The merchant navy offers a variety of jobs for newcomers.

The merchant navy offers a variety of jobs for newcomers.

    If you are adventurous, physically fit and like to work with flexibility, a job with the merchant navy could be just for you.
    “There is a huge requirement of manpower in this industry. India is one of the rising hubs and Indians are considered very competent, hard-working and have a good attitude towards work and are doing well in the shipping industry. At the same time it is cost effective to hire Indians. There is a vast growth potential with many job opportunities,” says Capt Puneet Malhotra, fleet manager, Anglo Eastern Shipping Co. Ltd.
    Currently, about 1 lakh Indian citizens constitute about 7% of the total workforce of the merchant navy in about 50,000 cargo ships across the globe. By 2020, this share of the Indian workforce is likely to rise to 9% because of the interest taken by the Indian ministry of shipping and private players. Cargo ships are running the entire economy of the world because they form about 90% of the transportation. The world economy depends on supply and demand so all the goods are transported through ships. 

>> FLEXIBILITY IN WORKING There is a provision of flexibility as workers can join on contracts. They can choose what kind of contract they want to get into. “It is like a paid vacation. They could sail for seven months, then take a break for two-three months, and join back at ease, in the same company or another. There is a provision that one’s family can also travel along. The only thing that needs to be taken care of is the visa, for which you pay on your own. There are facilities to carry one’s family as well, which again, is flexible. Sea farers get a special kind of passport and so even if one does not have a visa of a country, he/she can get the visa on the arrival,” says Malhotra.
    Every port in the world has clubs, internet facilities for the seafarers. Even when they are on board, all facilities are at their service.

>> JOB OPTIONS After +2, students can enrol in the course and go for a one-year pre-sea training programme, then they go onboard for training as a deck cadet for 18 months, attend a four-month college, qualify as second mates exam, acquire a BSc nautical science degree and join as third officer. “The range of salary that one can expect as a deck cadet ranges from around Rs 20,000 a month and a captain earns around Rs 4 lakh per month, which is non-taxable,’ he says.
    Students must do their research before choosing a school. “There are a lot of schools, which are not accredited. “Students must look at the government’s website (dgshipping.com) for a list of approved schools and beware of agents,” he advises.
    It is a lucrative career. By the time, a person turns 30 he also has the option to settle ashore and get into areas such as chartering, logistics and get a taxfree salary. There are many opportunities for women as well. Other options include safety management, fleet personal recruitment, etc. “Besides this, people also get into the hotel industry, manage power plants, marine IT, manufacturing, security agencies, civil services, among others. People also get job offers from different countries,” informs Malhotra.