Engineering College | Kilakarai (Tamilnadu) |
| Cochin Shipyard Limited | Kochi |
| Euro Tech Maritime Academy | Kochi |
| Institute of Marine Engineers (India) | Kochi |
| Indian Maritime University (National Maritime Academy) | Kochi |
| Kunjali Marakkar School of Marine Engineering of Cochin University of Science and Technology. | Kochi |
| Univan Maritime Training Academy | Kochi |
| College of Maritime Studies & Research | Kolkata |
| Garden Reach Ship Builders & Engineers Ltd | Kolkata |
| Indian Maritime University, Kolkata Campus [Indian Institute of Port Management] | Kolkata |
| Kolkata Port Trust | Kolkata |
| Marine Education Charitable Trust | Kolkata |
| Indian Maritime University (MERI) | Kolkata |
| Maritime Academy of India | Kolkata |
| Mercantile Marine Academy Foundation | Kolkata |
| Seacom Marine College | Kolkata |
| Centre for Maritime Education & Training | Lucknow |
| Subbalakshmi Lakshmipathy College of Science | Madurai |
| RL Institute of Nautical Science | Madurai |
| Mangalore Marine College | Mangalore |
| J. Sons Merchant Navy Institute | Meerut |
| Anglo Eastern Maritime Training Centre | Mumbai |
| Arya Marine Academy | Mumbai |
| Bonzer Academy of Maritime Studies | Mumbai |
| Don Bosco Normar Maritime Academy | Mumbai |
| Gurship Education Trust Maritime Training Institute | Mumbai |
| Indian Register of Shipping | Mumbai |
| Institute of Marine Engineers (India) | Mumbai |
| International Marine Academy | Mumbai |
| International Maritime Training Centre | Mumbai |
| Indian Maritime University (LBS College of AMS) | Mumbai |
| Mangalore Marine College (MMC) [Mumbai Campus] | Mumbai |
| Indian Maritime University (MERI) | Mumbai |
| Marine Medical Clinic | Mumbai |
| Marine Training Academy | Mumbai |
| Maritime Training Institute | Mumbai |
| Mumbai Maritime Training Institute | Mumbai |
| Mazagon Dock Limited. | Mumbai |
| Naval Maritime Academy West | Mumbai |
| OERC Academy | Mumbai |
| Samundra Institute of Maritime Studies | Mumbai |
| Seafarers Marine Institute | Mumbai |
| School of Synergic Studies | Mumbai |
| SCMS Maritime Training Institute | Mumbai |
| St. Xavier's Technical Institute | Mumbai |
| Suraksha Marine | Mumbai |
| Tolani Maritime Institute | Mumbai |
| TS Rahaman | Mumbai |
| Univan Maritime Training Academy | Mumbai |
| ABS Industrial Verification (India) Pvt. Ltd. | Navi Mumbai |
| Fleet Management Training Institute | Navi Mumbai |
| BP Marine Academy | Navi Mumbai |
| MASSA Maritime Academy | Navi Mumbai |
| Pentagon Maritime Training & Research Institute | Navi Mumbai |
| Ramana Academy of Maritime Studies | Navi Mumbai |
| Sagar Gyan Academy | Navi Mumbai |
| Setrac College of Offshore Training | Navi Mumbai |
| SNS Maritime Training Institute | Navi Mumbai |
| Indian Maritime University (TS Chanakya) | Navi Mumbai |
| United Marine Academy | Navi Mumbai |
| Yak Management & Marine Education Centre | Navi Mumbai |
| Yak Educational Trust | Navi Mumbai |
| Applied Research International | New Delhi |
| Fees - Applied Research International | New Delhi |
| Anglo Eastern Maritime Training Centre | New Delhi |
| Aquatech Institute of Maritime Studies | New Delhi |
| Fosma Maritime Institute and Research Organization | New Delhi |
| Oceans XV Educational Trust | New Delhi |
| Sriram Institute of Marine Studies | New Delhi |
| International Maritime Institute Ltd | Noida |
| Orissa Maritime Academy | Paradip |
| National Inland Navigation Institute | Patna |
| Institute of Marine Education & Research Pvt Ltd. | Patna |
| Neotia Institute of Technology, Management and Science | 24-Pargans(S) (W.Bengal) |
| Maritime Education Training & Research Institute | 24-Pargans(S) (W. Bengal) |
| Trident College of Marine Technology | 24-Pargans(S) (W.Bengal) |
| School of Higher Academic and Professional Education | Panchkula (Harayana) |
| Indian Maritime University [Karaikal Campus] | Pundechery |
| Pondicherry Maritime Academy | Puducherry |
| Sri Chakra Maritime College | Puducherry |
| Marine Officers Training Academy | Pondicherry |
| RVS College of Maritime Science and Engineering | Pondicherry |
| Sai Ram Shipping Science Institute | Pondicherry |
| Dr. B.R. Ambedkar Govt. Polytechnique | Port Blair |
| Great Eastern Institute of Maritime Studies | Pune |
| Maharashtra Academy of Naval Education & Training | Pune |
| Samundra Institute of Maritime Studies | Pune |
| Tolani Maritime Institute | Pune |
| Vishwakarma Maritime Institute | Pune |
| Commander Ali's Academy of Merchant Navy | Secunderabad |
| Commander Ali's Academy of Merchant Navy | Medak |
| Srivenkateshwara College of Engineering | Sriperumbadur (Tamilnadu) |
| Columbus Maritime Training Institute | Thane |
| Baba Marine Institute | Thane |
| Mariner's Academy | Thane |
| Tamil Nadu Maritime Academy | Thoothukudi |
| PSN College of Engineering & Technology | Tirunelveli (T.Nadu) |
| Maritime Training Institute [SCI] Tuticorin Campus | Tuticorin |
| Asha International Institute of Marine Technology | Varanasi |
| Sri Nandhanam Maritime Academy | Vellore (Tamil Nadu) |
| Praveenya Institute of Marine Engineering & Maritime Studies | Visakhapatnam (AP) |
| National Ship Design & Research Centre | Vizianagaram (AP) |
| Sailors Maritime Academy | Vizianagaram (AP) |
About author
Mr.Sandeep is a sceptic mechanical and marine engineer who sees the world through the modern technology which provided the scope to unveil the unlimited knowledge and wisdom inherited through generations of scientific and spiritual solutions for the betterment of the society that have been helping mankind to benefit through time. He propose new ideas and provide design for products and services,to become a part of sustained technology for good.
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