Articles
The Merchant Navy: A rewarding Career on the Sea
Opinion | Articles | Capt. Eddie Viegas | 09-Aug-2026
Though the Merchant Navy is one of the attractive career options for young students with a science background, it is not adequately explored and understood by many, except in states where shipping as a career is traditionally prevalent and widespread. In other states where young people don’t see or hear much about the profession, a career on the sea is understood as synonymous with the Indian Navy, which is one of the wings of the armed forces of the country. Therefore, the rewarding aspect of the profession, including perks and glamour associated with the profession remains oblivious. Even for the few who may show interest, finding accurate information about the courses and institutes one can attend still remains an issue even in a time when almost everything is available on the internet at the click of a mouse. This article is to help understand about the career options available and the route to acquiring the necessary qualifications to get into various branches of a career on the ship.
(1) A Navigation officer to a Captain of the Ship:
The premier institute in the country today is the Training Ship Chanakya- which is basically a shore based establishment in Mumbai. This College is affiliated to the Bombay University. Boys who have passed their XIIth Std. or PUC, with Maths, Physics and Chemistry have to appear for the Entrance examination indicating their priority as T.S.Chanakya and then depending upon their ranking they are called for an interview, fitness test and Eye sight test. Eye sight should be normal with no glasses and without Colour blindness. About 100 cadets are selected each year from a total applicants of about 15-20 thousand boys/girls from all over India.
Chanakya is the successor to the T.S.Rajendra which again had replaced the Pioneer Training Ship Dufferin of which the writer is a proud product. It is a three year course at the Chanakya during which the cadet undergoes rigorous practical and academic training in Navigation, Ship construction, Ship Stability, Electricity and Electronics, Basic Marine engineering, Communications, Ship masters business and legal knowledge, Practical seamanship, Swimming, Sailing, Boat handling, Fire-fighting and safety at sea, etc. At the end of the three years one passes out as a BSc(Nautical). These cadets are immediately absorbed at sea as Cadets/junior officers and they have to work their way up to the top.
The other option to join as a Cadet is by way of direct recruitment to the various shipping companies- both Indian and Foreign. Many leading companies like the Shipping Corporation of India, Great Eastern, Maersk of Denmark, P & O Group of UK, Barbers, Wallems, Mobile, and many other companies from Singapore, Hongkong, etc are always looking for Indian cadets each year. They normally advertise between the months of December to May in the career digest or in the national dailies. The minimum requirement is PUC with English & PCM and a minimum of 60% marks in each of the subjects. But as anyone would have guessed in India boys/girls with 85% and above only generally make it to the selection level.
These companies then arrange for the training of these cadets both ashore and on board their ships. These cadets take over as officers within a period of about three and a half years on passing their first Certificate of Competency.
(2) Marine Engineer:
The leading institute in the country today for Marine Engineers is the “Marine Engineering & Research Institute” (MERI) situated at Calcutta and Mumbai. The Institute conducts their own entrance exam for candidates after their PUC and the selection is on merit basis. After the selection, the candidates undergo a training for four years after which they graduate as BE(Marine). They join the ships as junior engineers and have to work their way up to the higher ranks leading to the position of a Chief Engineer.
In addition to the above, various shipbuilding and ship repair facilities in India, such as Mazagon Docks of Mumbai, Naval Dockyard, Bombay Port Trust, Garden Reach Ship Yard-Calcutta, Cochin Shipyard, Hindustan ship-yard, Vizag have their own intake of students after XII STD and they bring out a fair amount of Marine Engineers each year. The training period in these establishment is about four years .
Students who have done their BE Mechanical and Diploma-holders(Mech) are also nowadays accepted into the Merchant Navy after they undergo a 9 month/18 months training respectively. The Institute of Maritime Studies at Vasco,Goa is one such training Centre where Graduates/Diploma holders are presently being trained to be Marine Engineers.
Marine Engineers are one of the most Versatile of Engineers. On Board ships they deal with the some of the largest Engines with Horse power of 20,000 to 70,000 for propulsion. Power generation & distribution on board, Fresh water generation on board, Boilers for heating, Air-conditioning, Lifting Appliances and numerous Electrical and electronics on board aare some of the experiences which an engineers does not get anywhere else.
(3) Deck Engine and Saloon Rating:
The minimum qualification for these is the 10th Std with at least 50% aggregate. There is a five month course for these at various places in India, namely at Mumbai, Cochin, Vizag, Gujarat, Calcutta, Chennai and Goa. Details of these can be had directly from the training establishments or from the Director General of Shipping, Mumbai.
These are job oriented courses together with the STCW 95 (Standards of Training Certification and Watch-Keeping) courses which have been made mandatory by The IMO before anyone can board a ship as a crew. From the deck and Engine ratings level, provided you have the right aptitude for Maths & Science, one can also rise to an officer level after a certain period of service followed by attendance at a Nautical college and obtaining a Certificate of Competency. (COC)
The boys generally take a little time to get a job in the beginning but after one or two years of experience, they are in good demand and earn a good salary.
CONCLUSION:
So young fellows, why even Girls - the Merchant navy is waiting for you. There are already quite a few women Captains and Engineers at sea and India has kept the options open for women too. The salaries are well above the shore level and with a will to work hard and study well one can never be out of a job. The COC’s obtained in India and other major Maritime countries are Internationally Valid. I’m proud to say that Indian COC’s are highly preferred.
If you want to be close to nature, see the world and get paid for it too, meet people all over the globe, earn good money with very little chance to spend it while on board, breath clean fresh air at sea and above all lead a hard working disciplined life-- there is a great career in the “Call of the Sea”.
For more details with regard to the various training institutes in the country it would be proper to visit the Website of the Director General of shipping (DGS) and make your choice of the institute that one may prefer.
Wish you best of luck and happy sailing.
(The author is a Master Mariner (F G) & a ship and Marine surveyor. He represents numerous National & International organizations in the world of shipping as a technical consultant)