Merchant Navy as career

The Merchant Navy is a very lucrative career option in India. Its a commercial
fleet of ships , which deals with transporting cargo by sea. Its fleet is composed
of cargo ships, oil tankers, chemical carriers ,bulk carriers, car carriers, gas
carriers LPG and LNG ships. A career in this field is full of adventure and long
voyages to exotic places. Above all this, the excellent pay and promising
promotional opportunities make the career lucrative and exciting in spite of all the
hard work life and absence from family and home for sometime. Without shipping
half of the world will freeze and other half will starve.
A career in the shipping industry can give you:

Stimulating and varied work using the latest technology

Exciting responsibility at an early age
Unequalled travel opportunities
Qualifications that are recognized throughout the world
A variety of options as you develop your career
Excellent rewards in terms of lucrative remuneration

The main positions open in the merchant navy are for navigating officers and
marine engineers. They are usually employed by shipping companies on a
contractual basis, which is generally of about four months duration. Earlier a
career in this field was considered purely for men. Women were not generally
known to take up jobs in merchant navy but the past few years have seen a
positive change with many women taking up jobs as navigating officers and also
as marine engineers. career in Merchant Navy can be pursued either as an
officer or a rating in mainly two specialized fields, i.e. Marine Engineering and
Nautical (deck). To become a seafarer, following streams of entries (Pre-Sea
courses) are available to Indian citizens in the Government as well as in private
training institutions (recognized and approved by Director General of Shipping,
Ministry of Shipping):Officers
i.
ii.
iii.
iv.
v.

3 year degree course in B.Sc. Nautical Science for (10+2)

students.
4 year degree course in Marine Engineering for (10+2)
students.
2 year course for Diploma Holders.
1 year course for Graduate Mechanical Engineers.
1 year IGNOU course for Deck Cadets for (10+2) students.

Rating (Entry standard Xth)

i.
6 month Pre-Sea Course for General Purpose (GP) rating.
ii.
6 month Pre-Sea Course for Saloon rating.

In addition, a candidate can join as utility hand or Petty Officers (Fitters) after
completing 4 Basic Courses, i.e. Fire prevention and Fire Fighting (FPFF),
Elementary First Aid (EFA), Personal safety and Social Responsibility (PSSR)
and Personal Safety Techniques (PST).
In Merchant Navy, major tasks performed are under three basic
departments of a ship i.e. the Deck, the Engine and the Saloon Department.
There are thus, many career options that are available for youngsters who have
dreams to join the merchant navy. The deck officers include the captain, chief
officer, second officer, third officer etc. The engine department consists of the
chief engineer, second engineer, third engineer, fourth engineer, electrical officer
and junior engineers. The service department manages the kitchen, laundry and
other services. Jobs are available with shipping companies in India and other
countries.
Prominent government institutes conducting pre-sea courses in
this field are Training Ship Chanakya, Mumbai and Marine Engineering Research
Institute (MERI), in Kolkata and Mumbai and LBS college of advanced maritime
studies and research (LBSCAMSAR) .

Eligibility: FOR B. Sc. NAUTICAL SCIENCE :

The minimum
eligibility for courses in B.Sc. Nautical science is 10+2 or an equivalent
examination with physics, chemistry and mathematics. The candidates should
have 55% in PCM in class XII. Should have minimum of 50% in English in either
in class X or in class XII (any one of the two examinations). The candidates
should have vision 6/6 in each eye without visual aids and no colour blindness.
Candidates age should not have crossed for 12th class applicants is 20 years
and for B. Sc. in Physics, Chemistry or Mathematics is 22 years and for B.E. /B.
Tech. is 24 years. Recently maximum age limit is increased to 25 years .
keeping in mind shortage of seafarers and to facilitate candidates from rural
areas to join the seafaring profession.

Eligibility: FOR MARINE ENGINEERING

1. FOR TRAINEE MARINE ENGINEER : Mechanical Engineering Degree (55%
in final year) from AICTE approved college. must have minimum of 50% in
English in either in class X or in class XII (any one of the two examinations).The
candidate should have vision unaided 6/12 each eye or 6/9 in the better eye &
6/18 in the other. Age should be 24 years or less . Recently maximum age limit is
increased to 25 years keeping in mind shortage of seafarers and to facilitate
candidates from rural areas to join the seafaring profession.

2. FOR JUNIOR ENGINEER: The candidates should have successfully

completed a DG approved Pre-sea course for Mechanical Engineers. The
candidates should have 55% in final year of B.E. Degree. The candidates should
have minimum of 50% in English in either in class X or in class XII (any one of
the two examinations).The age should be for 12th class , less than 20 years, for
B. Sc . candidates be less than 22 years and for B.E/ B. Tech. les than 24 years.
Recently maximum age limit is increased to 25 years keeping in mind shortage of
seafarers and to facilitate candidates from rural areas to join the seafaring
profession.
Candidates wishing to enter the navigational and engineering fields of
Merchant Navy need to complete a Bachelors degree in Nautical Science or
Marine engineering, before they can gain admission to the field.
Selection: Candidates are selected for the three year degree B.Sc. Nautical
Science degree of Training Ship Chanakya by Mumbai University and 1 year presea training for Indira Gandhi national Open University (IGNOU), Mumbai; and
the four-year Marine Engineering degree course at Marine Engineering Research
Institute, in Calcutta and Mumbai, through the Joint Entrance Examination
conducted by the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), which assesses the
candidates knowledge of physics, chemistry and mathematics. The examination
is followed by personal interviews/counseling, where the interviewers assess the
degree of alertness, and awareness of the external environment, in the
candidates and their suitability for a career in the Merchant Navy.
The entry level for a fresh Marine Engineer is at the rank of
junior engineer and a Nautical Science graduate is as a Deck Cadet. Promotions
depend on further examinations conducted by the Merchantile Marine
Department (MMD) , the quality of experience and personal merit. On
successfully completing these examinations the candidate receives the
'Certificates of Competency' (CoC) needed for promotion to the respective
classes. This examination is conducted by the Ministry of Surface Transport, in
association with the Directorate General of Shipping (DGS) Mumbai, for
determining the promotion prospects for the officers.
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. Those opting for a career should not
be sea sick.
Engineers need to be resourceful and practical; skilled at Mathematic and
Physics; have in-depth knowledge about the workings of the different machines.

