MERCHANT NAVY                                

                      "LIFE ON BOARD"

Merchant Navy is different from the navy in the sense that it offers commercial services and is the toughest job. "The Merchant Navy is the backbone of international trade, carrying cargo all over the world."

         RANKINGS IN MERCHANT NAVY:

There are three main departments on board ships:

1. Deck department
2. Engine department
3. Rating

Professionals from each of these departments are classed into a hierarchy system.

For the Deck department, the ranking system consists of:

• Chief officer/ mate
• 2nd officer/mate
• 3rd officer/mate
• Deck cadet

Apart from officers, each depart also has ratings. Their ranking is mentioned below:

• Bosun (head of the rating staff)
• Welder/Fitter (this rank renders his services to both the deck and engine department)
• Able Bodied Seaman (AB)
• Ordinary Seaman (OS)
• Trainee OS

For Engine department,we have

• Chief / First engineer
• 2nd engineer / First assistant engineer
• 3rd engineer / Second assistant engineer
• 4th engineer / Thirst assistant engineer
• 5th engineer / Engine Cadet
• Electrical officer (ETO)

Just like the deck department, the engine department also has ratings. Their ranking is as below:

• Fitter
• Motorman
• Wiper
• Trainee Fitter / Trainee Wiper

Other department:

• Chief cook
• Steward

•                         LIFE ON BOARD SHIP

  

  Considering the nature of work, maritime professional have a lifestyle which is quite different from those of landlubbers.

  This is not the usual 9-to-5 kind of job. As a maritime professional, you would be usually working in 4-hours shifts, twice a day, in addition to extra hours.

  Maritime professionals usually have a contract with a shipping company. The contract period can last from 4 – 9 months depending on the rank and type of ship.

  "After you sign a contract with a shipping company, you will be asked to board the ship from a convenient port on the ship’s sailing route. Most of the times you will take a flight (all expenses are borne by the shipping company) to the concerned port to board the vessel. While signing-off as well, most of the times, you will be taking a flight back to your home country from the sign-off port."

  REQUIREMENTS FOR JOINING MERCHANT NAVY:

  1. Not everyone can join merchant navy. You need to have the minimum qualifications required for a particular job on board ship. You also need to be physically fit and fulfil the basic medical requirements to join merchant navy. However, do note that the requirements will differ according to the country you belong to.

     For e.g. in India, in order to become an officer in the deck or engine department, you will need Physicals, Chemistry, Maths (PCM) as your main subjects. You will also be required to have the English language as a separate subject.

     Some important points:

     • Merchant navy is a physically and mentally challenging job. Make sure you are prepared for it. Try to do as much research as possible about life at sea. Try asking people who are sailing and have a good amount of experience. You can go through several articles in our life at sea category or ask questions at the forums
     • Don’t join just for the money. No doubt merchant navy is famous for offering the best salaries but that is because of the nature of the job. Don’t fall for the money trap. Join only if you are genuinely interested in learning and ready to work with your bare hands. This is not a desk job and it might require you to “get dirty” from time to time. If you think this is not something you can do for a long time, then rethink about your decision
     •  SALARY :
     • Be ready to struggle in the start. The number of jobs available for fresh maritime graduates is limited. Be ready to take up whatever opportunity you get in the start and complete your training period. Don’t fall for fake promises of agents.

         

       There is no one answer to how much a maritime professional will earn as it depends on several factors such as nationality, company, type of vessel, rank, qualification, experience etc.

       Merchant navy is famous for offering attractive salaries to professional, however, a lot differs from country to country and company to company.

       However, to give a general overview of how much on average a seafarer earns, we will consider average salaries of Indian seafarers across various departments and ranks.

       Below is a very general range of salaries in USD ($):

       Junior engineer or deck cadet –  350- 1000 USD

       4th Engineer / 3rd officer – 2400 – 4200 USD

       3rd Engineer/ 2nd officer – 4000-5000 USD

       2nd Engineer/Chief officer – 5500-11000 USD

       Chief engineer/ Captain – 8000 – 15000 USD

       Electrical Officer – 2500 – 4000 USD

       Pumpman – 1000-2400 USD

       Bosun – 1350 – 1800 USD

       Ordinary Seaman – 800-1100 USD

       Able Seamn – 1000-1400 USD

       Fitter – 1000 – 1500 USD

       Oiler – 800 – 1300 USD

       Engine Rating/ Wiper – 600-1000 USD

       Chief Cook – 1400-2500 USD

       Steward – 600-1500 USD

       Note: This is just a rough estimate of the salaries that are earned in the merchant navy. The salaries would change according to the company, the type of ship, seniority, loyalty, experience, skills etc.