Pursuing a Life at Sea: India's Merchant Navy Recruitment Process

Exploring various cultures, managing cargo, determining ship direction, maintaining and cleaning ships, and traveling the world. This is what a merchant navy officer's daily activities entail.

For those who have the travel bug, it is an exciting and challenging career. They are paid to do what they enjoy most: travel. On the other hand, because they won't see their family for months, their work-life balance may suffer. They receive 4-5 month vacations after working for a stretch of 6-7 months. So they benefit from having the best of both worlds.

A tax-free job is in the merchant navy. Yes, you read that right. As long as you have lived outside of India for more than six months, you are exempt from paying any taxes to the government. In this article, we will go over how to join the merchant navy, the best universities, requirements, and the field's potential.

Recommended Reading: 10 Exciting Careers That Let You Skip the 9-to-5 Life If You Hate It

How to Join the Indian Merchant Navy

Engineer and Cadet are the two main profiles available for joining the Merchant Navy.

1. A navigating officer or deck cadet

In this category, the career will begin as a Deck Cadet, and the primary duties will be maintaining and operating the ship, its tanks, cargo, etc. They are in charge of supervising the cargo's loading and unloading. They will then gain experience and advance to the positions of third officer, second officer, and chief officer.

Education Needed to Join the Merchant Navy as a Cadet

You can work toward your B.S. if you want to enlist as a cadet. Sc BS in nautical science B Sc Marine Sc Seafood catering, etc. If you want to work in the merchant navy, you should have PCM in your 12th grade year.

Admissions Procedure for Merchant Navy Cadets

You must pass the IMU CET, which is administered by the Indian Maritime University. You become eligible for B once you pass the IMU-CET. All of the colleges associated with Indian Maritime University offer a nautical science major. After the entrance exam, there is an interview and a medical examination.

JEE - The JEE exam, which is administered by the IITs, is used to determine admission to a number of government colleges. The entry into T S National Maritime Academy in Chennai and the Kolkata-based Chanakya Marine Engineering & Research Institute is based on JEE scores. They must complete the IMU forms as well.

Exams & Training to Become a Merchant Navy Cadet

The candidates spend a year in the Maritime Training Institute undergoing pre-sea training after completing the course and before joining the ship as a Cadet. Following graduation and prior to joining the ship as a cadet, it is a required training. It is a later graduation; it is not a part of your graduation.

The cadets are stationed on ships for training for about 18 months after completing pre-sea training. The cadets may disperse over various ships for their intermission break. Cadets are paid between $15 and $40,000. Following their training, they are qualified to take the competency test offered by the Indian government. You can board the ship as a third officer after passing this exam. Cadets advance in position after gaining ship experience and passing a few exams. Typically, it takes 11 years to rise to the top position, i e Owner of the ship

Following their training, they are qualified to take the competency test offered by the Indian government. You can board the ship as a third officer after passing this exam. Cadets advance in position after gaining ship experience and passing a few exams. Typically, it takes 11 years to rise to the top position, i e Owner of the ship

Colleges with a B B.Sc. in Nautical Science Diploma in Nautical Science or a Sc in Marine Science

Applied Research International School of Maritime Studies, Anglo Eastern Maritime Academy, HIMT College (Hindustan Institute of Maritime Training), Great Eastern Institute of Maritime Studies, etc.

Other entrance exams include the WBJEE (West Bengal Joint Entrance Examination), the CUSAT CAT (Cochin University of Science and Technology), the TMI SAT (Tolani Maritime University), etc.

Think Beyond Engineering: 15 Trending Careers to Pursue with a PCM Combination is a recommended read.

Engineer 2.

Beginning employment will be as a Cadet or Junior Engineer. Third Engineer, Second Engineer, and Chief Engineer are the additional positions. With sea experience and various exams offered at each level, you will advance in the position. They maintain the generator, engine, boiler, etc. and confirm that each machine on the board is in good working order.