Manual dexterity is a must; one should be willing to learn new ways and work
with modern technology; and able to work in the deck department as well if need
arises.
Job Prospects and Career Options: Merchant Navy is the backbone of
international trade, carrying cargo across the globe. Without the merchant navy,
much of the import-export business would grind to a halt. And half of the world
will starve.
Job Prospects
Merchant Navy is the backbone of international trade, carrying cargo across the
globe. Without the merchant navy, much of the import-export business would
grind to a halt. Therefore trained personnel is required for various departments
of the ship and this widens the scope for employment in this field.
They are offered jobs in the following major areas :

By various shipping companies in the government and private sector.

Foreign shipping companies also offer good job prospects.

Career options
Deck Department
Deck Officers: Deck officer or navigation officer as the name suggests is in
charge of the navigation of the ship. That particular department is called Deck
department.
Captain or the Master of the ship is in charge of the ship. He is not only
responsible for the safe navigation of the vessel but also for the discipline on the
ship and safety of passengers, crew and the cargo. He must ensure the
observance of national and international codes of conduct guiding sea
transportation. The captain of the ship is further assisted by first mate, second
mate and third mates.
First Mate / Chief officer is the right-hand man to the Captain; the second incommand. He overseers all the cargo planning, assists during navigation,
allocates duties and work for the maintenance and upkeep of the ship to the
Deck Cadets and deck crew, ensures that discipline and order are maintained.
Second Mate / Second officer, assistant to the First Mate is in-charge of
checking all mails and keeping the navigational equipment and charts in good
condition and also assists in navigational watches at sea and cargo watches at
port.

Third Mate / Third officer is responsible for keeping safety equipments -the
lifeboats, firefighting and signaling equipment in top condition; acts in the
capacity of signal officer and assists with cargo work.
The deck department also has other staff with specific duties called 'ratings'.
They act as look outs and helmsmen, assist with the securing of the ship as it
docks at ports and help clean tanks and holds before the cargo is placed in them.
Engine Department
Marine Engineers: Marine Engineers have the complete responsibility of the
ship's technical management.
The main personnel in this department is the Chief Engineer who ensures safe
and economic running of all engines, boilers, electrical, refrigerating and sanitary
equipment, deck machinery and steam connections aboard the ship. He
supervises the work of the engine-room crew and is assisted in his duties by the
Second, Third, Fourth and Fifth Engineers and other junior personnel.
Second engineer looks after the day to day work in the engine room.
Third engineer is in charge of the main engine, spare parts for the main engine,
all purifiers, boilers, compressors etc.
Fourth engineer is in charge of the numerous generators onboard ship as well
as certain small pumps.
Electrical officer. Electrical Officer is responsible for the functioning and
handling of all electrical equipment onboard the vessel.
Saloon Department
The work undertaken here revolves around the living and catering services for all
the crew on board.
Saloon departments comprises of a chief cook ,
messman etc.

cooks , stewards and

Promotion in merchant Navy: Ministry of Surface Transport, Government of

India, takes care of the training needs and conducts competency exam through
MMD of the Directorate General of Shipping (DGS).
Promotions in Merchant Navy: Ministry of Surface Transport, Government of
India, takes care of the training needs and conducts competency exam through
the Directorate General of Shipping (DGS). 'Certificates of Competency' awarded
by the DGS, is needed for promotion to the various respective classes.

Deck Department: A candidate joining as Deck cadet after finishing his

bachelors in Nautical Science, is eligible to appear for his Second Officer/
Second Mate FG - Foreign Going Examination after 18 months of sailing for
IGNOU cadets and 12 months for 3 years B.Sc. nautical Science form Mumbai
University for Training Ship Chanakya and other universities..
Very Attractive Remuneration : The starting salary in foreign companies varies
between US $ 3,000 to US $ 3,500 a month which is also in line with Indian
companies now-a-days. A person gets a variety of benefits such as free food,
accommodation, paid leave, two-way free passage and facilities for families. In
other words, the salary can be saved totally while one is on ship. The perquisites
include bonus, holiday travel and other annual benefits. Foreign companies pay
higher, and a starting salary of $ 1,500 to $ 2,500 can be expected.
Master of a LNG tanker gets about 15,000$ to 18,000 US $ per month where as
a chief engineer gets very close to 15,000 $ per month.

