Merchant navy

Maibam Kenedy Singh *

Around ten years back merchant navy was not a very common and popular profession. Many were not aware of this profession and they considered merchant navy and Indian navy as same profession. But today the sweet flavour of this unique profession has spread to every nook and corner of the world. It has become a very popular and well preferred profession among the youth especially young boys. The young boys are attracted towards this profession by its smart uniform and high salary. But majority are not aware of the reason behind the high salary and the tough duties behind the smart uniform. None except the seafarers could understand the pain and tough duties one has to go through on the board to get that high salary.

Merchant navy is a very interesting as well as a very challenging profession. People hardly get opportunities to roam around the world. But this adventurous profession provides us the opportunity to roam around the world, visit different new countries and mingle with people of different caste, creed and colour. On the other hand a seafarer ever bears the pain of being away from the loved ones, friends and family. Leaving their fate at the mercy of nature they fearlessly perform their duties on the board. The enchanting seas, sometimes with terrible storm, wild waves and the heavy rain sweeping across the sea, have become their friends.

According to a magazine by industry expertise 90% of all goods in the world is transported from one place to another through sea. A ship costs 5 million dollars to 100 million dollars approximately. And it is believed that there are around 50,500 ships in the world. Around 35,000 officers and 110,000crew from India are working in merchant navy. But overall required number of merchant navy in the world is 466,000 officers and 721,000 crew. Vacancies of around 10,000 officers were there in the beginning of previous year. India enjoys 5% of officers and crew of overall merchant navy in the world.

There are different merchant ships like oil tanker, ro -ro (car career), cargo, gas, passenger, container, chemical ship etc. Three departments are there in the ship as deck, engine and catering. Candidates who love navigation choose deck, engineering choose engine and cooking choose catering department. Our duty in the ship is transportation of goods from one place to another. These goods include iron scrap, iron ore, iron goods, oil, gas, chemical, fish, car, bus etc. Duties are allotted according to the ranks and the departments. Our duty starts the moment we enter the ship and continues till the end of the contract.

We can't stop our duty either the temperature in the sea rises to 45degree Celsius or decreases to minus 10 degree Celsius or the ship rolls or pitches horribly or the terrible storm or wild waves attack the ship or the heavy rain sweeps across the sea. Little negligence in our duty may threaten the lives of all on the board. In any situation a seafarer has to keep on performing his duty courageously. Sometimes it becomes hard for one to bear the pain he goes through in performing his duty. It becomes harder for him when the chief engineer or the captain rejects his resignation letter. In such situation some candidates even commit suicide as they find it hard to face the pain. So those who love to enrol themselves in this profession must know and understand that merchant navy is a very challenging profession.

To undergo training without proper inquiry about the profession as well as about the training academy may lead one to desperation in future. So it is a must for candidates to undergo training with detail information about the training academy. Number of training academies, approved by the director general of shipping, government of India, exists in different cities of India like Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Bangalore, Kolkata, etc. Educational qualifications of different merchant navy trainings are either one should pass class10 with minimum 40%marks in aggregate or intermediate/10+2/equivalent examination with 50%/55% with physics, chemistry, mathematics or any graduate. Candidates should be young boys or girls who are under 17half to 25 years old. But so far I haven't come across any lady candidate from north east (India).

Merchant navy training is scheduled either for six months or one year or two years or three years or four years respectively. Six months training is called GP Rating which means General purpose rating. This training covers both deck and engine department. Then there are other trainings are like cadet, HND, BNS, mechanical engineering diploma+2 years marine engineering, mechanical engineering degree + one year marine engineering and four years marine engineering, naval architecture+marine engineering etc. Candidates who undergo merchant navy training after clearing Indian Maritime University Common Entrance Test (IMU-CET) would get better opportunities.

On conclusion of the training every academy will issue merchant navy identity book to every candidate. This identity book is termed as CDC which means continuous discharge certificate. Being a citizen of India it is mandatory for every candidate to have CDC provided by the government of India. So it is also mandatory for us to inquire if our training academy is approved by the director general of shipping or our CDC is issued by the government of India. In some training academy, training is done in both India and UK – one year in India and another year in UK. Such training academies are genuine but as the training is conducted in both countries sometimes merchant navy book issued by these academies are approved by the government of UK. And it is very tough for us to get a job with a foreign CDC.

It is hope for every candidate that they would hold a suitable post after the training. As a huge amount of money is required for the training, sometimes some amount of money may or may not be required in applying for a job. To get a reliable job is not a problem for sponsored candidates. Doors to better opportunities are widely opened for them. In addition it is not a headache for those candidates who get offers on campus interviews before the completion of the course. And for some candidates luck favours them if they are given reference by a captain, chief engineer or an official of high rank. Rest of the candidates must apply for job to different companies by themselves or they can seek help from seafarers union by enrolling themselves in the union. Else one must seek help from the agents.

Merchant companies are categorised as low level company, average company or high level company. The other way merchant companies are also categorised as companies with RPSL (Recruitment and Placement Services Licence) and companies without RPSL. We are not allowed to appear promotion examinations with experience from a company that doesn't have this licence. We don't need to worry for whole of our life once we get an opportunity in an ITF (International Transport Workers Federation) company which means a top level company. But to get an opportunity in such company is not an easy thing.

Experience is required to make ourselves qualified to enrol in such company and so earning experience from a low level company with RPSL is necessary. In addition to experience our CDC is also checked while checking our bio data for an interview.

Meanwhile there are many fake agents amidst the noble agents who are earning for themselves by helping the candidates in getting a reliable post for themselves. Such fake agents are taking advantage over the candidates who are in an utmost eagerness to hold a post. They are trapping such candidates. Sometimes these fake agents demand a huge amount of money from the candidates. Sometimes they send the candidates to the airport with a fake ticket.

Sometimes they send the candidates to a foreign country with great hope of signing in to the ship. But beyond their trust these agents leave the candidates in despair. They are sent back home after a few days stay in a foreign hotel. Sometimes these agents send candidates to a still ship that doesn't work, whose scraps are loosened. In such ship salary ever remains a dream; it is even difficult for one to fight for food. Some even sell their agricultural land or valuable assets to enrol themselves in merchant navy.

And if the academy where such persons are trained is not approved by the government of India, then they may try to get a job by hook or crook. And again if they meet such fake agents they will be the scrap goats in their hands. We need to be careful so that we do not fall prey to these unscrupulous persons posing as recruiting agents. In addition to the problems mentioned above, some candidates leave merchant navy as they find it difficult to perform the tough duties on the board. To save their own self respect they spread rumours n utter nonsense about the industry.

Analysing the situations mentioned above I feel it is best for one to inquire about this profession and the training institution before enrolling themselves. I am deeply sympathetic towards those candidates who are disappointed with their fate and I don't want others who aspire to be a merchant navy to face the same problem in future. So I feel like sharing my knowledge about the profession and experiences in my career as a merchant navy so that merchant navy lovers would be aware of the situations mentioned above. I am sharing my knowledge and experience about my profession with a great hope that many captains and chief engineers would turn up to spread the name and fame of our motherland to every nook and corner of the world.