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Who is a Merchant Navy?
A ship in port is safe, but that’s not ships are built for ~ Grace Hopper
In a career as Merchant Navy, an individual is employed by commercial shipping companies to oversee the transportation of goods across continents and countries. Do you like the sea or do you wish to travel to places on a ship? You can do it as part of your job by becoming a Merchant Navy. A country like India which is peninsular in nature has several seaports and a lot of indigenous product is exported to other countries through waterways.
Therefore, a career as a Merchant Navy officer along with his or her crew makes it possible to take goods from one place to the other. An Individual who opts for a career in Merchant Navy can work as a deck officer, engineer, and ratings. All three have different roles in ensuring that the cargo is transported safely from one place to another. Students who are willing to pursue B. Tech in Marine Engineering, B.Tech in Naval Architecture & Ocean Engineering to prepare themselves for merchant navy jobs after 12th.
Quick Facts for Merchant Navy
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Suitable for
Male, Female, Others
A career as a Merchant Navy officer is suitable for all genders. The Merchant Navy historically has been a bastion for men, but over the past few years, things have changed. With a change in gender roles and the breaking down of stereotypical barriers, women are now entering this field. Gradually, it is becoming a level playing field for both genders.
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Any special needs
No
A career as a Merchant Navy officer is not suited for candidates with special needs. A Merchant Navy officer requires a lot of physical and mental robustness, hence, those who are not physically fit or are specially-abled might not be up to the task. It requires strong eyesight and physical fitness to carry out an everyday task. A Merchant Navy officer has to spend long months on a ship sailing through the sea. Physical fitness is important for this career. A candidate with special needs would not be able to perform.
Table of Contents for Merchant Navy
What is the role of Merchant Navy?
In a career as merchant navy, an individual is responsible for onboard compliance of everyone with rigorous health and safety guidelines, monitoring and maintaining life-saving equipment such as fire fighting equipment and life-saving boats. He or she maintains all legal and operational records of the ship, checks the weather, navigates reports, and takes appropriate actions. The role of the Merchant Navy is to oversee the entire machinery of the ship for everyday use and inspect the mechanical and electrical equipment on board for smooth functioning.
Coordination
The job description of the Merchant Navy is coordination, which helps reduce disputes, rivalries, losses, delays, and other issues in an organization. This guarantees the organization's smooth running. Hence an organization can accomplish its goals easily and effectively with the assistance of coordination within the team. He or she is responsible to check weather and navigation reports and take appropriate action and coordinate the safe loading, storage, and unloading of cargo.
Management,
Merchant Navy officers also manage the care and safety of passengers (if you're working on a ferry or cruise ship), manage ship communication systems, and maintain legal and operational records such as the ship's log. Management is the method of working with objects or individuals or regulating them. To achieve established targets is the cooperation and coordination of a company's activities. Management is also involved as a production factor accompanying machinery, equipment, and materials.
Supervision
Merchant Navy supervises the operation and maintains the deck machinery such as winches and cranes, monitors and maintains safety, firefighting, and life-saving equipment, and oversees the ship to ensure that the highest levels of health and safety are maintained. Commonly supervisory roles comprise work planning and scheduling, decision-making, overseeing performance and compliance, making recommendations and team-building, and maintaining organizational performance.
Maintenance of equipment
As a Merchant Navy officer, one is also required to operate and maintain the mechanical and electrical equipment on board, manage power generation and distribution systems, as well as refrigeration plant, ventilation, and pumping systems, and implement regular equipment inspections and maintenance programmes. The maintenance objective is to show the highest possible performance and efficiency of the manufacturing process, utilities, and supporting infrastructure at optimum cost and under satisfactory quality, safety, and environmental protection conditions.
Types of a Merchant Navy
There are several types of merchant navy officers. We have provided below two major types of merchant navy jobs after the 12th with varying titles and responsibilities.
Deck Officer: A deck officer is also known as a navigation officer. He or she is responsible for making decisions on steering and manoeuvring the ship, controlling navigation and communications. A Deck Officer uses state-of-the-art GPS systems to navigate the ship. He or she is responsible for monitoring the weather reports and making major decisions as required. Operating in an executive body liable for ship navigation, strategizing and safe handling, communications, cargo handling, and delivery and the maintenance of all potentially life-saving equipment, a deck officer's position is crucial onboard a cargo ship.