MARITIME TRAINING INSTITUTE

History
Maritime training in India began in 1910 at a shore-based institute called Training
Ship Rahaman, a Charitable Trust, at Nhava Island across Mumbai harbour,
dedicated to training of seamen, cooks and stewards. The Government set up its
first merchant marine training institute on board a 1904-built ex-troops carrier of
the British Navy (used in the First World War) named "Indian Merchant Marine
Training Ship -Dufferin" in 1927 for the navigating and engineer officers. The
training of engineer officers was separated and shifted to Kolkata in 1948, now
known as Marine Engineering and Research Institute.
Around the same time, the Government also set up three training institutes for
training of ratings. In 1967, the Lal Bahadur Shastri College for post-sea training
was set up in Mumbai. Training Ship "Rajendra" replaced "Dufferin" in 1972 and
the present Training Ship "Chanakya" (shore based institute) replaced "Rajendra"
in 1993. However, due to surplus of ratings, the government owned rating
training institutes were shutdown in 1982.
Industry Participation in Maritime Training
(A) Industry Participation in Government Training Institutes
The Shipping Industry has been participating and contributing towards training of
maritime personnel for more than 30 years. The Shipping Corporation of India
was the first to provide support to the government training institutes by deputing
their sailing masters as faculty at these institutes beginning 1974. Other Indian
shipping companies such as India steam ship, Scindias, Dempos, and
Moghul Lines joined in thereafter. Wallems started the Tanker Safety Course in
1984 and later jointly with LBS College, Warsash and MMS, Consultants, U.K.,
which was followed up by Mobil Shipping till it was finally started at the LBS
College in 1987. In 1991, FOSMA, MASSA and INSA in addition to SCI agreed to
put in contracted faculty to the Government training Institutes and shared the
load on an equitable basis. The above industry associations also renovated
several classrooms and contributed substantially for upgradation of facilities of
the government training institutes. In 1992, a high powered committee known as
"Committee on Maritime Education and Training" (COMET) was setup by the
ministry of shipping to look into all aspects of maritime education and training in
India under the chairmanship of Dr. C.P. Shrivastava, Secretary General
Emeritus of the International Maritime Organization. This committee decided to
set up a trust named "Merchant Marine Education and Research Trust" as a joint
venture of the industry to complement and supplement the faculty and the
facilities at training institutes of the Government of India. Ever since that year,
this trust has been receiving contributions from the industry namely INSA,
FOSMA and MASSA for faculty employment and other needs of the government
owned training institutes. To fulfill this obligation and other training initiatives of

the Associations, the foreign principals of the member companies of FOSMA &
MASSA have been very supportive and have been contributing $ 15 I $ 10 I $ 5
per seafarers employed on board their ships per month depending on CBA /
Category. I wish to express sincere gratitude to all the principals of FOSMA &
MASSA companies for their continued support in these endeavors. I also take
this opportunity to thank them on behalf of the Government of India and
particularly the Director General of Shipping. All this has been in addition to and
is not intended to undermine the support provided by the Indian ship owners, viz
SCI & INSA member companies who have been and continue to activity support
the training institutes of the Government, in addition to their own. While on this
topic, may I make a request? As you have seen above, most major employers
have been contributing towards maritime training in India. In spite of that, there
are about one third of the foreign companies, and a large number of Indian
companies, which are not part of this arrangement. This is not an advertisement
forum, therefore, I am not trying to advocate that they should become members
of FOSMA, MASSA or INSA. However, I only wish to reiterate that, if they so
desire, they should equitably, and responsibly, contribute towards the
Government Institutes through MMER T directly, in order to maintain the sanctity
of their operations and a level playing field.
(B) Company Training Institutes
The SCI also started its own Pre-Sea Training Institute for deck cadets in 1974 at
Mumbai. Great Eastern Shipping followed suit by instituting deck cadets training
at Training Ship "Jawahar" at Mumbai in 1975. SCI, Wallems and Mobil jointly
started Advanced Fire Fighting and Survival at Sea (Personal Survival) training at
Training Ship "Rahaman" in 1981. The SCI also started its own specialized
training programme for Oil Tanker in 1982. FOSMA conducted Basic and
Advanced Fire Fighting Courses at SCI's institute for several years.
(C) Associations, Union and Port Institutes
FOSMA started its first training institute at Mumbai in 1991 in collaboration with
Mumbai Port Trust mainly for training of ratings. It also started GMDSS training
for the first time in India in 1993. The post-sea training institutes at New Delhi
and Kolkata were set up in 1992 and 1996 respectively. National Union of
Seafarers of India setup a maritime training academy at Goa for Pre-Sea
Training of General purpose and Salon Ratings, as well as safety modular
courses. National Institute of Port Management, Chennai, and Indian Institute of
Port Management, both port sector institutes, have been conducting maritime
courses, in addition to the port courses since several years. MASSA started postsea training courses at Navi Mumbai in 2001.

Development in India after STCW'95 (Standards of Training , certification

and watch-keeping)
(A) Privatization of Maritime Training:
With a view to facilitate the implementation of STCW'95, particularly to deal with
the backlog of training courses for existing officers and ratings, the Government
of India made a conscious decision to allow private participation in the field of
Maritime Training. Though, initially it started with the "Personal Safety and Social
Responsibilities" (PSSR) course, slowly these training centres equipped
themselves for conducting all the basic level courses. With the growing
requirements of the seafarer's training, the number of such institutes grew very
rapidly. The next few years witnessed the number of institutes and small training
centres growing from the initial 12 to over 130 .
(B) Approval of Maritime Training Institutes
The Directorate General of Shipping developed guidelines for the approval of
training centres for the conduct of the training courses. These guidelines
contained mandatory requirements for faculty and their qualifications,
classroom's size, training equipment, teaching aids, etc as well as the details of
the course curriculum. On receipt of an application for setting up of the institute,
or for introducing any courses, the documents were scrutinized at the Directorate
and thereafter an inspecting team visited the institute and submitted its report to
the Directorate. On being fully satisfied that all the relevant needs for the course
concerned are fully met, the Directorate granted its approval.
Competition, Quality and Growth:
(A) Competition:
After the initial rush to comply with STCW'95, the number of students dwindled.
There was stiff competition between these small training centres for the students
and that began the fight for survival and existence. Very innovative and lucrative
methods were employed to attract the students.
(B) Introduction of new courses:
When left with no alternative, these centres had to think of different strategies.
Many of them geared up start Up-gradation courses from STCW 78 to 95 for
various modular courses as well as for officers. Some institutes also went ahead
to begin higher-level courses such as Radar Observer and ARPA Simulator "as
well as special ship type courses. One very peculiar phenomenon could be
observed from this trend of starting new courses. If one institute went in for a
particular course, whole lot of these institutes went in for the same course
thereby reducing the no of students at all institutes. When all this did not yield
much success because the numbers of existing seafarers had almost exhausted
after complying with the STCW' 95 norms, some new idea had to be created.

