HOW TO JOIN THE MERCHANT NAVY ( DECK SIDE ) ?

Hello everyone ,in this post i will be guiding you through the different routes through which one can join the Merchant Marine .

Typical Merchant Navy Hierarchy Onboard a Merchant trading Ship .

DIFFERENT DEPARTMENTS ONBOARD SHIP :-

DECK

The Deck department ( Navigating ) are responsible for the safe navigation of a ship with regards to following the Traffic rules,COLREGS,Communication between vessels and shore authorities etc. They are also responsible for the loading/discharging of cargo and in general the safety of the crew.

The Deck Department Consists of -

Courtesy : Gettyimages/Stewart Cohen

OFFICERS :

1.MASTER MARINER ( CAPTAIN )

2.CHIEF OFFICER/CHIEF MATE/1ST MATE

3.2ND OFFICER/2ND MATE

4.3RD OFFICER/3RD MATE

5.TRAINEE CADETS ( DECK CADETS )

CREW/RATINGS:

1.BOSUN/BOATSWAIN

2.PUMP MAN

3.AB/ABLE SEAMAN

4.OS/ORDINARY SEAMAN

5.TRAINEE OS

HOW TO JOIN THE DECK OFFICERS DEPT?

One can join the officers deck dept as a cadet after completion of Pre Sea Training. The three routes for joining Deck Officers Dept are -

1.DIPLOMA IN NAUTICAL SCIENCE (DNS LEADING TO BSC NAUTICAL SCIENCE AWARDED BY INDIAN MARITIME UNIVERSITY )

2.BSC NAUTICAL SCIENCE ( IMU/AMET UNI/MUMBAI UNI Or Any Other University Approved By DG Shipping )

3.HIGHER NAUTICAL DIPLOMA ( HND, APPROVED BY MCA UK )

1.DNS - 

DNS or Diploma In Nautical Science is a one year pre sea course approved the Directorate General of Shipping and usually affiliated to IMU,Chennai. There are 2 semesters in this course and one learns all the basics that a deck cadet needs to know like COLREGS,Navigation,Cargo Work,Seamanship,Anchor Work and Maintenance of the vessel itself . After Successful completion of the DNS course , INDIAN CDC is given to the cadets .

 Cadets then have to sail for a minimum of 18 Months to be eligible for taking the 2nd Mates Exam ( to become 3/O from Deck cadet ). Second Mates License allows you to sail as a 2/O But Companies will usually take you as a 3/O Upon passing 2nd mates and with Sea time and experience will be promoted to 2/O .

DNS Course requires sponsorship . A sponsorship means that a company will take you a cadet upon successful completion of course and good behaviour record . It doesn't mean that the company is going to pay for your course,but simply a guarantee that the company will give you a job after DNS and you'll be paid a stipend during your 18 months cadetship which usually can help you recover back the cost of DNS . After 18 Months Seatime,one can obtain BSc degree after successful completion of Shipboard Training Programme SSTP ,post sea courses,functional courses for 2nd mates and after passing 3,4,5th sem exams conducted by IMU.

The eligibility for joining DNS course is 60% in PCM  (12TH ) , 50% in English Atleast in 10th or 12th OR  B.Sc. in Physics, Mathematics, Chemistry or Electronics with Physics as individual subject in one of the year, with an average of not less than 55% of marks in the final year OR B.E./B. Tech. Degree from I.I.T. or from a college recognized by AICTE with an average of not less than 50% of marks in the final year and passing the Medical requirements ( 6/6 in both eyes ,no color blindness ) etc.The Maximum Age Limit for DNS entry is 25 years. Each company might have its own requirements as in PCM marks,English Marks and even IELTS Score in some companies .

The companies that sponsor cadets for DNS Are - 

Anglo Eastern Ship Management,Wilhelmsen Ship Management Management ,Vships,Dockendale,Fleet,Executive Ship Management ,Nortrans,TORM,Teekay,MSC,Maersk,Wallem Ship Management ,Scorpio Ship Management,MOL,Tolani Shipping,Good Wood Ship Management,Synergy,SCI,Great Eastern Shipping etc .

The Colleges that conduct DNS Program are- Tolani Maritime Institute,TS RAHAMAN,TS CHANAKYA,GREAT EASTERN,SAMUNDRA INSTITUTE,ANGLO EASTERN MARITIME ACADEMY,IMU MUMBAI, ARI DELHI,IMI NOIDA etc

For a exhaustive list of college for DNS CLICK HERE

2.BSC NAUTICAL SCIENCE

BSc Nautical Science is a 3 year Pre Sea course approved by DG Shipping and affiliated to IMU,CHENNAI , AMET UNIVERSITY, MUMBAI UNIVERSITY Etc .The Main difference between DNS and BSc is that the sail time for being eligible for 2nd mates is 12 months for BSc and 18 months for DNS Cadets . A cadet gets placed during the course (subject to Good performance and Marks ) unlike DNS Cadets who gets Placed before the course .The course fees varies from 6 Lakhs to 15.5 Lakhs depending on the maritime institute.

The eligibility for joining DNS course is 60% in PCM  (12TH ) , 50% in English Atleast in 10th or 12th with Physics, Chemistry, Mathematics and English as separate subjects and passing the Medical requirements ( 6/6 in both eyes ,no color blindness ) etc.The Upper Age limit for BSc entry is 25 Years.

The Colleges that conduct BSC Program are - Tolani Maritime Institute,TS RAHAMAN,TS CHANAKYA,IMU MUMBAI,MANET PUNE etc

For a exhaustive list of college for BSC CLICK HERE

3. HND NAUTICAL SCIENCE

HND Nautical Science is a 2 year pre sea training course approved by MCA,UK . One year is spent in INDIA and the other year at UK .15 Months sail time is required for a HND cadet to be eligible for 2nd Mates in UK.Please Note that One who does HND NS,can do 2nd mates,Chief Mates and Masters Exam only in UK or European Union approved countries like New Zealand etc. To be frank its not a cheap option .A HND NS holder cant do any promotional exams in INDIA.I have also noticed that placements for HND NS holders have been a real pain in the head .

The eligibility is 50% in PCM in 12th and minimum 50% in English and Passing the medical requirements.The candidate will have to appear in IELTS examination for english proficiency with minimum score of 5.5.The maximum age limit is 25 Years.

The Colleges in India that conduct HND NS are - AMET University in conjn with City of Glasgow college or South Tyneside College , BP Marine Academy in conjn  with City of Glasgow collegeor South Tyneside College etc.

HOW TO JOIN DECK CREW/RATING DEPT ?

One can join the deck crew/ratings dept after successful completion of GP Rating Course.

1.GP Rating Pre Sea Training

GP Rating Or General Purpose Rating is a pre sea training course of 6 months approved by DG Shipping ..In the 6 months one will learn about the basics of seamanship,anchor work, chipping-painting,rope work and necessary skills required to be a seaman . Placements for GP ratings have also been a huge headache owing to recession in the shipping industry.

The eligibility requirement for joining GP Rating is 40% in 10th Grade with Science and Maths as subjects with 40% minimum marks in English .The minimum and maximum age for joining GPR are 17.5 years to 25 years respectively.One must also pass the medical requirements set by the DG Shipping.

After successful completion of GP course one can join the deck side as a trainee OS after obtaining INDIAN CDC . After 36 months of sea experience a deck rating can also appear for 2nd Mates exam after doing all the relevant courses .

The Colleges that provide placement for GP Rating are - Great Eastern Institute Of Maritime Studies,TS RAHAMAN,  NUSI GOA Etc .

For a exhaustive list of college for GPR CLICK HERE