Engineering Officer: An engineering officer is responsible to maintain the machinery of the entire ship or cruise. He or she oversees the operation of propulsion, fuel, and waste systems. Since the ship is made of steel and plies on saltwater, therefore it requires maintenance and time-to-time inspection. A ship is itself a city on the water which runs through huge engines and other machinery. An engineering officer oversees the functioning of all such machinery.
Also read: Career as a marine engineer
What is the workplace/work environment of Merchant Navy like?
In a career as a merchant navy officer, one has to perform duties in harsh weather conditions. At certain locations the sea is rough and despite this, merchant navy officers have to work round the clock, to ensure that there is the timely and safe delivery of the cargo. There are good chances that the cold weather conditions can take a heavy toll on the physical conditions of a person.
Does Merchant Navy require travelling?
Likely
In a career as a merchant navy officer, the opportunity to see the world and get paid while doing so is the main attraction of the job. Individuals who opt for a career as merchant navy in India are involved in transporting cargo from one place to another, hence there is a lot of travelling involved. In fact, merchant navy officers spend weeks and even months travelling around the globe transporting cargo. Merchant navy officers do dock at ports, but they do not necessarily leave the ship.
Employment Shifts
Full Time
A career as a merchant navy officer offers two shifts full-time and contract basis: Being a merchant navy officer is a full-time job if he or she is working in an office environment. In a career as merchant navy, an individual stay for months at a stretch on the ship. He or she working as merchant navy officers get a compensatory leave allowance for months. In most cases, if merchant navy officers stay for eight months on the ship, he or she gets a compensatory leave for four months. Individuals working on ships are generally hired on a contract basis.
Employment Nature
Contractual, Permanent
In a career as a merchant navy officer, one either works on contractual wages or round-the-year wages. On contractual wages, the salary is paid for the time a person serves onboard. The salary is credited in the first week of every month to the account. Suppose it is a six-month contract, then the person has to stay six months constantly onboard. He would get paid until the end of the contract. Once the officer signs off from the ship, the wages stop. On round the year wages, the officers are paid around the year.
An Individual who opts for a career as merchant navy has to join back the ship once his or her leaves are finished. Generally, he or she gets twenty days of leave for every month he or she has served on the ship. For six months, he or she might serve four months on the ship and will get two months of compensatory leave allowance. If a seafarer does not join back after his or her leaves get finished, then the wages are stopped. While working on a ship, the safety of the ship, cargo, and those around should be of prime importance.
Work Place
Shipyards, Sea, Ship
In a career as a merchant navy officer, one usually works on a ship for long periods. However, after gaining substantial experience some opt to work for company offices looking after the logistics and other work.
Presence in Geographical Area
A career as merchant navy officer requires its employee to work on all kinds of ships, although most merchant marine ships are freighters or tankers that carry cargo. He or she will be away from home for long periods. A Major portion of merchant navy jobs are available in cities near coastal areas like Chennai, Kochi, Goa, and Mumbai are the main spots of merchant business.
Time Pressure
Likely
Individuals who opt for a career as merchant navy have a lot of time pressure is quite high in the profession. A merchant navy officer stays for months at a stretch on the ship. He or she working as merchant navy officers get a compensatory leave allowance for months. In most cases, a merchant navy work schedule includes a merchant navy officer staying for eight months on the ship, and he or she gets a compensatory leave for four months. Navy Merchant working on ships are generally hired on a contract basis.
Overtime Details
Merchant Navy duty time working for marine engineers is eight to nine hours per day. However, sometimes he or she is required to work up to twenty hours per day when involved in bunkering, and engine maintenance.
Weekly Hours of Work
The work conditions of the merchant navy vary. He or she works on a contractual basis have to be full-time on deck depending on the contractual term which is for 6 months or 9 months. After that, he or she gets relieved and may look for other employment opportunities. In a career as merchant navy, individuals who work on a permanent basis get 2 to 3 months off after serving 6 to 8 months on deck.
How to become a Merchant Navy?
Steps to become a Merchant Navy
If you love to be around oceans and seas all the time and love to work in the marine field, then a career as a Merchant Navy is the best career option for you. If you are looking for the details of how to become a Merchant Navy in India, we have mentioned below the steps for how to become a Merchant Navy in India or how to become a Merchant Navy after 12th.
What are the skills and qualities required to become a/an Merchant Navy?
How to join the merchant navy after the 12th? In the next section, we will discuss all the possible paths to how to become a merchant navy. We have mentioned below the required skills needed in merchant navy jobs after the 12th.