Some institutes had started pre-sea training for deck or engine ratings and were
doing reasonably well as far as number of students was concerned. This led to
several institutes lining up for commencement of ratings training. Slowly many of
these institutes also started short duration deck cadets training. However, there
were some large training institutes with lot of space and huge infrastructure
which dedicated themselves to long duration (3 years) degree programme for
deck cadets and 4 years engineering degree programme in addition to 1 year
marine training for graduate Mechanical Engineers.
(C) Quality & Growth:
The large number of institutes led to severe competition, marketing, introduction
of new courses, expansion, new avenues and quality among the training
institutes. After all those experiments, as on date, there are five new specific
areas where more and more institutes are venturing into:
1. Introduction of simulator courses: New simulators are being installed at several
institutes, some for mandatory courses (as per DGS requirements) and also for
many non-mandatory courses. In last 2 years, many new company training
institutes have opened in India and simulator courses. More and more of these
are likely to be set up in future.
2. Long duration pre-sea training for deck cadets and engineers.
3. LPG and LNG Courses and Chemical Tanker Simulator Courses
4. Value added training courses
5. Off-shore courses aimed at India's offshore installations, particularly after the
biggest disaster faced by the Indian Oil Industry, viz. Bombay High North
Platform inferno.
D) Growth of Company Training Institutes:
This period also saw a tremendous growth in the number, quality, facilities and
the type of courses available at the training centres / institutes set up by the
Companies, particularly the Ship Management Organizations. We have Anglo
Eastern, Barbers, Wallems, V. Ships, Confidence/HMS, Selandia, Fleet
Management, Mitsui, Univan, Eurasia, Executive, to name a few prominent
examples, in addition to the Indian shipping Companies like SCI, Tolani and
Great Eastern. Almost every major shipping organization in India today boasts of
State of the art training facility for the in-house company related courses, and
value added courses as well as mandatory courses open to all. These training
institutes have added an entirely new dimension to maritime training in India.
These institutes have an advantage of Company's financial support as well as
feedback from the fleet to identify deficiencies in skills and to take corrective
actions.

A look at the Indian Maritime Training Institutes:

Sanctioned Capacity in terms of student intake for various courses
(Capacity-Wise)
Sanctioned Capacity Number of Institutes Number of Courses at these
Institutes
Above 500
9
19 to 39
300-500
11
7 to 21
150-300
22
4 to 20
100-150
18
1 to 9
Below 100
52
1 to 7

Sanctioned Capacity- Region Wise

Region Number of
Institutes
West
48
South
34
East
20
North
10

Sanctioned
Capacity
8410
6227
2954
2490

Number of Courses at Average Number of

all these institutes
Courses per institute
318
6.6
222
6.5
120
6.0
95
9.5

Course wise Capacity of Training Institutes

Number of Courses
20-40
10-19
5-9
<5

Number of Institutes
9
14
31
58

Sanctioned Capacity of students -in major Cities

City Number
Sanctioned Average
Number
Average Number of
of
Capacity Capacity per
of
Courses per institute
Institutes
institute
Courses
Chennai 16
4211
263
151
9.4
Cochin 5
718
144
29
6
Delhi
5
2214
442
79
16
Goa
6
689
115
24
4
Kolkata 16
2448
153
106
6.6
Mumbai 32
6754
211
273
8.5

Number of students at a given time on the campus

Number of Students
> 500
200 to 500
100 to 200
< 100

Number of Institutes
15
22
34
41

ANNUAL OUTPUT CAPACITY OF STUDENTS (PRE-SEA TRAINING)

Course
Number Annual
of
Output
Institutes Capacity
1 year Pre-sea for Deck Cadets
24 1550
3 year Pre-sea for Deck Cadets (B. Sc. Nautical)
7
506
Total for Deck Cadets
2056
1 year Pre-sea for Graduate Mechanical Engineers
11
4 ears Pre-sea for Engineer trainees (B.E. Marine Eng) 14
2 year Pre-sea for Diploma Mechanical Engineers
5
3 year Pre-sea for Engineer trainees (ATS)
5
4 year work shop training for Mechanical Engineers
4
Total for Engineer Trainees

3 year polyvalent/ dual / alternate Certification

614
1046
121
198
95
2074

240

TOTAL OUTPUT CAPACITY OF OFFICER TRAINEES 4,370 PER YEAR

General Purpose (GP) Ratings

Saloon Ratings
Total Ratings per year

29
13

8080
2280
10360

(records are taken till end of 2006)

GP ratings and Certificate course in Maritime Catering (CCMC), Saloon rating
courses are increased to 6 months from 4 months . The examination is
conducted by Board of Examinations for seafarers Trust (BEST) Ratings Exit
Examination in June and December months every year after 6 months scheduled
training on behalf of Directorate General of Shipping (D.G.S.)