Education needed to become a Merchant Navy Engineer

You should pursue a bachelor's degree in one of the following fields if you want to work as an engineer:

• Engineering for the Sea
• Engineering for the sea and offshore
• Energy Engineering
• Automotive Engineering
• Ocean and Harbour Engineering
• Engineering, Civil
• Engineering, Electrical & Electronics

Admissions to the Merchant Navy's Engineering Program

You must pass the IMU CET, which is administered by the Indian Maritime University. You become eligible for B once you pass the IMU-CET. B.S. in Nautical Science such as a tech in marine engineering in each of the Indian Maritime University-affiliated colleges

JEE - JEE scores are used by some government colleges to determine who gets admitted. You can take JEE and enroll in conventional engineering colleges since engineers can join the Merchant Navy as well.

Training and Examination: Before being sent on board, they are also sent for a year of pre-sea training. After that, they spend about six months in training on board the ship. After completing their training, they take the competency test and become the fourth engineer on ships. They must complete sea duty and take competency tests in order to advance up the ladder.

Best Universities for Engineers in the Merchant Navy

B Tech (Marine Engineering): Samundra Institute of Maritime Studies, Coimbatore Marine College, Euro Tech Maritime Academy, HIMT College (Hindustan Institute of Maritime Training), etc.

Coimbatore Marine College, HIMT College, Hindustan Institute of Maritime Training, among others offer postgraduate degrees in marine engineering.

Engineering schools with a long history include the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), the National Institute of Technology (NIT), the Birla Institute of Technology (BITS), the Vellore Institute of Technology, the Netaji Subhas Institute of Technology, and others.

Qualifications for Entry into the Merchant Navy

Subjects for the 12th grade

You should receive at least a 60% in your class 12 science courses (Physics, Chemistry, and Mathematics). Additionally, you must have 50% in English.

Status of Relationships

You must not be married when you join.

Eye Vision

If you're going for B Science (Maritime, etc.) (should have six points for each eye) If you're a member of B tech (Marine Engineering), you will be given a plus or minus 2 tolerance. 5 Unaided vision needs to be at least 6/12 in both eyes, or at least 6/9 in the good eye and 6/12 in the other. The use of any form of color blindness is prohibited.

Age

You must be at least 17 years old when you join and no older than 22 years old when you apply. If you want to join following B Sc/B tech, your age should not exceed 25–28 (Varies for various positions)

Physical condition

It's important to be physically fit to join the merchant navy. Before beginning the course, you would need a doctor's certificate.

Indian Merchant Navy's Purpose

The field has a wide range of potential applications, and the Merchant Navy is one of the most lucrative professions. Different ship types transport various types of cargo. Depending on their interests or job availability in the market, they can find employment.

Cadets' starting pay ranges between $40 and $50,000. The maintenance of the ship is typically the cadet's responsibility, and they aid the officers in their work. Their pay would increase to between 90k and 120,000 after completing the sea phase, competency exams, and joining the ship. Similar to that, engineers start out making about $50,000 and can make up to $1,000,000 or more.

Engineers are in charge of the ship's smooth operation and deal with technical problems. Although salaries vary between companies, gas tankers typically pay 20–30% more. They can work with a variety of cargoes, including the following:

Following completion of your education, you can join a variety of cargos. You can pick the type of ship you want to join, but it will entirely depend on the availability of different fields.

Types of Cargo for the Merchant Navy

• Unpackaged bulk cargo such as ore, coal, cement, grains, etc. is transported by bulk carriers, also known as bulkers.
• Reefer Ships: Reefer ships are made to transport perishable goods like fresh produce, dairy products, meat, fish, and fruits. These goods require a system that regulates temperature.
• Roll-on, roll-off ships transport cargo with wheels, including cars, trucks, railroad cars, etc. The ramps are constructed so that vehicles can be rolled on and off quickly.
• Oil tankers, also known as petroleum tankers, are intended to transport large quantities of oil. Crude tankers and product tankers are the two different types of oil tankers. Separate from other types of ships, chemical tankers transport chemicals in large quantities.
• Designed to transport liquefied natural gas, LNG carriers are one of the rapidly expanding segments of the merchant navy. It is one of the industries with the best pay.

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