Your review is Submitted Successfully. ×
v -@dive35
Sep 04, 2005 03:32 PM, 6982 Views
(Updated Sep 05, 2005)
A Career in the Merchant Navy ? - Part 1

PART 1


So you want to join the merchant navy as an officer , huh? You’ve heard all those stories about being paid to visit foreign countries, havent you? What about the ’’girl in every port’’ stories? And you must have been told about the exciting life we sailors lead, right? Are these stories true? Do you think you have it in you to sail the high seas? Well, I am here to tell you about the REAL merchant navy, dont worry, some of the stories you’ve heard are true, some are not. I have been sailing for the past 23 years including 8 years as Captain so I am giving you an ’’inside’’ view.


Before we begin, let me first clarify something, the merchant navy isnt the same as the Indian navy. Merchant ships carry cargo as the name suggests, we are not the fighting navy. The cargo could be containers , oil , passengers , animals, bulk ore etc.


So what is the big attraction of the merchant navy? Usually, two things, money and foreign travel. There are other benefits like tax free income, quick promotions, exciting life and so on. But the money is the main temptation, yes you get fat paychecks, you earn in dollars and you dont pay tax (if you stay out of the country for more than 6 months in a financial year). You start earning a big salary at a very young age. To give you an example, the starting salary for a 22 year old 3rd officer or 4th engineer (junior most officers on board ships) on an oil tanker will be more than 50, 000 Rs. This amount depends on the type of ship and the company you join so dont quote me! Officers normally work on a contract basis. Junior officers do 6 to 9 month contracts, while senior officers do 3 to 6 months on board. Remember that you get paid ONLY when you are on board. So technically, your salary is half of what you are said to get. Why do ship owners pay you so much? There has to be a catch, right? The catch is , you stay away from home for extended periods of time, in fact you spend most of your time at sea than on land. Sure you get to visit foreign countries but things have changed now. Its not as if you reach a port and everyone goes ashore. Work continues, every officer / crew member works in shifts (watches as we call them). You are free to go ashore once you have completed your watch but dont forget that you have to come back from your shore leave and work again. So , you either sleep or go ashore. Work on a ship, never stops. As long as the ship is doing something, sailing, loading / discharging cargo, its making money for the ship owner. Port stays have gone down considerably so the ship is in port for a short time. Ofcourse, this depends on the type of ship you are on. Container ships are in port for a few hours (YES few hours), oil tankers for 24 hrs , cargo ships and bulk carriers stay longer in port. Watches in port are usually on a 6 on 6 off basis, 6 hours on duty, 6 hours off duty, then you are back to work. Hence you cannot go ashore in every port because you need to rest sometime. The ship owner is paying you to stay on board, not to go ashore! Its not all bad news, you do get to go ashore and do some shopping and maybe sight seeing. But within that 6 hour ’’off’’ period . Ports are normally far away from ’’civilization’’. Travelling to and fro takes up time and is not cheap. With visa restrictions post 9/11, many countries will not let you stay back for a holiday after you complete your tenure on your ship. So now you know why the ship owner pays you so much. You are being paid for staying away from family and home, you are being paid for long stints at sea and hardly any chance to go ashore. Btw, the girl in every port is pure myth!!! You will not get time to meet girls and if you do meet girls then they will be the ’’wrong’’ kind. Some companies do allow officers (usually senior officers) to carry their family (wife / kids) with them.


No problem you say, I can handle everything, just as long as I get paid well. Thats just fine, as long as you are aware of what you are getting into. Expect to work with a multinational crew , unless you join an Indian company. Expect multinational cuisine , you may or may not get Indian food. Expect cultural differences, your Captain could be from U.K. while the other officers / crew could be from Philipines, Croatia , Bangladesh or some other country. Which means that you may not have much in common with them. You might have to spend time alone in your cabin. Can you handle being by yourself? Ofcourse, it might be possible that you are lucky and you get along with everyone, in which case you will enjoy yourself soaking in the various cultures. Or you could be luckier and get to sail with a majority of Indians. It all depends on the company you work for. During your leisure time you can watch movies, play indoor games (cards, carrom etc), work out in the gym (most ships have one) or just relax in your cabin. Most companies allow officers to send emails home and receive them. Ofcourse, there are restrictions on the number and size of emails after all, satellites are used for transmitting/receiving emails. You will get snail mail (conventional ’’paper’’ letters) when the ship touches port. But usually not more than once a month.


Now we come to work. .Each type of ship requires specialised crew. Each department on board a ship has different duties - the deck department looks after the navigation and loading / discharging of cargo while the engine department looks after maintenance of various machineries. Life on board every ship is not the same. Some ships are old so you need to work harder to keep them running. Some ships are new and are easier to work on. Oil tankers, gas carriers need special training and experience. Container ships and bulk carriers have similarly experienced crew. While at sea , officers generally do 4 on 8 off, 4 hours duty, 8 hours off. This does not mean that after you finish your 4 hours of duty, you can go to sleep. No, you might have to work on other things, maintenance of machinery/equipment. Normally officers and crew work 10 hour days. This is a general statement and is not a hard and fast rule. Work loads increase considerably, when ships are in port. Night or day, 24/7, whether at sea or in port, officers are on watch duties. There is no weekend for them, there is no such thing as a public holiday. If one officer falls sick, then the other officers on board share his duties until he is fit again. Nope, no doctors on board unless you are on a passenger ship. Ships carry medicines and all officers are trained for first aid / medical emergencies. Whenever ships touch port, medical treatment can be provided ashore.


Continued in Part 2 - Look in ’’Choosing the Right Career’’

(0)
Please fill in a comment to justify your rating for this review.
Post
Question & Answer