June 2007 Total GP Rating candidates (6 months) appeared for Rating exit
examination
1927

June 2007 - Total CCMC saloon rating candidates (6 months) appeared for
Rating exit examination
259
Mandatory requirements for Training Institutes
1. As per D. G. regulations, ISO Certification was made mandatory for all training
Institutes.
2. All teaching faculty had to be approved by D.G. and should also hold the
Training for Trainers and Assessors (TOTA) Certificate.
3. All Institutes are subject to annual inspections by the regional academic
councils. In addition, they have to be inspected for the every new course
approval and of course, there are unscheduled or surprise inspections.
4. All training institutes were required to be registered as a charitable trust or a
NON-PROFIT Company with secular education and training as the prime
objective.
5. All pre-sea training institutes to comply with comprehensive guidelines laid
down by D. G. Shipping, which includes the campus area not to be less than 2.5
acres if in cities and 5 acres outside cities.
6. All Engineering pre-sea institutes are encouraged to have a ship in campus
(What they actually mean is an engine room in campus)
7. All pre-sea training institutes to be graded by independent organizations, viz.
ICRA, CRISIL or CARE.
8. A specifically designed "HRD Module" made mandatory for all pre-sea training
courses for officers. It would also be introduced for the Ratings training very
soon. Case studies have been introduced in the curriculum for various levels to
improve inter-personal relationships and human behaviour.
9. Officer of the Watch Navigation Simulator of full mission type to be installed at
all pie-sea training institutes for deck cadets and polyvalent cadets.
10. All existing institutes carrying out Simulator training to upgrade to full mission
simulators for Liquid Cargo Handling and Engine Room Simulation.
11. All pre-sea training institutes for officers to arrange to carry out psychometric
testing of the students at Government designated Centres before admission.
Similar requirement is also being introduced for Ratings very soon.
Over and above, there are numerous circulars to be complied with and these
circulars keep coming at a very regular frequency.
Opportunities and Challenges
Considering that India is the leading nation in the world with young population,
with sound basic education and fluency in English, the opportunity for the youth
to take up seafaring as a career, is enormous provided, we can maintain a very
high quality of training at our maritime institutes and evolve as per the
requirements of the Industry. Institutes should be encouraged to enhance the
standards on a continual basis in order to maintain quality of training and to meet
the growing expectations of the employers and keep pace with the technological
and the legislative changes. In addition to the above, it is important that the
training institutes maintain a right balance between the theoretical education and

practical training in order to ensure that we produce the officers and ratings with
the skills to carry out ship-board duties efficiently and correctly.
Inter-personal communication skills, behavioural patterns under specific shipboard conditions, multi-tasking skills, commitment to the profession, and life on
board a ship with multinational, multiethnic crew need to be given special
importance. In short, if the ultimate objective is kept in mind as to what the
trainee is being trained for, what work is expected of him on the ship, what
knowledge he/she should possess for carrying our routine duties, maintenance,
operations and dealing with emergencies, and the mental and physical make up
necessary for the shipboard conditions and environment, stress on safety,
pollution prevention and security on board ships, etc. there is no reason why our
institutes cannot deliver the best of best. With the above in mind, we need to
introspect, are we doing it right, if not, we need to take corrective measures.
It is also a fact that Indian nationals also go to various oilier countries mainly UK,
Australia and Singapore for undergoing maritime training for a variety of
reasons. It is almost important that the Indian training institutes should not only
lure them in the Indian mainstream of maritime training but also market
themselves to prospective students of other countries (SAARC / West Asia Gulf
& African Continent)
Indian Institute of Maritime Studies (llMS) .
From 2002, the FOUR Government-owned training institutes have been placed
under the , control of an apex body registered as a Society for educational
purposes. The Society is headed by the Minister of Shipping and has
representatives from the Government, Industry, Professional Bodies and Experts
from various fields on its Governing Board. The Government has been providing
grants to this body to meet the deficit for last 3 years, and the Industry has been
supporting these institutes by providing faculty and other staff, as well as meeting
other needs from time to time.
.
It is our earnest request to the Government to continue its funding and the'
Industry to continue its support in this unique "Government-Industry partnership"
for maritime training, probably one of its own kind in the world.

Setting up of Indian Maritime University

Given below is the list of Indian universities affiliating colleges and supervising
and monitoring them as well as conducting exams for the award of degrees to
the graduates in maritime field. (the Universities conducting multiple courses has
been highlighted)

Sr.
No.

Name of the
University

1.

Indira Gandhi
National Open
University,
New Delhi

2.

3.
4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

9.
10.

Name of
Course

Type of course

B. Sc. 3-year degree course for

Nautical
deck cadets
Science

Number of
colleges
affiliated
24

B. Sc.
3-year degree course for
2
Nautical
deck cadets
University of
Science
Mumbai
B.E. Marine 4-year degree for marine
1
Engineering engineering trainees
B. Sc.
3-year degree course for
1
Maritime
polyvalent /Dual/ Alternate
Science
Certification STCW Ch. VII
B. Sc.
3-year degree course for
1
Nautical
deck cadets and Navigating
Technology
officers
Jadhavpur University, B.E. Marine 4-year course for marine
1
Kolkata
Engineering Engineering trainees
Birla Institute of
B. S.
4-year degree course for
3
Technology &
Nautical
deck cadets
Science (BITS)
Technology
B. S.
4-year degree course for
1
Maritime
polyvalent cadets
Technology
Anna University,
B. Sc.
3-year degree course for
1
Chennai
Nautical
deck cadets
Science
B.E. Marine 4-year course for marine
4
Engineering
engineering trainees
West Bengal
B. Sc.
3-year degree course for 1
Technical
Nautical
deck cadets
University,
Science
Kolkata
B.E. Marine
4-year course for marine 1
Engineering trainees
Allagappa University,
B. Sc.
3-year degree course for 1
Chennai
Nautical
deck cadets
Science
Yashvantrao Chavan
B.E. Marine 4-year course for marine
1
Maharashtra Open
Engineering
Engineering trainees
University
Rajasthan Vidyapeeth
B.E. Marine 4-year course for marine 1
Engineering Engineering trainees
Uttar Pradesh
B.E. Marine
4-yearcourse for marine 1
Technical University .
Engineering
Engineering trainees 1

11.