Leadership: Individuals who opt for a career as a merchant navy should possess good leadership skills, as one day, the officer will become the captain of the ship, and everyone will look up to him or her for taking important decisions and otherwise also. A good leader must be honest, delegate, confident, and should possess a positive outlook towards every problem. Leadership techniques can make businesses inspire their workers and influence them, and develop confidence in workers. Recognition, strong performance responses and giving employees the resources and tools they need to succeed are important factors that motivate employees.
Communication skills: Individuals who opt for a career as a merchant navy work with multiple teams off-shore. It is important to get the right message across so that there are no discrepancies in the future that might result in something unwanted. To make sure that everyone is on the same page effective communication is essential. Communication in the workplace involves businesses as it helps organizations to be competitive and function efficiently. Employees experience improved efficiency and dedication if they can communicate in a company.
Critical thinking: While off-shore problems can arise without a moment’s notice, to steer out of the problem, it is important for a navy officer to have critical thinking skills. As a merchant navy officer, one must be able to think clearly and rationally, understanding the logical connection between ideas. Clear thinking strengthens your decision-making skills by improving your decision-making behaviours to the point of a conscious and purposeful decision. When completely understood, logic and reasoning allow you to take control of the thought that you will do in each and every aspect of your life.
Decision-making skills: While sailing, there will be times when a person will have to make important decisions. Not delaying and taking the correct decision is important. One must be able to select between two or more alternatives to reach the best outcome in the shortest time. The willingness to make an informed decision and stick to that was the pillar of leadership qualities and knowledge. Decision-making is a process that is underway in any business. Using critical thinking abilities helps one to assess the problems and develop solutions that benefit the business and its employees.
Teamwork: In a career as merchant navy, individuals not only work with their own team but also other teams to ensure the safe delivery of the cargo, hence, it is important for a merchant navy officer to be a good team player. As a merchant navy officer, one must be able to combine his or her skills and ideas with co-workers in pursuit of a goal. Employers are seeking employees with strong teamwork abilities for several reasons because they show leadership, coordination and clear communication along with many other things.
Self Control: The life of a merchant navy officer can be rough, especially while sailing. The pressure is immense, hence, it is important for a merchant navy officer to have great self-control. One needs to be emotionally strong and have a sense of duty towards others as well to ensure their safety. Self-control is the ability to control and modify reactions to prevent inappropriate behaviour, improve positive behaviour, and accomplish long-term objectives. Studies have shown that having self-control could be essential to well-being and quality of life.
Physical strength: While at sea, a merchant navy officer will be exposed to the natural elements for a prolonged period. The body will take a lot of beating, and in order to sustain that, a merchant navy officer has to be physically fit. Just having the right grades and the passion to have a life at sea will not get one career in the Merchant navy.
Physical exercise seems to have multiple health benefits. These health implications have included a decreased incidence of chronic conditions such as obesity, heart and stroke disease, several other types of cancer and anxiety. Workplace physical exercise services will overcome other hurdles.
Mental Strength: In a career as merchant navy, individuals are sailing for a prolonged period of time, enduring the natural elements and the pressure of the job. This can continue for months at a stretch, also without seeing land. This can have an adverse effect on those who are mentally not strong enough.
Also Read: AFCAT Result
Which certifications and internships can be helpful in becoming Merchant Navy?
Internship Availability
In order to have a better understanding of a career as a merchant navy officer, it is always important to go for an internship. No matter how many practical learning experiences your college or university provides, you will get real-world experience by working with a company or an organization. Internships are mandatory in the case of a job of merchant navy officer.
During this time the individual gets to learn all that is expected out of him or her in the field as well as gets the opportunity to polish his or her skills. Internships are a good way for students to apply their theoretical knowledge to practical use. Internships enable students to polish their skills in a field as well as to enhance their knowledge. There is a vast difference between theory and practice therefore, internships are a must. Internships are a good way to make contacts in the field of work as well.
Also Read: NDA Application Form
Career Path Progression for Merchant Navy
We have provided below the Merchant Navy career options description with the progression and responsibilities. In this section, we will discuss the merchant navy job details.
Navigation
Third Officer: A third officer is the junior-most officer in the navigation team and is responsible for the safety of the ship. The third officer reads navigational charts and looks after shipping traffic.
Second Officer: A second officer’s primary responsibilities can vary. Sometimes a second officer works as the navigational officer and in some cases, they also work as medical officers on the ship.
