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Merchant Navy

29

PUC Science · pathway 29 of 50

Merchant Navy

DNS / B.Sc Nautical Science / B.Tech Marine Engineering · DNS 1 Year · B.Tech Marine Engineering 4 Years

Colour blindness can end a sea career before it starts, whatever your marks.

You want responsibility young and could live and work with the same small group for months. At sea nobody else will correct your mistake, so discipline about procedure must come naturally.

Contracts run for months, then leave at home. Deck officers keep bridge watches in shifts around the clock and supervise cargo in port; engineers run and repair machinery in a hot, loud engine room with only the spares on board.

Physics, Chemistry and Maths are required, but first get your eyesight and colour vision tested before you pay for a course or coaching, and check the college is DG Shipping approved. Promotion comes through certificate of competency exams, not seniority. Engine-side experience carries well to shore jobs, so a life at sea need not be permanent.

You might like this if you enjoy Travel & the outdoors Building & fixing things

Go deeper — Inside the Courses: Nautical Science · Marine Engineering · Naval Architecture · Harbour & Logistics

pathway 29 · Merchant Navy

The road

  1. SSLCClass 10
  2. 2 yearsPUC Science
  3. DNS 1 Year · B.Tech Marine Engineering 4 YearsDNS / B.Sc Nautical Science / B.Tech Marine Engineering

Where it goes after that

Work

  1. Deck Cadet to Third Officer
  2. Marine Engineer
  3. Chief Officer
  4. Captain / Chief Engineer
  5. Electro-Technical Officer
  6. Marine Surveyor
  7. Years later — Captain of a vessel
  8. Years later — Chief Engineer
  9. Years later — Fleet Manager
  10. Years later — Port Director

Study further

  1. Certificate of Competency examinations
  2. M.Tech Marine Engineering
  3. MBA Shipping & Logistics
  4. Naval architecture research
  5. M.Tech and PhD in marine engineering
  6. Maritime safety studies

Government

  1. Directorate General of Shipping posts
  2. Shipping Corporation of India
  3. Port trust and maritime board roles
  4. Indian Coast Guard technical entry

Your own

  1. Ship management or crewing agency
  2. Marine surveying practice
  3. Logistics business
Who can apply
Passed Class 12 with Physics, Chemistry and Maths, usually 60% in PCM and 50% in English. You must also pass a DG Shipping approved medical — including 6/6 eyesight and no colour blindness, which disqualifies some candidates regardless of marks.

Where to study it A shortlist of well-regarded places, not every college.

Other places to study: Indian Maritime University Chennai · IMU Kolkata · Tolani Maritime Institute · AMET University