Biju Patnaik ..
University of
Technology, Orissa

Marine
Engineering

4-year course for marine

Engineering trainees

India has "Eleven" Maritime Universities". In an endeavour

towards providing academic equivalence and mainstream educational
recognition to the seafarers' qualifications, to enhance the social status and to
open further developmental opportunities in education or management field, all
officer level pre-sea courses are linked to a Bachelor's degree from a University.
BITS, Pilani already had a B.S. Programme in place in Nautical Science through
Distance Education. The Post-Graduate Diploma in Maritime Operations and
Management for Chief Engineers has already been in place for last 3 years at
Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur. Indian Institute of Technology,
Kharagpur, Cochin and Chennai provide a full-fledged 4-year programme in
Naval Architecture. The Masters degree programme for deck officers is being
introduced shortly. Efforts are also in hand to ensure that all Rating Courses also
lead to a Diploma qualification. Having said that and notwithstanding the number
of above Universities, we are in the process of setting up the "Indian Maritime
University" the one and only one of its kind
anywhere in the world. The proposal from the Director-General of Shipping to set
up a University dedicated only for maritime courses has received very favourable
response at the Ministry of Shipping and has now been sent to the Cabinet of
Ministers. An allocation for Rs. 200 Crores (About,45 Million Dollars) has been
made for this purpose. This will make us first in the world to have a dedicated
maritime University and thereby raising the status of this country as supplier of
most qualified, educated, intelligent and most competent officers and crew for
the World fleet. As per the information, available, the following are the statistics
regarding availability of active officers and crew:

DECK OFFICERS
Masters FG
Chief Mat
Watch-keeping Officers FG
NCV & Others
Total

4474
1978
5248
1327
13027

ENGINEER OFFICERS
Chief Engineers
Second Engineers
Watch-keeping Engineers
NCV & Others
Total
RATINGS
GP crew including trainees
Deck Ratings
Eng Ratings
Saloon Crew Including trainees

4676
2515
4331
1327
12620
13872
21352
7612
11976

OTHER OFFICERS/PETTY OFFICERS

Electrical Officers
3791
Medical Officers
25
Fitters / Pursers / ERPOs / POMs
8271
Radio Officers with 2nd Class COP
1107
Other National CDC
3690
Others, Off-Shore, etc
2624
Total
19508
Limitations, Restrictions and Bottlenecks:
A simple comparison of the Annual Output from the pre-sea training institutes
for Officers (Deck -2056, Engine -2074, Polyvalent -240) with the statistics
regarding availability of Officers, its easy to draw inference that the output from
training institutes is not translating into certificated officers. One specific
bottleneck can be identified:
Insufficient on board training berths:
The deck or engine cadets are not being placed for on-board training.
Notwithstanding the claims made by all the companies, both Indian and Foreign,
it is a fact that we are not training enough cadets on-board ships. If we were to
have sufficient number of officers available for manning the Indian and Foreign
fleet, we need to at least DOUBLE the on-board training berths for officer
trainees. It is our earnest appeal to the Indian as well as foreign companies to
kindly seriously look into this matter. There is no short cut or alternative to onboard training. I request to the Indian companies, particularly after being put on
the "Tonnage Tax Regime to utilize their all available on-board training
capacity to the fullest extent. If the Government of India, and the public
exchequer have exempted them from the payment of Corporate Tax, the least
they can do for the public of this country, out of these concessions from the
public money, is to train the educated youth as seafaring officers and Ratings in
the national interest.
Though, we understand that the proposal to operate a dedicated
Training Ship with 200 berths is already at an advanced stage, and we are

awaiting the operation to begin. The National Maritime Development Programme

of the Government of India has made a provision for operating two training ships.
Most heartening is the move by the Maersk Line to train 200 to 300
polyvalent/Dual officer cadets, totally at their own cost from India from this year.
The other foreign companies should follow the example set by Maersk Line. If
India has to be the world's destination for Competent maritime manpower, we
need to substantially enhance the number of trainees on board foreign ships.
There are sufficient numbers of educated, dedicated and talented young persons
available in this country who want to make Shipping as their career. There is
sufficient capacity available at the pre-sea training institutes, and the DirectorGeneral has assured us to double the capacity in no time, if need be, but the onboard training slots are not forth coming .If we are able to improve on the above
issue, Shortage of Officers, and escalating manning costs will not be discussed
and debated in future.