Chief Officer: A chief officer is usually a watchstander and is generally in charge of the ship’s cargo and the ship’s crew. A chief officer can also be the head of safety, head of cargo or storage operations, head of environment and quality, and other aspects.
Captain of the Ship: The captain is the overall in charge of the ship. The captain is ultimately responsible for the ship and the cargo and ensures that the cargo is delivered safely without any untoward incident.
Engineering
Fourth Engineer: A fourth engineer should keep a list of all the inventory and locations of pumps and tools. Record keeping of the machinery being run, and carrying out maintenance work are just some of the duties done by the fourth engineer.
Third Engineer: A third engineer is usually in charge of boilers, fuel, auxiliary engines, and feed systems. A third engineer sometimes carries out maintenance work on the ship and prepares it for arrival at a port.
Second Engineer: As a second engineer, the primary duty of a second engineer is to schedule and oversee maintenance inside the engine room. Apart from providing assistance to the chief engineer, the second engineer is also in charge of the crew of the engine room.
Chief Engineer: The chief engineer is in charge of the entire engineering department. A chief engineer approves the project designs. A chief engineer also designs projects that are within the budget. The chief engineer also approves the budget of the projects, allocates resources and manages the engineering team, and supervises the training of new recruits.
Also Read: UPSC CDS Notification
What is the job outlook for Merchant Navy?
There is a lot of scope in the merchant navy. There is a huge demand for merchant navy careers around the world. As the world is moving towards a consumer-driven society, import-export has increased manifold. Since most of the import-export is being carried out by shipping companies, there will always be a need for people in the merchant navy. Merchant navy salary in India is highly attractive, hence it is a good option for those who want a good starting pay and an adventurous life.
A total of 35 per cent of growth has been witnessed in the employment of Indian seafarers on Indian and foreign ships. In 2017, the employment count for the merchant navy increased from 1,54,349 to 2,08,799 depicting there’s a huge demand for Indian skills globally. The most popular designations for which Indians are being recruited include nautical officers, nautical ratings, and engineers. According to statistics available from the Ministry of Shipping, the number of seafarers employed on Indian flag vessels increased from 22,103 in 2017 to 27,364 in 2018.
The employment figures on foreign ships went up from 60,194 to 72,327 in 2018. India has created a large capacity in imparting classroom training for the merchant navy but there was a major constraint in providing onboard ship training for the students enrolled for classroom training. The shipping ministry made it mandatory for these institutes to arrange for on-board ship training also and this led to the big leap. A policy shift has also been made by holding the training institutes responsible for onboard ship training of the students also and not only for the classroom training.
Also Check: Merchant Navy Salary in India
Frequently Asked Questions for Merchant Navy
Que. Is a merchant navy related to defence services?
Ans.No, the merchant navy is not related to defence services. A merchant navy officer works in the commercial sector of the maritime industry. They perform the shipping of cargo. The people across sea routes aboard cargo ships, tankers and cruise liners.
Que. Are Tattoos allowed in the Merchant Navy?
Ans.Merchant navy has no restrictions on tattoos and piercings. In fact, sailors are the pioneers of nautical tattoo culture. However, since the maritime academies implement high disciplinary standards and expect officers like qualities, they will be less than friendly to funky piercings and offensive tattoos.
Que. Is swimming compulsory for the Merchant Navy?
Ans.It is not compulsory that swimming must be to join the merchant navy. You must have completed your graduation in B.Sc (Nautical Science) or Marine Engineering from a recognized university.
Que. If family is allowed in the merchant navy?
Ans.Individuals who opt for a career as a merchant navy can take their family on board ship only if allowed by the company or when all the norms of the company are complied with. Here “family” for a married person means only the wife and kids and not parents.
Que. What are the top entrance examinations to take in order to have a career in merchant navy?
Ans.Top Merchant Navy Entrance Examinations
JEE Mains | HIMT-OET |
JEE Advanced | TMI-BITS-EE |
Que. What are the top merchant navy colleges in India?
Ans.Top Merchant Navy Colleges are
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Questions related to Merchant Navy
name the top most companies of merchant ships!!
Hello,
Here is the list of some top companies
• APM - MAERSK
• MSC - Mediterranean Shipping company
• COSCO - China ocean shipping company
• CMA CGM
• HAPAG - LLOYD
• ONE - One network express
• Evergreen line
• Yang ming marine transport
• Hyundau merchant marine
Thanks
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