Merchant Navy

The opportunity to travel around the world and the lure of adventure on the high seas, besides the possibility of high remunerations attracts many youngsters to make a career in the Merchant Navy.

A career in the merchant navy is considered a glamorous job, especially by the people who have been bitten by the travel bug. It offers an opportunity to visit new and exotic places all around the globe.

Merchant Navy career is not only monetarily rewarding but also satisfying and a bit challenging. The merchant ships employ a huge number of workers to carry and deliver goods from one country to another.

Merchant navy fleet consist of cargo ships, container ships, barge carrying ships, tankers, bulk carriers, refrigerators ships, passenger ships, as well as roll off/roll on ships. The possibility of finding employment in cargo ships is more as compared to the others.

Types of Ships

• Barge carrying ships are long, usually flat boats which are usually wed or maneuvered by other towing vessels.

• Roll on / Roll off ships are designed to carry vehicles which can be loaded at ports by being driven on and can be unloaded by being driven off.

• Bulk Carriers- Cargo such as grain, oil, and ore has lot of weight. Bulk carriers are so designed that they can enter shallow waters and narrow channels. They can be loaded and unloaded by special equipment in very short time.

• Tankers are ships which carrys oil and other petroleum products in large tanks built inside the ship and VLCC's are Very Large Carrying Containers.

• Refrigerator ships are those types which have huge cold storage plants built in them. They are used to carry perishable food stuff and items on specific service routes.

• Passenger ships-can range anywhere between small ferries to Trans-Atlantic vessels

Merchant Navy Eligibility Criteria

The eligibility for joining merchant navy is class 12 with Physics, Chemistry and Mathematics. Admission is through entrance followed by a screening test and a main written examination.

Candidates should also need to complete a ship-training course prior to the employment. The course is generally short-term where the candidates are taught basic security concerns of voyaging.

Candidates have to be unmarried Indian citizens (male or female). After clearing the test, there is an interview and a medical test. Normal vision is required but glasses up to plus or minus 2.5 may be allowed.

There are some private institutes, which offer training for merchant navy as well. These institutes prepare students for jobs such as deck cadets and marine engineering jobs.

Merchant Navy Job Prospects

There are enormous employment opportunities in this field. Candidates who have finished the basic course can get a job very easily through various consultants and placement agencies. Placement may be found on various types of ships such as tankers, cargo and passenger ships.

Merchant Navy is different from the navy in the sense that it offers commercial services, as opposed to the navy, which is largely involved in the defence of a nation. Companies that run merchant ships require trained people who can operate and maintain the ships.

Some of these are: Chevron and Mobil of USA, Wallem Ship Management of Hong Kong, Denholm of UK. India too has its shipping companies, such as the Shipping Corporation of India, Great Eastern Shipping, Essar and Chowgule Shipping.

Merchant Navy is the backbone of international trade, carrying cargo all over the world. Without the merchant navy, much of the import-export business would come to a grinding halt!

Trained people are required for the three main departments of the ship: the deck, the engine and the service department. Naturally there are many career options that are available for any youngster who has dreams of joining the merchant navy.

In India, The employment opportunities are also available in government and private shipping companies like Shipping Corp. of India Clearing Houses Delcredere agents etc.

Merchant Navy Pay Package

Merchant Navy is one of the few careers where the salary hardly matters. It can range anywhere between Rs.12000 to Rs.8 lakhs per month though the pay structure differ from company to company, city to city, the export-import needs, seniority etc. All crew members and officers are given free meals on board and senior officers can take along their wives for the voyage.

Usually emolument in a foreign vessels are higher specially the West European, U.S and the Gulf.Every officer and crew of the merchant navy working on board a vessel which is carrying foreign cargo is entitled to 75% of his net earning in foreign exchange.

Besides this, imported liquor, cigarettes, canned foods, cosmetics are available on board duty free. They are also entitled to four month leave every year. The interesting fact is that there is no income tax return imposed on the earnings of a merchant navy professional. 

Life in merchant navy can be adventurous for all those with wanderlust. The long period of solitude notwithstanding, the opportunity to see the world and get paid while doing so, just cannot be argued away.

Merchant Navy Institutes

Indian institutes offering courses in merchant navy are:

• Academy of Maritime Training

135, East Coast Road, Kanathur
Mahabalipuram, Chennai

• SeaScan Marine Services Pvt. Ltd

Panjim Directorate of Fire Services
St. IWEZ Fire Brigade Ground
Panjim, Goa

• Mercantile Maritime Academy

2, New Tartala Road
Kolkata

• Lal Bahadur Shastri College of Nautical Sciences

Reay Road
Hay Bunder, Mumbai

• National Institute of Port Management

Uthandi, Chennai.

• Vel's College of Maritime Studies

Pallavaram, Chennai

• International Maritime Institute

Greater Noida UP

• Tolani Maritime Institute

Erandawane
Pune, Maharashtra

• T.S. Chanakya Institute

Mumbai, Maharashtra

• T.S. Bhadra

Calcutta

• T.S. Mekhala

Vishakapatnam

International Institute offering course in merchant navy are

• Association of Marine Electronics and Radio College (AMERC)

Glassglow College of Nautical Studies
Glassglow,
United Kingdom