GP & CCMC, Saloon Rating Institutes

Name of the training Institute
Approved for GP
BP Marine Academy, Mumbai
120
Bonzer Academy, Mumbai
40
Columbus Marine Training Institute, Mumbai 40
Arya Marine , Mumbai
40
T.S. Rahaman, Mumbai
120
Yak Education Trust, Mumbai
80
Mumbai Maritime Training Institute, Mumbai
40
Maritime Foundation, Chennai
70
Maritime officers Training Academy, Chennai 40
Sriram Institute of Marine Studies, Delhi
40
Baba Marine Institute
40
International Maritime Academy, Kolkata
240
Marine Training Academy
80
Eurotech Maritime Academy
80
Nusi Maritime Academy
40
Sea scan Maritime Foundation
40
Orissa Maritime Academy, Paradip, Orissa
40
Balaji seamans training, Chennai
80
Srichakra maritime college, Chennai
40
Aquatech Institute of Maritme studies
40
Francon Institutes
Nil
Nusi Maritime Academy
120
Hindustan Institute of Maritime Training, Chen 120
Sea scan Maritime Foundation
80
Maritime Education Training and research ins 80
Trident college of Marine Technology
80
Asha International Institute of Marine Tech
40

CCMC
50
Nil
---Nil
Nil
Nil
30
Nil
Nil
Nil
Nil
Nil
Nil
30
30
--Nil
--Nil
Nil
30
30
30
30
40
---Nil

Tamilnadu Maritime Academy

Commander Alis Academy of Merchant Navy
Cosmopolitan Technology of Merchant Navy
Southern Academy of Marine studies, Chennai
J. Sons Merchant navy Institute
Indus seafarers Training Academy

30
40
80
80
40
40

Nil
Nil
Nil
--Nil
Nil

Lal Bahadur Shastri Nautical College of Advanced Maritime Studies and

Research (LBSCAMSAR) , Mumbai which gives preparatory training
programme for Second Officers Foreign going Exam has made college
attendance of 4 months compulsory to appear for the Certificate of Competency
(CoC) Examination conducted by Merchantile Marine Department (MMD) .
Besides physics and Mathematics a student is tested in Ship stability and Ship
Construction, Meteorology, Principles and Practical navigation, Chart work;
written as well as oral and the cadets knowledge of practical seamanship. There
are few private institutes who also conducts these training programme.
After completing 9 months of sailing time the third/second officer can
appear for the First Mate Foreign Going Examination Phase-I (3 months
compulsory class) and after completing 18 months of sailing time the
third/second officer can appear for the First Mate Foreign Going Examination
Phase-II (3 months compulsory class again) . The candidates is required to clear
Written and also oral examination on various functions like Navigation, Cargo
handling and stowage, Navigational aids, Naval Architecture, Engineering
knowledge etc. Here again the candidate is required to attend 6 months classes
in Lal Bahadur Shastri Nautical College, Mumbai. A further period of 12 to 18
months sailing time is required before a candidate can appear for Masters foreign
Going Exam. The candidate is required to attend 1 month compulsory class in
Advanced shipboard management (ASM) in D.G. approved training institutes.
The process of rising from a deck cadet to the master of a ship will take a
minimum of at least 12 years.
Engineering Department: A candidate joining as Engine cadet/ Fifth Engineer
officer/ Junior Engineer after finishing Bachelors in Marine Engineering is eligible
to appear for class IV examination for promotion to the fourth Engineer or in
some cases as Third Engineer. After completing further 18 months of sea time of
which minimum 12 months is propelling time the candidate can appear for class
II examination for promotion to Third Engineer or Second Engineer. Again on
completion of 18 months sailing time candidate can appear for Class I
examination for promotion to chief Engineer officer.

IGNOU Recognized Centers for the Program for IGNOU B.Sc. Nautical
science - 1 year pre-sea training programme
1. Vel's Academy of Maritime Studies, Chennai
2. National Institute of Port Management, Chennai
3. Academy of Maritime Education Training, Kannur
4. Hindustan Institute of Maritime Training (HIMT), Chennai
5. SAMS, Chennai
6. Sailors Maritime Academy, Chennai
7. International Maritime Academy, Chennai
8. Maritime Foundation, Chennai
9. Indian Center for Advancement of Research and Education, Midnapore
10. Euro Tech Maritime Academy, Cochin
11. Trident College of Marine Technology, Kolkata
12. Maritime Training Institute, Mumbai
13. BP Marine Academy, Mumbai
14. T.S. Rahman, Mumbai
15. T.S. Chanakya, Mumbai
16. Applied Research International, New Delhi
17.International Maritime Institute, Noida
18. Mumbai Maritime Training Institute, Raigad

Other Training Institutes Engineering and Post sea Training

1. College Of Engineering (Andhra University), Waltair, Visakhapatnam-530003,
(Andhra Pradesh)
2. Indian Marine College, P.S. No. 1262, Kachiguda Station Road, Hyderabad
500027, (Andhra Pradesh)
3.International Marine Communication Centre, 134/3 R.H. Road, near Luz
Corner, Mylapore, Chennai 600004, (Tamil Nadu)
4. Lal Bahadur Shastri College of Advanced Maritime Studies & Research, Hay
bunder, Sewri, Mumbai - 400033, (Maharashtra)
5. Maharashtra Academy of Naval Education and Training(MANET),Gat No. 140,
Loni Kalbhor, Rajbaug, Pune-Solapur Highway, Pune-412 201, (Maharashtra)
6. Marine Engineering & Research Institute, Hay Bunder Road, Mumbai 400
033, (Maharashtra)
7. Marine Engineering Research Institute, P-19, Taratolla Rd, Kolkata-700088,
(West Bengal)
8. Mohamed Sathak Engineernig College,Kilakarai - 623 806, Ramanathapuram
Dist., Tamil Nadu, (Tamil Nadu)
9. PVPP's (Padmabhushan Vasantdada Patil Pratishthan's) College Of
Engineering, Eastern express highway, Near Everad Nagar, Chunabhatti,
Chembur, Mumbai-400022, (Maharashtra)
10. R.L Institute of nautical science,TVR Nagar, Aruppukottai Road, Madurai625022, Tamil Nadu, (Tamil Nadu)
11. Rajasthan Vidhyapeeth (Deemed)University, (Rajasthan)
12. T.S. Chanakya, Karave, New Mumbai 400706, (Maharashtra)
13. Tolani Maritime Institute, Talegaon - Chakan Road, Induri, Talegaon, Pune 410 507, (Maharashtra)

