Join the Merchant Navy: Explore the World

by PRATIMA ACHREKAR
Posted on 2009-06-20
The state of Goa has the highest percentage of sea faring communities serving onboard foreign ships all over the world. A sea going career is highly rewarding, very adventurous, challenging, disciplined and highly paying. The merchant navy is a non-combatant commercial fleet, which deals with transporting cargo and occasionally, passengers, by sea. Its fleet is therefore composed of passenger vessels, cargo liners, tankers, carriers, as well as other special types of vehicles.
The Sea Scan Maritime Foundation and NUSI Maritime Academy at Assolna in Goa offers courses in general purpose rating (deck and engine combined) that allows one to get into merchant navy. “In merchant navy there are different sections such as navigation, engineering and catering. GP rating course includes navigation as well as engineering where as a Certificate Course in Maritime Catering (CCMC) allows you to join as cooks, stewards, etc,” says Captain Virendra J Mehta, Managing Director, Sea Scan Maritime Foundation, Goa.
When they look at the lucrative perks, many feel that candidates need to hold high degrees to pursue a career in this field. But this is not so. “Candidates willing to join the merchant navy can even enrol themselves for the GP course after SSC with 40 per cent aggregate and 40 per cent marks in English. Where as the eligibility criteria for CCMC (saloon rating course) is XIIth pass with minimum 40 per cent aggregate and 40 per cent passing marks in English. Minimum age limit for both GP and CCMC course is 17.5 years and maximum 25 years,” adds Captain Mehta.
The students on passing out after six months of rigorous in-house training are eligible to sail in mainline ocean going merchant ships. Students are also issued and conferred the Continuous Discharge Certificate (CDC) by the Government of India.
Passouts are employed by shipping companies on a contractual basis, generally for six to nine months’ duration. “The shipping company recruits personnel to go on ship and the duration of the stay depends on the company itself,” says Ms Airin Carvalho, Administration Assistant of SSMF, Goa.
Earlier a career in this field was considered purely for men. “However, the present scenario is such that you will find that even the girls are found to be attracted by this career,” says Captain Mehta.
A career in the merchant navy requires people to be in tough physical form, along with a sporting, adaptive and adjustable attitude. They should be willing to take on responsibility, have a love for adventure and be ready to face challenges head on. Candidates need to be intelligent, intuitive, willing to work as a team, flexible, patient; have a liking for solitude, willing to live apart from loved ones for long stretches of time etc. And most important of all, those opting for a career at sea should not suffer from seasickness.
Personal attention is paid to every trainee for imparting the necessary shipboard skills. At SSMF the trainees are inducted as ratings and are trained in course of time with a focus to make them future officers’ onboard ships.