Merchant Navy as career

The Merchant Navy is a very lucrative career option in India. It’s 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. 3 year degree course in B.Sc. Nautical Science for (10+2)

students. ii. 4 year degree course in Marine Engineering for (10+2)

students. iii. 2 year course for Diploma Holders. iv. 1 year course for Graduate Mechanical Engineers. v. 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. Candidate’s 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 pre-sea 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 candidate’s 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 in-command. 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 , cooks , stewards and messman etc.

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 post-sea 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 Sanctioned Number of Courses at Average Number of Institutes Capacity all these institutes Courses per instituteWest 48 8410 318 6.6 South 34 6227 222 6.5 East 20 2954 120 6.0 North 10 2490 95 9.5 Course wise Capacity of Training Institutes Number of Courses Number of Institutes 20-40 9 10-19 14 5-9 31 <5 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 CoursesChennai 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 Number of Institutes > 500 15 200 to 500 22 100 to 200 34 < 100 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 11 614 4 ears Pre-sea for Engineer trainees (B.E. Marine Eng) 14 1046 2 year Pre-sea for Diploma Mechanical Engineers 5 121 3 year Pre-sea for Engineer trainees (ATS) 5 198 4 year work shop training for Mechanical Engineers 4 95Total for Engineer Trainees 2074 3 year polyvalent/ dual / alternate Certification 2 240 TOTAL OUTPUT CAPACITY OF OFFICER TRAINEES 4,370 PER YEAR General Purpose (GP) Ratings 29 8080 Saloon Ratings 13 2280 Total Ratings per year 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 ship-board 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. Name of the Name of Type of course Number of No. University Course colleges affiliated 1. Indira Gandhi B. Sc. 3-year degree course for 24 National Open Nautical deck cadets University, Science New Delhi 2. 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 3. Jadhavpur University, B.E. Marine 4-year course for marine 1 Kolkata Engineering Engineering trainees 4. 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 5. 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 6. 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 7. Allagappa University, B. Sc. 3-year degree course for 1 Chennai Nautical deck cadets Science 8. Yashvantrao Chavan B.E. Marine 4-year course for marine 1 Maharashtra Open Engineering Engineering trainees University 9. Rajasthan Vidyapeeth B.E. Marine 4-year course for marine 1 Engineering Engineering trainees 10. Uttar Pradesh B.E. Marine 4-yearcourse for marine 1 Technical University . Engineering Engineering trainees 1

11. Biju Patnaik .. Marine 4-year course for marine 1 University of Engineering Engineering trainees Technology, Orissa 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 4474 Chief Mat 1978 Watch-keeping Officers FG 5248 NCV & Others 1327 Total 13027

ENGINEER OFFICERS Chief Engineers 4676 Second Engineers 2515 Watch-keeping Engineers 4331 NCV & Others 1327 Total 12620

RATINGS GP crew including trainees 13872 Deck Ratings 21352 Eng Ratings 7612 Saloon Crew Including trainees 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 on-board 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 Director-General has assured us to double the capacity in no time, if need be, but the on-board 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 CCMC BP Marine Academy, Mumbai 120 50 Bonzer Academy, Mumbai 40 Nil Columbus Marine Training Institute, Mumbai 40 ---- Arya Marine , Mumbai 40 Nil T.S. Rahaman, Mumbai 120 Nil Yak Education Trust, Mumbai 80 Nil Mumbai Maritime Training Institute, Mumbai 40 30 Maritime Foundation, Chennai 70 Nil Maritime officers Training Academy, Chennai 40 Nil Sriram Institute of Marine Studies, Delhi 40 Nil Baba Marine Institute 40 Nil International Maritime Academy, Kolkata 240 Nil Marine Training Academy 80 Nil Eurotech Maritime Academy 80 30 Nusi Maritime Academy 40 30 Sea scan Maritime Foundation 40 --- Orissa Maritime Academy, Paradip, Orissa 40 Nil Balaji seaman’s training, Chennai 80 --- Srichakra maritime college, Chennai 40 Nil Aquatech Institute of Maritme studies 40 Nil Francon Institutes Nil 30 Nusi Maritime Academy 120 30 Hindustan Institute of Maritime Training, Chen 120 30 Sea scan Maritime Foundation 80 30 Maritime Education Training and research ins 80 40 Trident college of Marine Technology 80 ---- Asha International Institute of Marine Tech 40 Nil

Tamilnadu Maritime Academy 30 Nil Commander Ali’s Academy of Merchant Navy 40 Nil Cosmopolitan Technology of Merchant Navy 80 Nil Southern Academy of Marine studies, Chennai 80 --- J. Son’s Merchant navy Institute 40 Nil Indus seafarers Training Academy 40 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, Madurai-625022, 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 ½ 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 watch-keeping 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.