T. S. CHANAKYA, NAVI MUMBAI

This is a shore based academy, which carries the reputation and tradition of T.S.
Dufferin and T.S. Rajendra. The Institute is of international repute and the
alumni of the institute are well known worldwide. The admission to this Institute
for three year degree course is done through Joint Entrance Exam (JEE)
conducted by IIT. The candidate should not be more than 20 years of age, on 1st
October and should have cleared screening test of IIT, to apply for this course.
After qualifying the screening test of the IIT, the boy who is keen to pursue the
career in Merchant Navy, as a Deck Officer, has 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 news papers of the country in the month of July and
December every year, giving procedure for admission. After completing a 3-year
course at T.S. Chanakya, a student is awarded Degree in Nautical Science by
Mumbai University and is required to go on board ship for one year sea
training. The cost of the training in T.S. Chanakya is about Rs. 30,000. per year
including tuition fees, hostel and messing. Personal expenses are to be borne by
the student. T S. Chanakya also conducts 1 year Pre-Sea Deck Cadets for
IGNOU Course. The candidates should be less than 20 years of age on the
commencement of the course and should have minimum 60% of marks in P.C.M.
at 10+2 level or 55% marks in the B. Sc. and should be below 22 years of age or
should have passed B.E./ B. Tech. from a college recognized by AICTE and is
below 24 years of age. The advertisement for this course is published 2 months
before the commencement of the course in Employment News and other leading
news papers. After completion of the course, the candidate is to obtain requisite
sea time of 2 to 3 years before appearing for 2nd Mate competency exam. During
their sea attachment, these candidates, usually, are paid nominal pocket
allowances by the shipping companies, in addition to free messing and
accommodation on the ship. For further details, contact Capt. Superintendent,
T.S. Chanakya at the following address :
Capt. Superintendent, Training Ship Chanakya, Karave, Navi Mumbai., Tel.
022- 770 3876.
MARINE ENGINEERING & RESEARCH INSTITUTE (MERI), KOLKATA.
This Institute was established in 1949 to impart training to marine engineering
cadets and is presently situated at Kolkata. The Institute conducts 4 year degree
course in Marine Engineering recognized by AICTE and affiliated to University of
Jadhavpur. The admission to this course is also done through Joint Entrance
Exam (JEE) of IIT and the eligibility for this course is same as of Training Ship
Chanakya and the admission to this Institute is also conducted along with the
selection to the T.S. Chanakya on the basis of the merit list provided by JEE, IIT.
The admission procedure and the fees for this course is also in line of T.S.

Chanakya as mentioned above. For any further query, the Director, MERI,
Kolkata, may be contacted at the following address :
Marine Engineering & Research Institute, P-19, New Taratalla Road, Kolkata
700 088, Tel. 033- 401 4673
MARINE ENGINEERING & RESEARCH INSTITUTE (MERI), MUMBAI.
This Institute is situated at Mumbai at Hay bunder and provides 1 year Pre-Sea
Training to graduate Mechanical Engineers to enable them to go on ships as
Junior Engineers. To be eligible for this course, the candidate should have
passed engineering degree in mechanical or in Naval Architecture from the
AICTE recognized Institute. The selection is done on the basis of merit and the
advertisement for this course is published in Employment News and other
leading news papers in the month of November every year. The address is :
Marine Engineering & Research Institute, Hay Bunder Road, Mumbai 400
033, Tel. 022- 3723577,E-mail - meribom@vsnl.com
LAL BAHADUR SHASTRI COLLEGE OF ADVANCED MARITIME STUDIES
AND RESEARCH, MUMBAI
Lal Bahadur Shastri College of Advanced Maritime Studies and Research is a
premier post-sea Maritime Education and Training Institute offering a
comprehensive range of courses for Merchant Navy Officers. The college was
established by the Ministry of Transport, Government of India, in 1948.
In addition to Government Training Institutes, there are number
of private training institutes which are conducting pre-sea courses for Nautical as
well as Engineering candidates both for 10+2 students and engineering
candidates. These institutes follow their own selection procedure, which is
published regularly in the news papers. For further details, these institutes may
be contacted. The institutes provide training to the students and are recognized
by the Directorate General of Shipping, Government of India. But on completion
of the training, the students have to appear for the competency examination,
which enable them to be employed on board Merchant Ships. It is necessary for
all candidates to obtain a Certificate of Competency from Directorate General of
Shipping, Government of India, the certificates are recognized and respected by
all the countries. The examinations for these certificates are conducted by the
D.G. Shipping through Mercantile Marine Departments. The 1st exam for 2nd
Mate (Deck) and MEO IV (Engineering) is to be given by the candidates after
successfully completing the Pre-Sea Training in the above institutes and required
sea time on ships. After acquiring the Certificate of Competency, the officer is
eligible to be appointed as 3rd Officer / 5th Engineer on board Merchant Ship and
draw a handsome salary. For subsequent promotion, he has to render further

sea service and pass higher examinations and post-sea courses at LBS College
(Govt. of India) or in other private training institutes.
In addition to the above entries for officers, the candidate can join
Merchant Navy as rating on board ship. The minimum qualification for rating is
10th standard with Mathematics and Science and the age limit is less than 24
years at the commencement of the course. After completing the course, the
trainees are required to go on ship minimum for 6 months to earn their watchkeeping certificate. After obtaining the Watch Keeping Certificate, they can sail
on ships as rating for Deck/Engine Room/Saloon/Petty Officers and are paid
handsome salary.