Search Colleges, Courses, Exams, Questions and Articles

Ask a query on 8879100846 Ask Login | Sign Up

 

 
› Careers › Merchant Navy Officer

Career as Merchant Navy Officer

Merchant Navy is a career that places you in the profession that serves as the backbone of global trade of any nation. It is considered as the major contributor of trading owned by both government bodies as well as private firms. For students who are looking for a commercial sea career and are interested in travelling, Merchant navy is a perfect option to choose as a career. Various courses on Nautical Science, Marine Engineering, Naval Architecture and Offshore Engineering, Petroleum Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Harbour and Ocean Engineering are already being pursued. Now candidates are also looking out for the engine rating course, deck rating course, and saloon rating course as good career prospects for placements in merchant navy companies. This career also gives you a good package and a travelling opportunity. As an additional perk, many companies also allow families to travel with their employees.

Job Profile

Career as Merchant Navy Officer
The nature of the merchant navy job is full of thrill, adventure and great opportunity to travel across the world. The best part is you don’t need to worry about travelling to your office daily. Your ship is your workspace and residence as well. You get to enjoy sea life. The work is in shifts and every individual has to work as per his job role and rank order. But, obviously you need to work in a team.

Work pressure is high, especially because it is an off-shore life for an extended period and life can become monotonous. But, getting the chance to travel to different countries is a  luring aspect of this profession.

The most popular jobs are marine engineers and nautical engineers, both well paying. A four-month-long leave period is a norm. The salary ranges from Rs 12,000 to Rs 8 Lakh per month depending on the rank and job. The pay-scale depends on the hiring company also. A junior engineer can expect a starting salary of around Rs 40,000. The chief engineer package is around Rs 1.5 Lakh monthly. The captain of the ship is also highly paid, about Rs 2 Lakh per month, on average.

The Shipping Corporation Of India Ltd, Essar Shipping Ltd, The Great Eastern Shipping Companies, Bharati Shipyard, Mercator Ltd, Gujarat Pipavav, Evergreen Marine Corporation, COSTCO (China Ocean Shipping Company), Hanjin Shipping Company are some Indian and international companies that are recruiting for the merchant navy professionals.

Pros and Cons of being a Merchant Navy employee

Pros 

  • High salary package job

  • Tax-free takeaway salary 

  • Adventurous job nature

  • For travel enthusiast great opportunity

  • Vast job opportunity

Cons 

  • Almost nine months stay on the ship

  • Away from family

  • Work-life balance is not good

  • Almost no social life

  • Being under pressure for emergency look-out

Future Growth Prospects and How to get there faster

For graduates and postgraduates salary packages are decent to start with. To reach mid and senior-level, years of experience matters  along with job performance. In general, to reach up to mid-level, around three to five years time frame is needed with a good reputation. To reach up to the senior level, seven-eight years is required. For candidates that come with diploma  courses or other short courses, chances of being promoted to higher rank are limited But with experience, the salary package gets better and the candidate gets promoted to a considerable position.

How do I get there?

Candidates interested in pursuing a career in merchant navy need to clear 12th exam with Physics, Chemistry and Mathematics. Different undergraduate programs can be considered by candidates willing to join the merchant navy.

 

B.E./B.Tech. Marine Engineering- It is a four-year course providing candidates with a Class 4 Marine Engineer Officer Certificate by the Ministry of Shipping. After completion of the degree course, six months of sea service is required to apply for a job. 

 

GME Course- It is a One-year pre-sea training course for mechanical engineering or naval architecture graduates. Candidates obtain Class 4 Marine Engineer Officer Certificate of Competency by the Ministry of Shipping, India. After completing the course,  six months of sea service is required to apply for a job. 

 

B.SC. Nautical Science- It is a Three- year course and candidates get Second Mates Foreign Going Certificate of Competency by the Ministry of Shipping, India. Twelve Months of sea service is mandatory for candidates to become navigation officers on merchant navy ships.

 

DME course (Diploma Marine Engineering)- It is a Two- years course offering candidates Class 4 Marine Engineer Officer Certificate of Competency by the Ministry of Shipping, India. Six months sea service is required.

 

Apart from these main courses several other short term courses  allow candidates the opportunity to get into a merchant navy career.

 

  • GP Rating course

  • Deck Rating course

  • Engine Rating course

  • Saloon Rating Course

  • NCV course

  • STCW Basic Safety Training

  • Diploma in Nautical Science

  • Commercial Diving Course

  • Electro Technical Officer Course

  • B.Sc. Maritime Science

 

Postgraduates courses are also available in maritime engineering, nautical science that supports students for better and bigger opportunities. Apart from degree courses, successfully clearing a medical test is mandatory for successfully applying for the job.

What are the Top Colleges where one should be studying to become a merchant navy professional?

Many colleges offer degree courses for merchant navy aspirants. Colleges are good with ample number of seats. Besides, students are also prepared well for placements.

Rank of College 

Name of College, City

Programme Fees (in Rs)

1

Tolani Maritime Institute

B.Tech Marine Engineering-14,30,000 Rs

B.Tech Nautical Technology-13,00,000 Rs

2

Samundra Institutes of Maritime Studies
  • Graduate Marine Engineering (GME)-Rs 5 Lakh

B.Tech. in Marine Engineering-Rs 15 Lakh

B.Sc. in Nautical Science-Rs 12 Lakh

3

Vels Academy of Maritime Studies Chennai

B.Sc. Nautical Science-Rs 8 Lakh

B.E. Marine Engineering-Rs 10 Lakh

GME- Rs 3 Lakh

DME- Rs 3 Lakh

4

Maharashtra Academy of Naval Education And Training (MANET) Pune

B.Tech (Marine Engineering)- Rs 13 Lakh

B.Sc. (Nautical Science)-Rs 9 Lakh

5

Institute of Technology & Marine Engineering (ITME) Kolkata
  • B.Tech in Marine Engineering- Rs 3 Lakh
  • B.Tech in Nautical Science- Rs 2 Lakh 

How much does it cost?

Average cost for undergraduate programs is around Rs 12 Lakh. For a diploma course, Rs 3 Lakh is the average cost. For postgraduate programs, Rs 5 Lakh is the average  expenditure. For short-term courses fee depends on the nature of course.

Books and other Study Material

There are many books and complete study material available that candidates can take help to prepare for the merchant navy course entrance tests.

  1. MU-CET – Gateway To Maritime Education Paperback by Subodh Kumar 

  2. IMU CET Complete Syllabus Theory Book (Revised and updated edition) by Subodh Juyal

  3. IMU CET 2020 Question Bank With Sponsorship Guide by 2IMU

  4. IMU-CET 2020 Full Package by IMU360

  5. IMU CET Study Material by 2IMU

  6. Complete Package for IMU CET & Sponsorship Test by 2IMU

What if this career does not work out for me? What are the other options for a person with these credentials?

For maritime engineers, job options are also available at power stations, hotels, hospitals. Also, nautical engineers can get a job in companies that are into ship manufacturing companies. It has been also observed that after fair years of sailing, merchant navy professionals go for MBA and look out for other job prospects.

 

Other careers of your interests

Content on this page is by Career Expert
Mrs. Kum Kum Tandon
MA (Psychology), M.Ed, Diploma in Educational Psychology, Vocational Guidance & Counseling (NCERT, Delhi) | View Complete Profile
×
×

This website uses Cookies and related technologies for the site to function correctly and securely, improve & personalise your browsing experience, analyse traffic, and support our marketing efforts and serve the Core Purpose. By continuing to browse the site, you agree to Privacy Policy and Cookie Policy.

▲ Back to Top