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There are two routes to joining the merchant navy.
On
completion of B.Sc. in nautical science or a Bachelors degree in mechanical or marine engineering, you can join the navigation
or marine engineering areas of the Merchant Navy.
After 10+2 with physics, chemistry and mathematics, you can join
as a deck cadet on board a ship, and train on-the-job for three years before appearing for the competency examination required
by the Ministry of Surface Transport in order to be employed as a navigating officer.
Eligibility
You
should also be mentally and physically fit, and be within 20 years of age (25 years for SC/ST candidates). A career in the
Merchant Navy also requires great mental and physical stamina, intelligence, and a scientific temper to go along with a cheerful
disposition and team
Navigators should have perfect eyesight, whereas marine engineers are allowed to wear
spectacles for eyesight up to plus/minus 2.5. Colour blindness is a disqualification for the merchant navy.
The
two premier institutions for imparting training for the Merchant Navy are:
TS (Training Ship) Chanakya, Mumbai, which
conducts a 3-year degree course in nautical science.
The Marine Engineering and Research Institute (MERI),
Kolkata, and Mumbai, which offers a 4-year training in marine engineering.
Admission to these courses is open
to unmarried Indian male and female students, and conducted through the common entrance examination of the IIT-JEE.
Entrance
test
After qualifying the screening test of the IIT, those keen to pursue the career in Merchant Navy, as a Deck Officer,
have to fill up an application form which is available at Directorate General of Shipping, Mumbai, and at the selected branches
of Syndicate Bank all over India. The advertisement for this, is published in leading newspapers of the country in the months
of July and December every year.
The entrance examination, which is a combination of the objective and subjective-type
of questions, assesses your knowledge of physics, chemistry and mathematics of the plus two or equivalent standard. After
the written test a merit list is prepared. Although a student may express his/her preference for one course of training or
the other, the final distribution of the candidate between the two courses of training is at the discretion of the Director-General
of Shipping. The written test is followed by an interview which is basically a test of personality.
The Training Ship
(TS) Chanakya, Mumbai, conducts a three-year training course in the theoretical and practical aspects of nautical science
for navigating officers.
The marine engineering course at MERI provides exposure to the fundamental engineering
sciences together with specialised knowledge of theoretical and practical marine engineering. Cadets are given lessons on
overhaul, repair and maintenance of the ships main and auxiliary machinery and shipboard systems. Technology classes are held
in advanced marine engineering and technology.
In addition to government training institutes, there are number
of private training institutes which are conducting pre-sea courses for nautical science as well as engineering candidates
both for plus two students and engineering candidates. Private institutions hold their own entrance tests, for which the minimum
requirement is 50-60 per cent in plus two with physics, chemistry and maths. On completion of the training and required sea
time on ships, the students have to appear for the competency examination, which enables them to be employed on board Merchant
Ships. It is necessary for all candidates to obtain a Certificate of Competency from the Directorate-General of Shipping,
Government of India. The certificates are recognized and respected by all the countries.
Direct recruitment
There is yet a third route for entering the Merchant Navy. Shipping firms/lines, from time to time, recruit deck cadets
directly after school and train them for a marine career. Minimum eligibility to apply for deck cadets is a pass in plus two
or equivalent examination with physics, chemistry and mathematics.
Shipping lines also recruit marine engineers.
Those with BE qualifications are taken in directly after they complete an eight-month attachment with a naval dockyard in
Mumbai, Cochin, Calcutta or Visakhapatnam. Unlike the marine engineers from MERI, these candidates have to pass an additional
competency examination.
Placement prospects
After completing the three-year nautical science programme
and acquiring the certificate of competency of second mate (foreign going) you can join an Indian or international shipping
company as third/second officer on board a merchant ship. After several years of service and completion of higher examinations,
namely, first mate ((FG) and master (FG), you can get the certificate of competency as master (FG) which entitles an officer
to become the captain of a merchant ship.
The competence examinations for navigating officers and for the
marine engineers are conducted by the Ministry of Surface Transport through the Directorate-General of Shipping (DGS), Mumbai.
The merchant navy offers bright prospects to navigating officers and marine engineers. Their starting salaries
are in the region of Rs. 30,000 to Rs.40,000 per month. In foreign shipping, companies salaries are often higher and paid
in foreign currency.
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