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Merchant Navy
The Merchant Navy offers a career like no other. Not only does it offer excellent remuneration and promotional opportunities, but also tremendous scope for adventure and travel. The Merchant Navy is a non-combatant commercial fleet, which deals with transporting cargo and, occasionally, passengers, by sea. The Merchant Navy fleet includes cargo ships, container ships, barge carrying ships, tankers, bulk carriers, refrigerator ships, passenger ships as well as ro/ro ships. The commercial purpose of the fleet offers lucrative openings for engineers and navigators.The work of many other professionals and support staff required on board, for a sailing vessel. Among all developing countries, India ranks as one of the countries having the largest merchant shipping fleets. Therefore, there is enough scope for employment in Indian as well as foreign ships.
Reasons to Join Merchant Navy: Indian seafarers are much sought after all over the world for their skill, knowledge, integrity & reliability. There is an acute shortage of Indian Merchant navy officers, as the demand for is huge. Presently India is facing a shortage of 35,000 officers which may go up to 60,000 by 2015. Following are the most attractive aspects of Merchant Navy.
1. Deck Department 2. Engine Department 3. Catering / Saloon Department Career Prospects Qualification as a merchant navy officer can lead to opportunities throughout. Since the marine sector is growing, there are strong prospects for work. The merchant navy provides a range of career paths, with opportunities at sea and onshore. Following are the career options in merchant navy. Deck Officer The officers from this branch primarily look after the ships navigation, loading/unloading of cargo and the general maintenance and administration of the ship. The officer joins in the rank of 3rd officer and is subsequently promoted to the rank of 2nd officer, Chief Officer and finally the Master of the ship. Engineering Officer These are the officers who are qualified in Marine Engineering. They join as 4th Engineer and step by step, get promoted to 3rd, 2nd and Chief Engineer, subject to their passing the competency exams and performance onboard the ship. The Engineering department in addition to looking after the main engine,& also responsible for associated equipment like power generation equipment, cargo pumps and air-conditioning etc. Ratings There are three kinds of ratings - deck, engine room and catering. Deck rating is responsible for cargo handling, mooring/unmooring and general maintenance of the ship. Similarly the engine room ratings assist the engineering officers in maintenance and operation of engines and associated equipment. The catering crew consists of Steward and Cooks. Catering / Saloon Department This department is responsible for preparing of food and meals for the crew on board. They also maintain living quarters of the crew and the mess halls. This department includes Chief Cook, Second cook & General Steward. One can join Catering department only as General Stewards or as Second cook after doing required Pre-sea training. Job/Employment Opportunities 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! Placement may be found on various types of ships such as oil tankers, cargo, containers and as well as offshore vessels. Companies that run merchant ships require trained people who can operate and maintain the ships. Trained people are required for the three main departments of the ship the deck, the engine and the catering department. Therefore, there is enough scope for employment in Indian as well as foreign ships. And since the Merchant Navy offers excellent remuneration and good career prospects, many young people are being attracted to the profession. Pay & perks The pay and perks again depend on company to company. But generally it depends upon the type of the ship, Experience and Competency of an individual. At the starting level a cadet & ratings may get 200-400 US dollar Pm. Among officers a 3rd officer&4th Engineer gets about 1500 – 3000 US dollar, 2nd officer&3rd Engineer 3000 – 4000 US dollar, Chief Officer&2nd Engineer 3000-4500 US dollar and a Chief Engineer & Captain may get 4000-6000 US dollar for month. Masters may draw salaries as high as US $ 8000 to 10000 per month for being on specialized vessels. But again it depends on the company to company. But the advantage of being paid in US dollar is income tax free income. Personal attributes A career in the merchant navy requires people with strong inner self and tough physical form, along with a sporting, adaptive and adjustable attitude. Willing to take on responsibility, love for adventure and challenges; have the urge to strive for higher positions; be able to work as well as study for examinations in between. Candidates need to be intelligent, intuitive, willing to work as a team, flexible, patient; have a liking for solitude, willing to live apart from loves ones for long stretches of time. |
